A Chicago family challenges the gap of extreme city life. WBEZ Chicago followed 27-year-old Daevon Reynolds, his mother, Tosheika Thomas, and his grandmother, Linda Thomas, all residents of Chicago’s Ballfield Park Community.
All three of these family members have seen concerns about violence and changes in the neighborhood in the past days, where respect was given among neighbors. As WBez explains,
Reynolds and his family are part of a community effort to improve conditions in West Garfield Park that could lead to the first grave. His mother, Tosheika Thomas, and his grandmother, Linda Thomas, are beyond distraught. They remember a time when neighbors looked out for each other, when children could jump rope in front or run to free a block.
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But this is not only a trio. Tosheika Thomas is the co-founder and Managing Director of Legacy Families. His mother, Linda, serves as head of outreach.
Legacy Families has a mission to ‘increase the length and quality of life in West Garfield Park by providing hope, prioritizing safety, and preventing safety in our community. “This organization focuses on its mission of providing empowered families with accessible resources.
According to the Chicago Health Atlas, there is almost a 20-year gap in life expectancy between the Loop (87.3 years) and the West Garfield Park Community (66.6 years). Chicago has an average life expectancy of 78.7. It is estimated that between 2019 and 2023, society had a number of difficult indicators of 93 out of 100.
Some data from the Chicago Health Atlas estimated that more than 55% of adults will experience moderate or severe depression by 2023-2024. The community also has higher rates of asthma, diabetes, and hypertension than the rest of the city.
The Life Recendection Gap provides another measure of the hypersegregated nature of Chicago, and especially the black communities with critical social, environmental and economic factors. A 2019 analysis from the Department of Public Health at New Langone Health Shows a direct link between life expectancy and isolation. Isolation affects the quality of health care, environmental exposure, and food quality.
According to Chicago’s Columbia College, approximately 27% of West Garfiled Park residents experience food insecurity. And even where food is accessible, the quality is questionable. Other accounts indicate that West Garfield residents have raised concerns about the quality and condition of food sold at the LOT store that opened last year.
But the organizing committees of the sectors and other public organizers are not giving up. With potential new investments like the Sankofa Village Wellness Center, residents have a glimmer of hope.
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