At Blacks in Green™ we talk about "the whole-system problem common to black communities everywhere," and in our work aim to transform that whole-system problem through a "whole-system solution" we call The 8 Principles of Green-Village-Building. We authored and teach green-village-building in workshops and lectures around the country, and since 2011 have designed and delivered "walkable-village" programs cultivated to work in tandem, and over time produce an increase in household income for residents. In this way, the square-mile walkable village - where every household can walk-to-work, walk-to-shop, walk-to-learn, walk-to-play - is a greenhouse gas reduction strategy; and as importantly, the wealth of a community remains within to fertilize the village, and the culture of a place is preserved.
THE 6TH PRINCIPLE OF GREEN-VILLAGE-BUILDING
Village Centers & Borders
Each village is a walkable, self-sustaining whole with perceptible borders,
inter-dependent local ties, global context, organized and in action for self-interest.
The latest project of Blacks in Green™ explores the impact of organizing and being in action for self-interest in the realm of representative democracy. How can creating a system of civic tools designed to improve legislator representation of the Black community translate into increased household income? We joined a coalition...facilitated the process among members with mutual interests...reached out to subject matter experts...served as chief drafter of the Questionnaire, which emerged during the process...cooperated with members to invite all candidates in Chicago's February 24th election to respond...participated in evaluating responses for how they supported our Black Agenda [or not]...and this week published those evaluations. It's never been done in Chicago.
COALITION OF BLACK COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS [CBCO]
Municipal Candidates Questionnaire Results Are In!
BIG™ believes the Questionnaire Initiative is an important step in achieving essential goals in critical times for the Black community, and is proud to be a member. It begins building a foundation for holding elected officials (and ourselves) accountable for representing Black interests. We applaud the Coalition and encourage all in our community to view our Evaluations, and use and engage others on the results.
CBCO composed 60 questions in 7 categories and has provided the full, original responses received from candidates online at blacksingreen.org.
Our At-A-Glance chart below features 2 complementary scores on candidate support of the CBCO Black Agenda. Consider them both, read the candidate Questionnaires, and judge for yourself their strength. A candidate's SCORE is lower on the 1-to-10 scale if they provided no rationale for the positions they took; however, support of the Black Agenda is also evidenced by a high PERCENTAGE of 'Yes' responses to questions.
- PERCENTAGE of candidate's YES answers to our 60 questions
- SCORE on a scale of 1-to-10 of points earned from YES+NARRATIVE
SCORING
Our Methodology
Each question had the potential of earning 2 points. Candidates received 1 point for a YES answer, except with Question 9 where 1 point was given for a NO answer. If the candidate gave a rationale for a YES or NO answer they received 1 point. No answers received a "0". In general, the higher the score, the closer the Candidate is aligned with all aspects of the Black Agenda.
BE IN TOUCH
Listen Out For News Of "Council Watch" & "Report Card"
We hope you find value in our Initiative! Keep in mind - it's just the beginning of an ongoing process of raising the legislative bar to ensure a righteous representative democracy. Please be in touch with news of similar initiatives in your town. Let's compare notes and grow the impact of this tool. We invite your organization to join CBCO! We encourage you to call us with your thoughts!
NOW VOTE!
