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Willie Jr Fleming

@iamjrfleming

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Part 22: As Chicago’s high-rise public housing towers came down, the city entered a new chapter. Leaders argued the developments had become unlivable and that demolition was the only path forward. But while the buildings disappeared, the questions they left behind did not. The end of Chicago’s public housing experiment would reshape neighborhoods, displace thousands of families, and forever change the city. Chicago at the Crossroad A Film by Brian Schodorf @filmmakerbrian Co-Produced by Afrika Porter @sistaafrika Narrated by Malik Yusef @malikyusef100 Featuring GLC @glctheism J.R. Fleming @iamjrfleming Pastor Phil Jackson @pastorphilspeaks and other community leaders, historians, journalists, and residents whose voices helped tell the story of one of the most significant chapters in Chicago’s history. Thank you for watching.
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The Plan for Transformation was unveiled at a community meeting, laying the groundwork for what many residents believed would become their relocation—and ultimately, their displacement. Chicago at the Crossroad Featuring archival footage from Ronit Bezalel’s award-winning documentary Voices of Cabrini (1999).
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As Chicago’s public housing towers came down, many residents feared they were being pushed aside to make way for luxury developments. City leaders promised revitalization without displacement, but for communities that had lived through decades of broken promises, trust was in short supply. Featuring archival footage from Ronit Bezalel’s award-winning documentary Voices of Cabrini (1999). Film by @filmmakerbrian Co-producer @sistaafrika Narrator: @malikyusef100 Featuring: @glctheism Featuring: @iamjrfleming
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Part 19 - Chicago at the Crossroad Documentary When officials decided to demolish Chicago’s high-rise public housing, many residents weren’t asking to leave. They wanted working elevators, safe stairwells, lights in the hallways, and the chance to raise their families in the communities they had always called home. Their question wasn’t whether public housing had failed—but why it had been allowed to fail in the first place. A film by @filmmakerbrian Co-producer @sistaafrika Narrator @malikyusef100 Featuring @glctheism @iamjrfleming
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Built amid an era of segregation and discriminatory housing policy, Cabrini-Green was intended to address Chicago’s housing shortage. By the 1980s, decades of neglect, concentrated poverty, deteriorating conditions, and violence had transformed the development into a symbol of the challenges facing public housing in America. Featuring: @glctheism @iamjrfleming Film by: @filmmakerbrian Co-producer: @sistaafrika #chicagoatthecrossroad #filmmakerbrian #documentary #chicago
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Thank u Chillinois🥹whenever I attend events, I feel humbled by the work that has been done and the work that remains. Thank you to each and every one of you for approaching me to say hi or get high. Onward and upward. All of you know that I am a huge supporter of an open market; that said, I am excited to announce that I am OFF of the market🥰
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What happens when students learn about history, policy, and justice in the classroom… and then hear those same issues discussed by the Mayor of Chicago? Connection. Understanding. Possibility. During their visit to City Hall, our scholars had the opportunity to hear Mayor Brandon Johnson speak about redlining, housing investment, and the future of Chicago’s South and West sides, topics they have been studying through our Grassroots Campaign curriculum. For our students, this was more than a field trip. It was a chance to see that the issues they study are real, that their voices matter, and that they belong in conversations about the future of their city. At ITAV Leadership Academy, we want our children to understand not only how systems work, but also how they can help shape them. This is what it means to prepare students for leadership. Grateful to Mayor Brandon Johnson for taking time to pour into our scholars and encourage them to see themselves as part of Chicago’s future. Freedom to Thrive 💛 #Chicago #Education #CivicEngagement #LeadershipDevelopment #TheITAVWay
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Today, our 2nd grade scholars stepped into spaces of leadership, advocacy, and civic engagement at Chicago City Hall. At ITAV Leadership Academy, we believe students should be able to see themselves in every room where decisions are made. We want our children to know that leadership is not something reserved for “someday” it belongs to them right now. Our scholars had the opportunity to meet Mayor Brandon Johnson and learn firsthand how city government works while discussing an issue they have been studying deeply in their Grassroots Campaign class: homelessness. Through their exploration of HB1429 and classroom conversations around community care and social responsibility, students connected their learning to the real-world democratic process. From visiting committee meeting spaces to learning about the Mayor’s role in implementing policies that impact communities across Chicago, students were able to experience government beyond a textbook. This is what “Freedom to Thrive” looks like. A school where children do not just learn about leadership they experience it. A place where parents can see their children becoming confident thinkers, advocates, and future changemakers. Huge thank you to Mayor Brandon Johnson for welcoming and encouraging our scholars. Thank you to Alderman Lamont J. Robinson for joining and supporting this experience as well. Special appreciation to Ms. Robbins for bringing classroom learning to life through meaningful experiences, to our community ally J.R. Fleming for making the connection, and to Ms. Konibaje and Ms. Harris for serving as chaperones and supporting our students throughout the visit. We are building the next generation of leadership in Chicago. 💚 #Chicago #Education #StudentVoice #Leadership #TheITAVWay
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"They started price gouging. To discourage us. This is how they try to hurt people with these licenses." - @iamjrfleming JR Fleming thought winning a cannabis license meant generational wealth. Freedom. A business. But here's what really happened: He got a license to grow. Another to process. Another to transport. But when it came time to actually move product? The MSOs (the big corporations) wouldn't work with him. And when they did, they price gouged. Translation: The system is designed to make us fail. THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE: Year 1 (2019): Illinois cannabis sales = $900M Year 2 (2020): Illinois cannabis sales = $1.2B Year 3 (2021): Illinois cannabis sales = $1.5B Year 4 (2022): Illinois cannabis sales = $1.52B Year 5 (2023): Illinois cannabis sales = $1.6B Year 6 (2024): Illinois cannabis sales = $2B! Year 7 (2025): TBD... And Black and Brown folks got... what? Nothing. This is why HB 4443 exists. A license isn't enough when the system is rigged against you. When corporations control the supply chains. When they price gouge to break you. The Illinois Future Fund gives what the system won't: direct cash to drug war survivors. $500/month, no corporate middleman. No supply chain gatekeeping. No price gouging. Just money. In your hands. For your family. Tell your legislator: Pass HB 4443. February 18 in Springfield: We're demanding systemic change. 🚌 Because a license without protection is just another trap.
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Today, our second and third grade scholars visited the National Public Housing Museum as part of their ongoing work to understand housing justice in Chicago. Our young students are asking big questions: Why does homelessness exist? What policies shape public housing? What does justice look like in our own city? They are not just learning history. They are gathering information to develop action plans, alongside community allies, to imagine solutions. At ITAV, social justice is not theoretical. We believe children are not too young to understand the world - and not too young to help change it. “Tomorrow belongs to the children who are prepared today.” Freedom to Thrive. #Chicago #Education #SocialJustice #VLAstyle #TheITAVway
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I realize it’s Tuesday, but I figured I’d share what got me through #MotivationMonday yesterday! Chicago’s #EquityWorkshopTour was inspiring. In spite of all the challenges facing Illinois' cannabis rollout (still in progress nearly a decade later) - people are still organizing, still building solutions, and still supporting one another! That’s something I’ve always loved about Chicago. It’s a hard city. And it’s a resilient city - full of love, drive, and the desire to create something better for the community. Yes, we talked about the problems in creating an equitable industry. But it was a day full of solutions and uplifting of one another. And I'm very grateful and inspired to have tapped into that Chicago energy for the day, as it keeps me fueled moving forward through the week and beyond! Big thank you to everyone who came out to take part in this workshop -- four Tours in. And much gratitude to all our speakers for bringing the fire, and for the work you all do on a regular basis, reminding us all that there’s a path to carve out as long as we’re here for one another. Dr Mila Kellen Marshall P.hD, Belicia Royster, Willie JR Fleming, Carlos Ramos, Kenny Mason, CPA, MBA, Mahja Sulemanjee, Miguel Lopez, Chad Heater, Martez Knox, Ray Abner, Talvin White #ChicagoCannabis #CommunityRevitalization #CannabisProfessionals #MinorityEntrepreneurs @mincannbusassoc
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What an inspiring weekend with the @mincannbusassoc! Our founder @mahjabeen2982 joined incredible voices like @iamjrfleming, Mila Kellen Marshall P.hD, Belicia Royster, and @mikelomuto to share real stories of navigating the ups and downs of this industry, and how we can keep pushing toward true equity. At Good Deeds Consulting, we believe in doing the work that creates opportunity for everyone. Here’s to building a more equitable, inclusive cannabis community together💪🏽🌿
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