It may seem like you get the best of both worlds in Champaign-Urbana. It’s the Goldilocks of city living, right? Not too big, not too small. You hear things like, “Being a smaller town, C-U is shielded from the economic backlash of the 2008 financial crisis,” “The U of I makes C-U a cultural, commercial, and intellectual oasis,” “being a larger town, there’s a lot of jobs available,” or “it’s cheap to live in C-U”.
Some say C-U resembles that of a baby Chicago, and they’re not incorrect. Generally speaking, C-U is a pretty cool place to live for many people. However, plenty of others experience an all too Chicago-esque Champaign-Urbana.
According to U.S. Census Bureau Poverty thresholds, poverty is defined as a one-person household earning less than $12,071 per year, a two-person household as earning less than $15,379 per year, a three-person household as earning less than $18,850 per year, all the way up to a 9-person household earning less than $49,021. The News Gazette reported in 2013 that poverty effects 23.4% of Champaign County residents. Meanwhile, the Illinois average is considerably lower at 14.7% and the national average is 14.5%. In 2014 Cook County had a poverty rate of 17.1%, Peoria County was 16.7%, and Vermillion County (home to Danville) was 19%.
These numbers may come as a surprise. The communities mentioned are are vastly different, but comparisons like these demystify assumptions people have. For example, some might say, “well a lot of poor students live in Champaign County, that’s probably why there’s a high poverty rate.” This is a convenient claim to make, considering reports that most impoverished people in C-U are between the ages of 18 and 24. What’s interesting, though, is that according to a City-Data report, among native born residents in Champaign (excluding Urbana), 28.7% were found to be below the poverty level. Among foreign-born residents 22.5% are in poverty. Native-born residents having a higher rate of poverty compared to the foreign-born average as well as the overall County average seems to contradict the hypothesis that poor college students are causing the high rate of poverty.
Furthermore, and on the most fundamental level of reasoning, shouldn’t it be that no one lives in poverty, even likely-indebted and already-struggling college students? Why is it that we’d sooner trivialize Champaign County’s poverty rate instead of actually confronting the problem head-on? Do citizens realize the economic situation we face?
It seems perspective needs to change according to facts, not assumptions.
In 2006 the average wage in Champaign County was $33,051, compared to the state average of $45,032, a seemingly low figure considering the presence of the university and medical facilities here. It’s true, C-U has relatively low cost housing, but healthcare and utilities are actually more expensive than national averages. This makes C-U on-par overall at best. Let it be known, cost of living continues to rise everywhere, even in small town USA.
Economic policies at the national and state level have “trickled down” to local communities causing greater problems. Illinois Governer Bruce Rauner is blamed for budget cuts. The U of I continues to remain under austere conditions. Teachers are on the verge of all-out strike. Lack of Medicaid funding threatens the Champaign County nursing home. Meanwhile, a new county jail is being planned; many suspect shady antics are at play. Will the community actually benefit or will law enforcement, construction contractors, and bankers be the ones who stand to profit the most?
Citizens are still bogged down by a questionable multimillion-dollar land deal on North Prospect in the prolonged effort to relocate outdated Central High School. No public vote was made and apparently the school board thought the area would develop residential housing. Naturally, it seems as though citizens prefer a centrally located Central High School over shady investment deals which only serve to increase suburban sprawl and commercialization of the North Prospect shopping district.
It seems public policy sees to it that the privileged continue being privileged. Former 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has said that income inequality in the United States is “the great moral, economic, and political issue of our day.” Adding to what Bernie Sanders said, we also need to actively reverse the mechanisms which perpetuate poverty by increasing public funding to effective community programs.
It’s important to provide these services and facilities so that young citizens have the skills to utilize opportunities around them. It’s literally in the community’s best interest to provide support to disadvantaged demographics of people. Strictly speaking, local businesses thrive the most when all citizens are participating in consumer and job markets. We must educate and supervise youth in our community so as to prevent delinquent behavior and teach self-sufficiency.
Champaign Youth Advisory Council
Over summer 2016, I took an opportunity in C-U to work directly under Dr. Reverend Barnes, Dr. Rev. Deborah Nailon, and Township Supervisor Andrew Quarnstrom. I led lesson plans among Champaign Black youth between the ages of 14 and 21 on topics ranging from community-event planning, citizen/police relations, writing web content, and community engagement.
The goal of this program is to sustain a Champaign Youth Advisory Council (CYAC) which gives voice to community youth, allowing them to congregate among themselves in order to participate in the decision-making process regarding City-related matters. Youth members voted on CYAC bylaws and appointed cabinet leaders to represent the interests of the group. They met Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday each week from June 4th to August 16th. They were required to deposit 15% of their income into a personal savings account.
After the summer program was completed and school started I sat down with Dr. Rev. Barnes to get more insight. When asked, “what is your strategy when engaging the youth?,” Dr. Barnes replied, “You have to give them a space to think about their future. Many of these kids are coping with unstable homes, various social insecurities, mental health problems, constant reminders of their impoverished neighborhoods. Some of these kids may not have developed the necessary skills, experience, or discipline we all take for granted. This is why we empower them and show them their own potential.”
SP: What are specific struggles impoverished Black youth experience?
Dr. Barnes: These kids are constantly reminded of their skin color. Metal detectors and school violence triggers negative connotations. Offensive remarks from classmates and lack of non-white teachers may make it difficult for black youth to acclimate to class functions. Monumental reminders like these have some of the most profound, yet subtle, effects on one’s personal development.
Dr. Barnes had singled out one of the youth to illustrate an important point regarding treatment of at-risk youth, henceforth referred to as Blue. Blue is 17 and had recently completed a several month-long prison sentence for a non-violent crime. Upon first meeting Blue, he’s noticeably well-spoken and polite. He admitted he wanted to join the CYAC to better himself as well as earn some cash over the summer.
Dr. Rev. Barnes asks, “What is the genesis of a Blue? Some sort of injury or lack of support in his life has caused Blue to be the way he is. We must address those individual differences, remember them on a daily basis, and think of it like a treatment program. The fact he wants to be here with us means he’s trying. And we need to encourage that. Generally speaking, a drug dealer for example, may have skills: sales, networking, etc. We need to intervene and show them how to use skills like that appropriately.”
Another member of the CYAC, who we’ll call Red, was considerably shy at first. Many times he had to be told to speak up, but when he finally did, he had great ideas. “He has no male role-model at home; he has his mother who tries really hard,” Dr. Rev. Barnes explained. “Aside from immediate family members, Red has never been told his worth. He has a lack of trust toward people.”
Another member of the CYAC, Green, was noticeably a really bad speller. We had the kids write content for their personal websites. Green chose to write about his life in Cairo, Illinois. According to him Cairo is a distressed town which has experienced population decline and abandoned buildings. After hearing about his background, it was discovered that as of 2014, Alexander County had a 35.6% poverty rate. A 15 year old to have the presence of mind to identify issues like that is impressive. Green is a silly kid who just wants to be liked. Perhaps he disrupts class discussion sometimes with his tendency to be hyper-active, but overall, he’s a really good kid.
Alyssa, the elected president for CYAC, rose to the duties her peers appointed to her. She wrote a compelling speech for the Mix-n-Mingle at West Side Park (an event the youth group planned under adult supervision). Also at the Mix-n-Mingle Alexuis, Vice President of CYAC, wrote inspiring poetry. Trinity rapped, others sang, and danced. Homeless people showed up as well so it was good to see the youth group giving back to the community by feeding the hungry.
Chief of Police Anthony Cobb came to class one day for a Q&A. Naisa and Lashonda asked poignant questions of Chief Cobb: “do you value civil order over civil liberties?,” to which he basically responded, “there needs to be a balance between the two.” “What is the police department’s stance on racial profiling/stop and frisk?,” to which he basically responded, “it’s against policy and it’s something we’re having to work on.” Needless to say, Chief Cobb left us with more to be desired. Nonetheless, I think it was a valuable experience for the CYAC to meet with Chief Cobb. Having a Black Chief of Police is inspiring to Black community members in C-U and seems to compel feelings of hope.
When asked, “What are ways to empower youth?,” Dr. Barnes said, “maximize access to tools (facilities, computers, and funding) and plug them in. They can enlarge themselves by practicing entrepreneurial skills. We need to stay in their ears throughout adolescence. Sometimes they break down. We give them time to reflect and we try again next time. Getting parents involved has also been helpful in the past.”
When asked “what systemic issues are contributing to local poverty?,” Dr. Barnes explained, “The private sector is not giving back to the public sector. Capitalism is oppressive. First we need to acknowledge the historical factors of oppression, then we need to instigate preventative measures which ensure healthy socio-political well-being. A healthy citizen is someone who is politically literate. It’s in the community’s best interest to provide services so that people can become healthy citizens. What we’re seeing today is the aftermath of the civil rights era. For example, Black Panther’s original purpose was to provide social services. After a while, they became impatient, for example, toward Martin L. King who is widely know for championing non-violent political resistance. Black Panthers saw King as not nearly aggressive enough. These two schools of thought have given rise to Black Lives Matter, which today, have been labeled as radicals. Mainstream media historically twists the issues, which leads to public miseducation and complacency. Accepting the status quo is a huge problem.”
When asked, “What are some hurdles non-profit organizations face in receiving funding?”, Dr. Barnes responded, “A lot of agencies suck up all the grant money, strictly because of their well-known status among established decision-makers. Therefore, “shovel-ready” organizations which may have more merit go unfunded. This is a problem because the resources aren’t distributed democratically. The community should be making the decisions but that’s simply not the case.”
Regional Neighborhood Network Conference
The RNNC is a conference which circulates between cities across the mid-west hosting annual workshops to share the best in community social programs and practices. Champaign is hosting it on September 29th through October 1st. Tickets are on sale at their website. The CYAC members are strongly encouraged to attend so they can educate themselves, network with community leaders, and represent their youth organization. If you cannot make the event, I will be there taking notes. Expect a follow-up report in a couple weeks. Stay tuned, folks!