Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

REGIONAL OPPORTUNITYIII. F. ADVANCING OPPORTUNITYTHROUGH METROPOLITANEQUITY: LEADERSHIPCOUNCIL FOR METROPOLITANOPEN COMMUNITIESFunders Highlighted:Fannie Mae FoundationThe Field Foundation of IllinoisLaSalle BankThe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationWoods Fund of Chicago“We still need to hear that race matters eventhough the audience is less aroused by race talk.”— Spruiell White, The John D. andCatherine T. MacArthur FoundationOver the past 38 years, the Leadership Council forMetropolitan Open Communities in Chicago hasbuilt a national reputation among foundations as anorganization uniquely focused on race segregationand discrimination in housing. This profilehighlights strategic grants invested in an organizationthat aims to generate more in-depth sharing ofknowledge and data to create opportunities for lowincomefamilies through better housing choices,better equip advocates, and support legal as well asvoluntary action to stop housing discrimination.Project ProfileSince the early part of the 20 th century, racesegregation and housing discrimination havedistorted metropolitan areas of the United States. Inthe 1920s, redlining implemented by the real estateindustry and enforced through restrictive covenantsas well as other tactics tainted the growth anddevelopment of Chicago, as well as othermetropolitan regions. In the early 1960s, Chicagoleaders joined with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., toimplement the Chicago Freedom Movement, aneffort to use nonviolent social protest to transformhousing in Chicago. Throughout 1965 and 1966,Movement leaders led protests to assert that fair andaffordable housing was the right of any individualand that in fact, white and black residents sharedsimilar aspirations for decent housing and access toeducational opportunities.In the summer of 1966, leaders secured an agreementfrom elected officials, real estate officials, and othersto end discrimination in housing. The LeadershipCouncil forMetropolitan OpenCommunities(LeadershipCouncil) wasformed to overseethe implementationof that agreement.According to BrianWhite, theLeadershipCouncil’s director ofdevelopment, implicit in the work of the agency wasthe need to reduce disparities in all manner ofeconomic and social opportunity for minorities inthe Chicago region through work on housingdiscrimination and segregation. Since its inception,the Leadership Council has led the commitment to acomprehensive approach to equalize housingopportunities for underserved communities. “TheLeadership Council for Metropolitan OpenCommunities works through planning, advocacy,and voluntary action where possible, and legal actionwhere necessary to end racial and ethnicdiscrimination in the six-county area of themetropolitan Chicago housing market.” 56 Backed bybanks, businesses, and foundations, the LeadershipCouncil works to empower disenfranchised minorityhomeseekers and equip them with tools to reachhigher standards of living for their families.The Council offers “comprehensive, innovative, andintegrated programs focusing on education, advocacy,and legal action. The programs are designed toexpand housing opportunities for clients, and toencourage support for and the existence ofcommunities that are racially, economically, andculturally diverse throughout the Chicago region andthe country.” 57 In order to affect the housing marketand support disenfranchised homeseekers, theLeadership Council uses a “carrot and stick” approachthat coordinates direct assistance and education withlegal action and policy. “They found that no one56www.lcmoc.org.57The Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. “FY2004 Draft Report.”Since the early part ofthe 20 th century, racesegregation and housingdiscrimination have distortedmetropolitan areas of theUnited States.115Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities