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Rep. La Shawn K. Ford proposed legislation to open access to pharmacies,
Vol. 35 No. 6
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February 10, 2021
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
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N employment New l network to open, PAGE 3
Mourners remember beloved funeral home owner
West Sider Gladys Edwards Wallace, 84, helped her husband Vernon build Wallace Broadview Funeral Home into a vital community institution By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Gladys Edwards Wallace, the owner of Wallace Broadview Funeral Home, 2020 W. Roosevelt Rd. in west suburban Broadview, died on Jan. 22. She was 84 years old. Wallace owned Wallace Broadview Funeral Home along with her late husband of 48 years, Vernon L. Wallace, who founded the funeral home. He died in 2012. The couple built the business through a partnership forged in mutual respect, trust and loyalty, mourners recalled in the days since Gladys Wallace’s death and during her funeral, held Feb. 6, at Freedom Baptist Church, 4541 Harrison St. in suburban Hillside. During an interview with Sharon McDonald, which was played during a Facebook live-stream of her memorial, Gladys recalled her and her husband’s path to launching their well-respected business. Born in Alberta, Ala., Gladys moved to the West Side with her family, when she was 7 years old. “My father and I came to Chicago on the train, and my mother and brother came two months See GLADYS WALLACE on page 8
COLIN BOYLE/Block Club Chicago
REMEMBERING RHODA: Rhoda Jean Hatch died of COVID-19 on April 1, 2020. Her sister, Jennie Hatch, nephew, Rev. Marshall Hatch Jr., and brother, Rev. Marshall Hatch Sr., posed for portraits inside the New Mount Pilgrim MB Church in Garfield Park on Jan. 18, 2021.
She was the ‘keeper of our sacred family stories’
Rhoda Jean Hatch, who died of coronavirus at 73, was the oldest of eight siblings and first in her family to go to college. An educator, she was also her family’s historian By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
When the matriarch of the Hatch family had a heart attack during the terrifying blizzard of 1967, there was so much snow the ambulance couldn’t get down the road to their home in East Garfield Park.
It was Rhoda Jean Hatch who stepped up to fill the void left by her mother after that day. She was just 21, but as the oldest of eight, the role fell naturally to her. “She would give you the shirt off your back, literally,” said her sister, Jennie Hatch. “It’s not a morning that goes by that I don’t think about her.”
Rhoda Hatch died of coronavirus April 4. She was 73. She is survived by her son, Joel Wesley Hatch. Her other son, Wesley Marshall Hatch, died in 1992. Even as she balanced her duty to look after her family, Hatch was a trailblazer See RHODA HATCH on page 9
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
West Side job readiness campus to open soon
The workforce development campus is set to open March 15, bringing a cafe, banking services and more to the area.
AUSTIN WEEKLY
news Editor Michael Romain
Senior Editor Bob Uphues Contributing Reporters Bonni McKeown, Igor Studenkov Provided
COMING SOON: A visualization of the North Lawndale Employment Network’s workforce campus. Below, North Lawndale-grantee Sweet Beginnings, LLC. offers full-time transitional jobs to returning in the production and sales of all-natural skin care products, BeeLove.
ities to accommodate Sweet Beginnings, including a production area for the company’s Block Club Chicago beeswax and honey products. The company A job training center serving residents creates job opportunities and offers training with barriers to employment will open next for people who are formerly incarcerated to prevent recidivism. month on the West Side. The recidivism rate for program particiThe North Lawndale Employment Network is finishing redevelopment of its campus, pants is less than 8 percent, the organization’s data shows, compared to which will open March 15. The the statewide average of more center at 1111 S. Homan Ave. will than 50 percent. provide opportunities for resi“This workforce development dents to get job training and build campus represents what evcareers. And it will have banking ery person in North Lawndale services and a neighborhood café, deserves: a beautiful place to CEO Brenda Palms-Barber said. learn, feel included, gain skills The workforce development and good jobs, launch a new becampus will be 20,000 square feet, ginning and discover the beauty allowing the North Lawndale and importance of honeybees,” Employment Network to double Palms-Barber said. its capacity for job programs and BRENDA The center will include speto consolidate its training and PALMS-BARBER cialized facilities to house work readiness programs under North Lawndale Employment a single roof. Currently, the nonprofit operates between five locations, including the Network’s U-Turn Permitted job readiness nearby Nichols Tower at 906 S. Homan Ave., program and its Moving Forward diesel meseveral apiaries and a production facility for chanic skills program in partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority. the social enterprise, Sweet Beginnings. The organization’s overarching goal is to The campus will have state-of-the-art facilreduce unemployment in North Lawndale
By PASCAL SABINO
by 10 percent by 2024. The North Lawndale Employment Network also offers financial literacy programs, credit-building support and coaching through its Financial Opportunity Center. The campus will partner with Wintrust Bank, which will lease space at the center to bring more financial resources and access to banking to North Lawndale. Hundreds of program participants have already opened checking accounts through the partnership with Wintrust, Palms-Barber said. The site of the workforce development center has a long history as a Black-owned bank, first as the Community Bank of North Lawndale, then as Liberty Bank. When Liberty closed in 2018, it left Lawndale with few remaining banks — and left the West Side with no Black-owned banks at all. The campus will have offices, a peace garden and an event space to give community members a local place to gather. Wifi towers built at the center in partnership with Chicago Connected will offer free internet service for up to 10,000 families in the area, which Palmer said is essential for students and employees who have had to transition to remote work. The on-site Worker Bee Café will bring options to an area lacking in cafes and restaurants. Meals at the café will be provided through a partnership with Inspiration Kitchens, which runs a transitional jobs program for restaurant workers. “We can’t wait to offer our clients expanded programming, the residents of North Lawndale a place to gather and convene for meetings and our community a place to enjoy one of our signature honey lattes at our very own café,” said Jessica Butler, North Lawndale Employment Network’s development director. The redevelopment, which is a core part of the North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan, is funded in part by a $2.5 million Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant from the city. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.
CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks Columnist Arlene Jones Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designer Debbie Becker Sales & Marketing Representavies Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner ≈ Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich ≈ GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA Board of Directors Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson , Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer ≈ HOW TO REACH US 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 773-626-6332 FAX 708-467-9066 CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE www.AustinWeeklyNews.com TWITTER @AustinWeeklyChi Austin Weekly News is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. It is distributed free of charge at locations across Austin and Garfield Park. Our hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advertising rates are available by calling our office. Printed entirely on recycled paper. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP.
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
Austin Walmart doling out vaccines
But local leaders have concerns about who’s getting the shots By ZACH CUNNING AustinTalks
In a converted storage space at the back of Austin’s Walmart Supercenter, dozens of people lined up to get their COVID jabs last week. The storage area had been chosen because it was the largest available space and offered the greatest degree of social distancing, said Sarah Sultan, market health and wellness director. Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said the community she represents hasn’t been there. Even though the vaccine is now available in her ward – Mitts help bring Walmart to Austin – residents aren’t taking advantage, she said. “There’s something wrong with that picture.” As of Feb. 2, Walmart’s Supercenter at 4650 W. North Ave. had vaccinated over 700 people, Sultan said. It wasn’t clear how many of those vaccinated were from the community surrounding the Austin store. City data shows 2,742 people in the 60639 ZIP code, where the Walmart is located, have received their first dose. At 3.1 percent of the ZIP code’s population, it’s among the lowest vaccination rates in the city. Sultan said Walmart is running ad campaigns in both English and Spanish “to really, really promote people getting vaccinated.” A spokesperson for Walmart was not immediately avail-
AustinTalks
SPEAKING OUT: Ald. Emma Mitts during said despite the availability of the vaccine in her ward, residents aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity to get the shots. able to answer questions about how the store was reaching out to West Side residents. Ald. Mitts said there’s a lot of resistance to the vaccine, especially among the younger generation. Her office has been working to disseminate factual information and “take some of the myth” out of the vaccine. As many people as possible need to be vaccinated, she said. “Let’s get it done. Let’s keep everybody safe, so that we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” she said. The Austin Supercenter’s health center was introduced in November, following a remodel of the store. It offers multiple healthcare services through Walmart Health, including primary care, optometry and hearing services, with the goal of providing “affordable and accessible healthcare,” according to a press release.
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HabitNu also provides a diabetes prevention and weightloss coaching program through Walmart Health. The program is covered by Medicare and is free for Chicago residents who aren’t on Medicare. Patrick Knowles, director of business development, said in a statement, “The program combines personal weight loss coaching taught by community health workers with a supportive group of like-minded peers.” While the Walmart Health location is listed as a covered pharmacy by Aetna, it is unclear if they are also covered under Illinois’ Medicaid program. Their FAQ section lists only Medicaid plans in Georgia and South Carolina as accepted providers. A Walmart spokesperson was not available to comment. State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford said those covered by Medicaid face far more restrictions on which pharmacies they can use and have less choice than other Illinois residents who have Aetna health plans. Ford, who has Aetna health, said in an interview he can go anywhere to get the prescriptions he needs. But those on Medicaid are restricted to either CVS pharmacies or a limited number of small private pharmacies to fill their prescriptions. There are no CVS pharmacies in Austin. In response, Rep. Ford introduced legislation in the Illinois House this week that would prevent managed care organizations from restricting pharmacy access and commission an analysis on pharmacy deserts, like Austin. During a pandemic, and with West Side residents dying daily from opioid overdoses, “it makes no sense to limit access to pharmacies,” he said.
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
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OPEN ACCESS: Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has introduced a bill to ensure that insurance companies that are part of the state’s Medicaid managed care program don’t restrict recipients’ access to certain pharmacies. Screenshot
Ford proposes bill to open access to pharmacies Bill was prompted by CVS prohibiting some beneficiaries from using Medicaid benefits at competitor Walgreens. By IGOR STUDENKOV Austin Weekly News
Illinois State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (9th) has introduced a bill to ensure that insurance companies that are part of the state’s Medicaid managed care program don’t restrict recipients’ access to certain pharmacies —an issue that’s especially acute in the neighborhoods that don’t have many pharmacies to begin with. Under managed care, all Illinois Medicaid beneficiaries must choose a health plan offered by either an insurance company or, in the case of CountyCare, by the Cook County Health and Hospitals System. While Ford’s bill would apply to every plan, he specifically cited what happened after CVS Health, the parent company of the CVS Pharmacy chain, acquired one of the providers — the Hartford, Conn. based Aetna — in 2019. Effective Dec. 1, 2020, Aetna stopped allowing beneficiaries of their plan to use Medicaid benefits in Walgreens, a CVS competitor. Ford argued the move made it harder than ever for West Siders, many of whom already don’t have easy access to pharmacies, to get their medication. His bill would prohibit any other company from ever restricting pharmacy choices. While the bill was only filed on Feb. 3 and didn’t have co-sponsors as of Feb. 4, Ford said that he was confident that it would be passed by May. Since 2018, all Medicaid recipients in Illinois have had to choose a health plan through the HealthChoice Illinois managed care program. The amount of plans have varied over the years, but starting this year, Cook County beneficiaries have five options
to choose from. If they don’t choose a plan, the state will choose it for them. And while beneficiaries can change plans during the first 90 days of enrollment, after that, they can’t change a plan for a year. According to CVS’s online store tracker, the chain has a location in Galewood, at 1819 N. Harlem Ave., but there are no other West Side locations. CVS’s East Garfield Park location, at 3146 W. Madison St., was one of the 11 locations closed throughout Chicago in 2017. By contrast, Walgreens has four locations in Austin and one location in North Lawndale. The independent pharmacies, such as North Lawndale’s Del Mar Drugs, 3726 W. 16th Ave., are few and far between. Ford said that he got multiple calls from his constituents and healthcare providers expressing concerns about the impact of Aetna’s decision. He said that last December he reached out to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and representatives with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), which runs the managed care program. Ford explained that managed care plans are required to allow their beneficiaries to get their subscriptions and buy medical supplies, but he said that, according to HFS, since beneficiaries can still use nonWalgreens pharmacies elsewhere in Cook County, they didn’t break the law. “Limiting pharmacy options for Medicaid recipients affects people not only on the West and South Sides of Chicago, but people throughout Illinois,” Ford said. “During this COVID-19 pandemic, when people need their medications and the coronavirus vaccine at pharmacies and when people are dying daily due to opioid overdoses, it makes no sense to limit access to pharmacies.” Ford’s bill would make the restrictions that Aetna imposed illegal and would require HFS to compile reports on how well managed care organizations serve beneficiaries in terms of pharmacy access. The law would be effective immediately once it’s signed.
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
What State Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch can do for you! Our office can assist you in navigating a wide variety of state services including, but not limited to: Processing professional license applications with the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation Referrals for job assistance programs Referrals on college scholarships and financial aid information Assisting veterans with state programs and resources
Rep. Welch frequently offers state seminars and programs to create awareness of resources and opportunities for constituents, including:
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Job Resource Fairs Electronics Recycling and Shred Days Property Tax Appeal Seminars Senior Technology Fairs Internship Programs for Students Citizen Advisory Committees Mobile Office Hours Town Hall Meetings
Helping qualified applicants receive care through the Department of Human Services Helping qualified applicants access unemployment benefits Mortgage relief assistance from the Attorney General and the Illinois Housing Development Authority
Emanuel Chris Welch State Representative 7th District
Constituent Service Office • 10055 Roosevelt Road • Westchester, IL 60154 708-450-1000 • emanuelchriswelch.com For more information, please contact Rep. Welch’s full-time constituent service office at 708-450-1000 or email repwelch@emanuelchriswelch.com
Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
I
Rest in peace, Louis Banks
met Louis Banks over 20 years ago. One of the springs that lifted my overhead door in the garage had broken. I had no clue who to call, and when talking with a friend, she had mentioned another friend’s brother. Louis came and in no time flat, had taken off the broken spring and put on another one. Over the years, I’ve called on Louis for so many things. As I’ve written about before, I am an absolute enthusiast for demolition auctions. So when I found an auction with kitchen cabinets that I wanted, Louis was the first person I called. He had certificates in automotive repair, carpentry, and knew a little bit of everything. He was able to take all the cabinets down without destroying them for me to eventually reuse in my own kitchen. When the belt on my dryer broke, Louis was the one I called to fix it. I did a successful repair on my washing machine, and even though my fix worked, I couldn’t get the outer shell of the machine back down properly on the base. So it was Louis to the rescue. Whenever I needed a gas line to an appliance replaced, I called on Louis. When I began an insulation project in my basement, it was Louis who I called upon. When I chose to put a lock on my bedroom door because I didn’t like my kids coming in my room when I wasn’t home, it was Louis who put on the deadbolt. Because of all the things he had done for me in the past, his presence is felt in so many ways in my home. Louis wasn’t just a handyman for me, he was also a friend. When he cut his hand
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using the saw, I sat in the hospital for hours while the doctors stitched his finger. My basement is filled with memories of him working on a project and me and him just talking, bickering and more often than not, laughing. I think Louis first got sick toward the end of 2019. He called me a couple of times and told me he was in the hospital and would need a lung transplant. He was now on oxygen and couldn’t get out and about. This past summer, I hired Louis to be an overseer on a project that I had another gentleman doing. Louis arrived looking a little gaunt and carrying his oxygen tank. I was concerned, but Louis assured me he wasn’t putting himself at risk by being here. In fact I saw it with my own eyes. As soon as Louis smelled the sawdust, he livened up. He couldn’t climb ladders but he could still use a saw. And for my contractor who was working on my house, he had never had such a helper who could automatically make the lumber cuts perfectly. The two of them hit it off like the oldest of buddies as there were a lot of similarities between them — Companionship & Light Housekeeping Daily Health Reminders especially their ability to use a circular saw Assist with Personal Care & Hygiene Assist with Errands & Transportation to make any kind of cuts. I checked on Louis a couple days after Companionship Daily Health • Companionship Meal Planning & Light Preparation &Reminders Dressing Assistance & Housekeeping• Ambulation Daily Health Reminders Christmas. He was sounding strong and I & Care LightAfter Housekeeping Transitional Hospitalization • Safety Supervision & Assistance promised that I would call him in a couple with Errands Assist with Personal Care & Hygiene Assist Assist with Errands & Transporta more weeks. Unfortunately, I could never & Transportation • Assist with Personal Care Planning & Preparation Ambulation & Dressing Assistanc make another call, because early on Jan. Meal 4, & Hygiene Louis experienced heart failure. & Dressing & Assistance Transitional Care After Hospitalization• Ambulation Safety Supervision Rest in peace, Louis Hoover Banks Jr. Right at Home Oak Park Chicago
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
GLADYS WALLACE Nurturing a legacy from page 1 later,” she told McDonald. “I came [first] because my father and mother wanted me to get into school in September, and my brother was only 4 years old, so he came later.” Gladys recalled a tight-knit, religious family woven in what at the time was the strong community fabric of the West Side. They attended Friendship Baptist Church, 5200 W. Jackson Blvd., where Gladys’ father, Rev. John W. Edwards, was an assistant pastor. Both Gladys and Vernon attended Marshall Metropolitan High School in East Garfield Park. They were both proud alumni. They met in the early 1960s, introduced through a mutual friend, William Carothers, who would go on to become a powerful Chicago alderman. “Bill Carothers was my husband’s best friend, and we were like family — Bill and his wife, Roberta,” Gladys recalled. Gladys and Vernon married on June 28, 1964, at St. Joseph Baptist Church, Gladys recalled. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service in the human resources department while Vernon worked at the prominent House of Branch Funeral Home. “They had three funeral homes [at the time],” Gladys recalled. “They offered us an apartment, rent-free, over [one of the funeral homes], but at that time I wasn’t involved [in the funeral home business] and I said I’d rather not.” The couple met Danny K. Davis, the future congressman, in the late 1960s, Davis said at Gladys’ funeral on Saturday. “I first met and got to know Gladys and Vernon, or Vernon and Gladys, when we were all part of the House of Branch Funeral Home. Vernon was running the House of Branch and, of course, Gladys and I both worked at the post office,” Congressman Davis said. “The Branches were leading civic and community, as well as business leaders in North Lawndale, where I lived.” Davis said the reason he referred to the couple as “Vernon and Gladys or Gladys and Vernon” is because, “generally, whenever I saw one, I saw both.” As funeral director at the House of Branch, Vernon was known for his disciplined handling of funeral proceedings — he kept them “punctual, smooth and, above all, dignified,” Maureen O’Donnell wrote in Vernon’s Chi-
Courtesy Wallace Broadview Fune
ral Home
“Our association is more like family than we are just association members,” Cameron said. “Mama Wallace, as I called her, called me one of her goddaughters.” Cameron added that Gladys had many “goddaughters” and young women she mentored and molded less through words than actions, which were contoured by her distinct style. “She was known to be a sharp dresser — always put together,” Cameron said. ‘VERNON AND GLADYS’: After Vernon died Gladys Edwards Wallace and Vernon Wallace, built national in 2012, Gladys foreputations in the funeral industry. Vernon famously handled the funeral services for Mahalia Jackson. When cused on securing his legacy by supporting he died, Gladys, also pictured below, leveraged the wisdom her husband taught her to continue the business. her nephew, Rory our money, so we were able to purchase it. I cago Sun-Times obituary. Momon, the funeral Vernon, O’Donnell wrote, was a pioneer was so happy for him and he was overjoyed home’s current director, whose own mortuin the business, opening his own parlor to also.” ary school education was funded by his unThe same year when she and Vernon cle, according to the Sun-Times. Gladys also mortuary school graduates, providing probono services for crime and fire victims, purchased the funeral home in Broadview, became even more comfortable in her role as and burying “thousands of people, including Gladys took a buyout from the U.S. Postal the establishment’s matriarch. Service, with an eye on traveling the world many Chicago VIPs, in his 61-year career.” “In Broadview, my husband and I had livOne of those VIPs was Mahalia Jackson, and being a housewife. ing quarters in the building and that made “We got a half-year salary and all of our me more involved in the funeral business,” whose funeral was attended by some 6,000 mourners at Mc- sick leave,” Gladys recalled. “I was a su- Gladys said. “I would be at the house many Cormick Place. pervisor of benefits and I processed a lot times by myself and would walk over the The mourners of retirements. I had 30 years of service at funeral home and the preparation room, included “Aretha the time, so I decided I would retire, too. I where the bodies are laid up and viewed and Franklin, Ella thought I was going to just be a housewife — buried, so I feel very good and comfortable.” Fitzgerald, Sam- a lady of leisure — and travel. Gladys received numerous acknowledgmy Davis Jr. and “But one of my mentors, a lady who lived ments and distinctions for her long business King’s widow, across the hall from me, when [Vernon and career. She was former national president of Coretta Scott I] first got married […] told my husband, the Ladies Auxiliary of the National Funeral King.” ‘You should teach Gladys everything you Directors and Morticians Association, a re“It was just a know about the business,’ and she told me, cipient of the Business and Community Serhuge, tremendous ‘Gladys, you better learn everything about vice Award and the M. Athalia Range Trailcrowd,” Gladys the business, because you don’t know what blazer Award — both given to her by the 100 told O’Donnell, might happen in life.’ So, I decided to learn Black Women of Funeral Service, Inc. She adding that Ver- more about the business and my husband was an honorary life board member of the non “was an artist taught me everything I know about the busi- group, according to her obituary. at this, and excel- ness. He invested in me.” “I thought I’d be traveling and going all lent. Everything The investment would pay off, with Glad- over the world, but I’m very content where had to be correct ys leveraging the education she obtained at I am and I want the business to go on and for the family.” Wilbur Wright Junior College, among other carry on the legacy that my husband left,” In 1986, Gladys institutions of learning, to help her husband Gladys told McDonald. “When I pass on, told McDonald, build one of the few Black-owned funeral the legend will still go on. I want to pass the her husband went homes in the west suburbs. torch to the next generation.” into partnership Rev. Marvin E. Wiley, the pastor of Rock In lieu of flowers, the family requested that with West End Funeral Home and six years of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood and the mourners send scholarship donations to: 100 later, in 1992, they purchased what was at man who eulogized both Gladys and Ver- Black Women of Funeral Service, Inc. — Verthe time Broadview Funeral Home at 2020 non, said on Saturday that Wallace Funeral non & Gladys Wallace Scholarship, c/o Mrs. W. Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview, their cur- Home is “one of the most respected, not only Elleanor Starks, P.O. Box 916404, Longwood, rent location, renaming it Wallace Broad- funeral homes, but businesses in the com- FL 32791. view Funeral Home. munity and in Illinois.” Mourners can also send donations to: Na“The reason [Vernon] did that was beJamye Jeter Cameron, the 64th national tional Funeral Directors and Morticians Ascause he wanted to invest and save, so that it president of the National Funeral Directors sociation Ladies Auxiliary, c/o Ms. Cynthia wouldn’t be any overhead,” Gladys told Mc- and Morticians Association — the nation’s Betts (Treasurer), 124 W. Quailridge Rd., OxDonald. “He was such an amazing person. oldest and largest trade group of Blacks in ford, NC 27565. We purchased that funeral home debt-free. the funeral industry — said on Saturday that We stayed up practically all night counting Gladys was like a matriarch in the business. CONTACT: info@vfpress.news
Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
Provided
TRAILBLAZER: Rhoda Hatch was on the cover of People because of her activism work. Below, the Maafa window at the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.
first in her family to do so — a journey that fueled a desire in herself and her kin to reconnect with the traditions and culture of the motherland. “At family dinners, conversations always veered in that direction: Black liberation, Black consciousness, Black pride,” Hatch Jr. said. Growing up, Hatch broke the conventions for women of the era, wearing dashikis in honor of her heritage. She also stopped straightening her hair, said her brother, Rev. Marshall Hatch Sr. of New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in West Garfield Park. “All of the women had their hair straightened with hot combs,” he said. “Rhoda was the first to get an afro as a woman. My father had difficulty processing it. He said she had her hair cut like a boy. But Rhoda, she was fiercely independent.” Even as the Black Power movement lost steam, Hatch instilled Black pride into everything she did. Growing up with Rhoda as a role
RHODA HATCH
Black and proud of it from page 1 who showed her siblings they could achieve more. She was the first to get a college education when she graduated from the Chicago Teachers College, now Chicago State University. Hatch became the first teacher in the family, which inspired several of her sisters to become educators. She was a passionate educator outside the classroom, as well. As she delved more into her family history, Hatch made sure to pass on what she learned to younger relatives and teach them about the greater collective struggles faced by Black descendants of African slaves in America. Her nephew, Rev. Marshall Hatch Jr., founder of the MAAFA Redemption Project, picked up the mantle as his family’s historian. Hatch maintained a trove of documents, including a family tree Hatch Jr. uses to continue researching the family’s lineage. “That was my inheritance,” Hatch Jr. said. “And she was always intentional about sitting us down, the young folks in the family, and letting us know who we were, by letting us know where we came from and who produced us and who loved us into existence.” Hatch carried an intense pride for her Blackness, and her example helped her siblings to cultivate their own politicized Black identities. She dove into Black studies in college and joined the Black Power movement, inspiring others in her family to follow suit. After college, she took her first trip to Africa — the
COLIN BOYLE/Block Club Chicago
model, “We found out a lot about our heritage,” Jennie Hatch said. Hatch also was a talented musician, playing organ at her father’s church since she was 16. She trained many singers and music directors at churches in her community. It was her influence that led Hatch Sr. to see “the church as a vehicle of social change.” Together, Hatch and her brother organized a prominent antiwar campaign opposing Operation Desert Storm. They developed a ministry to house single moms fighting to overcome addiction. At her brother’s New Mount Pilgrim Church, Hatch also helped plan a series of stained glass windows that memorialize the suffering of Black people and struggle for justice throughout history. Hatch gathered and maintained the family’s historical records. She was fascinated by stories of the Great Migration, and she learned how her family left Mississippi to settle on the West Side, Hatch Jr. said. “She was the keeper of our sacred family stories,” Hatch Jr. said. “She connected those personal family stories to the larger story of what it means to be Black.” One of the family’s recent discoveries based on Hatch’s records is an ancestor,
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Jack Hatch, who enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War just after being emancipated from slavery in 1863. “Finding out that we have an ancestor that fought for this country to save the country from itself, that was liberating in so many ways,” Hatch Jr. said. It was through Hatch that the family learned of the sankofa, the West African word for “go back and fetch.” It is symbolized by a bird with its feet planted in the present and its body facing forward, but its head turned back, looking at the past. As keeper of her family’s collective memory and an educator who empowered younger generations with the wisdom of the past, Hatch herself embodied the sankofa, Hatch Jr. said. “Reaching back and learning from the past, or retrieving that which has been stolen in order to move forward, she taught us that and she lived it,” he said. Pascal Sabino is a Report for America corps member covering Austin, North Lawndale and Garfield Park for Block Club Chicago.
CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
deadline: 9:30 am Monday office hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday
CLASSIFIEDS TO PLACE AN AD HELP WANTED DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF OF EMS & INFECTIOUS DISEASE The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Deputy Fire Chief of EMS & Infectious Disease in the Fire Department. This position will direct, manage, supervise, and coordinate the programs and activities of the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services and Infectious Disease Division; to coordinate assigned activities with other Village departments, divisions, and outside agencies; and to provide highly responsible and complex administrative support to the Fire Chief and Public Health Director when assigned. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. First review of applications will be February 21, 2021. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST HEPHZIBAH CHILDREN’S ASSOCIATION PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE Hephzibah Children’s Association is a renowned social service agency in Oak Park, IL that has been helping children thrive and families flourish through innovative community-based programs. The Day Care Program is accepting applications for February – June, 2021 school year. We seek individuals to provide care and supervision of 5-11-year-old children. Positions are Monday through Friday from 12:15 – 6:00 pm. Responsibilities include assisting with and monitoring e-learning, supervising arts and crafts, activities, sports, group games, and indoor and outdoor play, lunch and snack, and homework help. The program begins in February and will be in Oak Park, IL serving 5-11-year-old (K-5th grade) children. The program will follow the safety guidelines of the IDPH regarding face masks, social distancing and cleaning & disinfecting. Requirements include: • Minimum of 6 semester hours in education, recreation, social work, or related college courses • Experience working with children If you are interested please contact: Amy O’Rourke, Director of Day Care by email at: aorrouke@hephzibahhome.org include letter of interest and resume. Hephzibah Children’s Association is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We value, advocate for and support diversity throughout our organization. We embrace a respectful, multicultural, environment for employees and the clients we serve.
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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION UMB BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR LVS TITLE TRUST VI Plaintiff, vs. MIBA, LLC, FARAH ANVERALLY MOORE, MICHAEL RASHARD MOORE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants, 19 CH 8420 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, March 8, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-14-112-034. Commonly known as 3908 WEST CONGRESS PARKWAY, CHICAGO, IL 60624. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g) (4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 19-01400 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3163322
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GUN SHOW - February 12-14, 2021, Fountain Hall, 8505 Durand Ave. Sturtevant/Racine,WI Friday 3pm-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 9am-3pm. Large selection of guns & Ammo More info: 563-608-4401 www.marvkrauspromotions.net
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All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. Austin Weekly News
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
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Austin Weekly News, February 10, 2021
As app-based drivers, the flexibility and freedom of being an independent worker is crucial to our livelihoods. Illinois has an opportunity to do more for app-based drivers by protecting our jobs and ensuring our flexibility.
Visit IndependentWorkIL.org to learn more. Paid for by the Illinois Coalition for Independent Work