Little Black Pearl

Little Black Pearl counters the challenges urban youth face by providing a safe environment, access to positive role models, rigorous programming, skills development activities and social growth opportunities.

Boxville

The Boxville effort began in 2014 with a single shipping container — the Bronzeville Bike Box. The Bike Box offers neighbors and commuters with bike sales and repair services, meeting their needs for transportation and community. Boxville was born in 2017 out of the overwhelming support of the Bike Box concept with the addition of 4 shipping containers and the recruitment of 15 local businesses. It quickly became a thriving weekly market, doubling its footprint again in 2018 with the addition of Neighborhood Square, which provides space for the community to gather as well as a venue for cultural celebrations and programming. Since then, the development has continued to grow. Today Boxville is a year-round operation with 17 shipping containers and the capacity to host up to 20 enterprises on site.

My Block, My Hood, My City

My Block My Hood My City is here to start the conversations that cultivate a deeper connection to our communities and the people within them in order to ensure everyone has what they need to succeed. We work tirelessly to empower our neighbors with knowledge and inspire them with opportunity so they can take positive action with confidence, creating a new world of possibilities for themselves and their families - and ultimately, the block, the hood, and the city, too.

Urban Growers Collective

Rooted in growing food, we cultivate nourishing environments which promote health, economic development, healing, & creativity through urban agriculture. Urban Growers Collective is a Black- and women-led non-profit farm in Chicago, Illinois working to build a more just and equitable local food system. We aim to address the inequities and structural racism that exist in the food system and in communities of color. Rooted in growing food, our mission is to cultivate nourishing environments which support health, economic development, healing, and creativity through urban agriculture. We provide hands-on job training and create economic opportunity for youth, beginner BIPOC farmers, and men who are at high risk for gun violence. Our aim is to provide jobs while working to mitigate food insecurity and limited access to affordable, culturally-affirming, and nutritionally-dense food. Our team cultivates eight urban farms on 11 acres of land, predominantly located on Chicago’s South Side. These farms are production-oriented but also offer opportunities for staff-led education, training, and leadership development. Our produce is available at farmers’ markets, in our Collective Supported Agriculture program, and at the Fresh Moves Mobile Market.