Building Bridges, Not Walls

Baratunde ignores the headlines about Chicago and heeds a listener’s advice to learn more about the South Side from a local artist who is building bridges in her community and literally helping people find common ground. Tonika Johnson helps us understand the pride that comes from being a Chicagoan and the root causes of today’s community struggles grounded in segregation and discrimination. Through her Folded Map Project, she is a perfect example of using art as a way to citizen.Show Notes + Links We are grateful to Tonika Johnson for joining us.  Follow @TonikaJ on IG. You can learn more about The Folded Map Project at https://www.foldedmapproject.com/.  We will post this episode, a transcript, show notes and more at howtocitizen.com. Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords! ACTIONS FOR THIS EPISODE. Internal: (actions that help you reflect on your own emotions, opinions, and experiences regarding a particular issue) Find your fold, as Tonika says.  Whether you live in Chicago or not, there is a dividing line exacerbating racial and class segregation in our lives, and we want you to find it.  First, reflect on your own neighborhood, and digitally identify and write down the following: The food you enjoy and the restaurants you support The neighborhood cultural institutions and local artists you appreciate The local businesses you depend on: grocery, bookshops, dry cleaners, etc. The local library and any programming it offers that you’re into The local news sources you rely on Now, think about a neighborhood you hear about in the news that is in your city, but that you may not visit because it’s “bad” or “undesirable” or because it’s too nice and inaccessible to you.  For that neighborhood, use the internet and social media to get to know it outside of media headlines using the questions below:  For the food you enjoy, find a restaurant in that neighborhood t