BARCC shows some bite in Bronzeville 

By Stacie Johnson 

The struggles of people in Bronzeville that Pulitzer Prize recipient Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about circa 1945 continue today. Despite economic, residential, and retail development, poverty and joblessness still can be found in the neighborhood. Characters in Brooks’s novel, Maud Martha, or voices in poems such as A Street in Bronzeville would find familiar challenges in today’s community.

            In its heyday as America's Black Metropolis, Bronzeville was the capital of Black America during the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North in the early 20th century. Later that century, Bronzeville fell on hard times.

More recently, however, the neighborhood has started to revitalize with the help of both newcomers and longtime residents who remember how great the area once was. One organization helping in this effort is the Bronzeville Area Residents' and Commerce Council (BARCC). 

            Mostly a resident-based association, the BARCC has made waves since its inception in 2004. Now with a membership of nearly 200 renters, condominium and house owners, and businesses, the organization is mobilizing for community betterment.

            “I think Bronzeville is finally on the move,” said Marie Smith, a BARCC board member. “When I came here nine years ago, there was no movement. But some three years ago, it started. And in the last six months, we’re beginning to see some real movement.”

            Smith said the BARCC responded to garbage scattered throughout the community by surveying the number of trash receptacles present in entire 3rd Ward, where the neighborhood is located. The BARCC brought the results, which showed the area did not have adequate trash receptacles, to the City’s attention. Now, with more trashcans, litter has decreased. 

            In addition, “We’ve organized against loitering on certain corners, and there has been some reduction since then,” said Smith. “We’ve also organized over the issue of play lots to get more of them and to eliminate illegal activities, like drug dealing and prostitution, away from the ones we had. And we have seen a real difference.”

            Cleaning up the neighborhood is not this organization's only mission, however. Empowering residents and preserving Bronzeville’s history are constants in BARCC members' actions.

            The BARCC holds annual tours to remember the Black Metropolis and to celebrate what is new in the community.

            “Most of us are in favor of maintaining the history of Bronzeville,” Smith said.  “Most people don’t know where Louis Armstrong lived or where Richard Wright wrote.” While reminiscing about the past, Smith said, the BARCC makes sure to highlight the present, which includes steady reinvestment in the neighborhood.

For example, the group showcases new businesses that have come to Bronzeville. Last year, Smith said, the BARCC introduced four new businesses to the tour in addition to six highlighted previously.

“We like to show people what has come to their community and at the same time encourage these businesses,” Smith said. “We hate to see when [businesses] don’t make it. The objective is to see a family friendly community where people can walk down the street and they can shop and meet their neighbors.”

            As the niece of one of the founders of the Chicago DuSable League, which preserves the history of Chicago settler Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, Smith, like the BARCC, stands firm on the issue of preservation  

            “We believe in saving historical buildings," she said. "We want to see preservation, so we work with preservation groups. We’ll work with anyone who wants to enhance our community.”

            The BARCC teams with Housing Bronzeville, which promotes affordable housing, and the Bronzeville Visitors and Information Center to encourage block clubs. The BARCC also works with new developers and condo associations to ensure newcomers and new buyers are empowered and educated.

            With a new Alderman in the 3rd Ward, Pat Dowell, Smith said the organization can work even more closely with new and existing developers to ensure the community benefits as much as the developers do. This opportunity has had a positive impact on the BARCC's membership and attendance at monthly meetings.

            Though Bronzeville is changing, Smith said the organization is keeping to its mission.

            “We want it to be an all-inclusive organization," she explained. "What we’ve done in the past we are continuing to do. The focus and mission of the council has been pretty much the same since its inception in 2004. We wanted the community members to know they were the real stakeholders in that neighborhood. And the more Bronzeville residents know, the more we organize, the better chance we have of making a difference. This has always been the focus.”

            Though this work will continue, Smith said the organization is looking at providing alternatives for youth. Members are meeting with other organizations to see what can be done to start activities so young people are not loitering the streets.

            “We try to mentor youth, like when we were growing up,” she said. “We saw positive things and all types of people living together in the community. The rich and poor lived together. There were policymakers living here, lawyers, writers, and so on.  Now, we are surprised that some kids just don’t know there’s a better way."

            The BARCC holds open monthly meetings at the Illinois College of Optometry, 3241 S. Michigan Ave., on the last Tuesday of every month. “We encourage people to get involved versus just complaining about our community," Smith said. "You know, participate for change. Like we say on our website, ‘We work to create and maintain a safe, clean, enjoyable neighborhood for families to live and businesses to thrive.'”

            For more information on the Bronzeville Area Residents’ and Commerce Council, visit their website at www.thebarcc.org or call (773) 573-0934. The organization is located at 122 E. 35th St. It will hold a meeting Tuesday, Oct. 30, at which attendees will discuss affordable housing. BARCC member appreciation day will be held Tuesday, Nov. 27.