John W. Rogers, Jr.’s roots are in the Greenwood District of Tulsa. Known as “Black Wall Street,” the prosperous neighborhood of Black-owned businesses and homes was destroyed a century ago when white rioters looted and burned the community.
ITW’s legacy began with a magazine ad. Chicago financer Byron L. Smith was interested in investing in a manufacturing business in the early 1910s and ran an ad in The Economist. A small group of tool inventors responded, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) was born.
A little over a year ago, in the height of the pandemic, the Chinese American Service League (CASL) saw a need. Like many direct service nonprofits, CASL responded to families in crisis, providing food, clothing, PPE, housing resources, and financial assistance.
In celebration of Black History Month in February, we launched the new initiative #UnitedWayBuyBlack with a digital passport of 30 Chicago-based, Black-owned businesses.
Earlier this month, Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood rang in the Lunar New Year—as it has for over 40 years—with its annual celebration and parade. Hundreds gathered along West Argyle Street to celebrate the new lunar year—the year of the tiger—on a chilly, blue-skied day.
This Black History Month, United Way of Metro Chicago is sharing what we’re doing in the DEI space and how we’re living out our commitment to being an anti-racist organization, while holding ourselves accountable as we continue to learn and grow.
Located on the South Side of Chicago, the Bronzeville neighborhood—one of United Way of Metro Chicago’s Neighborhood Networks—is historically known as the “Black Metropolis,” a hub of Black business and culture.
Exactly one year ago today, United Way of Metro Chicago announced its single largest donation in the organization’s 80+ year history.