Our teams are tackling big-picture stories related to the 2020 Census and demographic change in Chicago.
By Bettina Chang
(Photos: Max Herman)
This week we welcomed a brand-new cohort of amazing reporters and photographers to the City Bureau family. That brings our full list of people who have gone through the City Bureau Fellowship to 101! It's a testament to the inspiring, thoughtful work that each fellowship cohort has produced that we garner so many enthusiastic applicants and participants every cycle.
This is also our largest fellowship cohort yet, with four total teams of four fellows each. Over the next 11 weeks, we'll be pursuing big-picture stories related to the 2020 Census and demographic change in Chicago.
Sarah Conway, Irene Romulo, Alexis Kwan and Morgan Lee
Examining Chicago’s hard-to-count immigrant communities
This group is covering communities in Chicago that historically have been undercounted by the U.S. Census, specifically children under 5 and especially in immigrant families. These reporters will seek to understand the barriers to count this population and fill information needs around the census.
Kim Bellware, Maya James, Aja Beckham and Rocio Villasenor
Demographic change on the Southwest Side
These reporters will look at rapidly changing neighborhoods like Chicago Lawn, Brighton Park and Back of the Yards. What is driving demographic change, and what's at stake in 2020 if the census undercounts certain populations and what does it say about Chicago as a whole?
Andrew Fan, Ashish Valentine, Kristen Simmons and Aaron Allen
Racism in home lending practices
Decades ago, Chicago invented modern segregation by drawing redlining maps. The legacy of racist practices like redlining and contract buying remains today, affecting the way Black residents buy homes and build wealth. We’ll look at contemporary home lending practices and the racial dynamics at local banks.
Max Herman, Ayana Cochran, Samantha Cabrera Friend and Sebastián Hidalgo
Photojournalism for inclusive storytelling
Our summer photojournalists will each join one of the above reporting teams, examining the news photographs around each topic and finding ways to build a more inclusive and thoughtful visual culture around them. They’ll create their own photo essays in addition to shooting photos to accompany other stories.
We’d love any tips or suggestions for our summer reporting! Reach us at info@citybureau.org.
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