# Women Shaping Chicago: Deputy Mayor Kenya Merritt

- Date: March 21, 2025
- Type: Video
- Length: 1:26
- Topic: Other
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtth30pYhNQ)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 217 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/Dtth30pYhNQ.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

I’m proud to partner with incredible women in my administration, like Deputy Mayor Kenya Merritt, whose leadership and unwavering commitment are driving real change across Chicago. Her work empowers our communities and builds a brighter future for our great city. #WomenShapingChicago

## Transcript

[0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Dtth30pYhNQ?t=0) like to believe that I have the best job because I'm responsible for driving economic growth across our entire city. We're working to make sure that as our economy grows, that as our city grows, our workforce and the people that live across our city also have the right to win and to grow in those different sectors. So growing up in North Lawndale shaped my path to public service. I grew with my grandmother and my mother my grandmother was considered to be the

[0:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Dtth30pYhNQ?t=31) grandmother of the block you could always go to if you needed a meal if you needed advice if you needed direction she lived a life of service so every day when I do this work I do it in honor of her in terms of balancing motherhood and work there really is no balance there is give and take my approach towards both is that I lead in love with both. The advice that I would give to women in general

[1:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Dtth30pYhNQ?t=61) is to never stop dreaming. It's easy to lose sight of all of the things that get you excited and get buried into just the day-to-day things that come up in life, but not to lose sight ever of your dreams. They're still attainable, and they help to drive us.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/Dtth30pYhNQ · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt