Chicago Politics

UCAN Reach 21 Celebration 8.6.26

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the UCAN Reach 21 Celebration.

Transcript

6:27 can get started thank you all for your patience foremost welcome to reach 21 milestone celebration let's give it a good round of applause for our youth uh i'm doing some of the work that

7:03 strategic initiatives here at UCAN and i have the privilege of helping me reach 21 alongside an incredible team of people who truly care about our youth can i get a round of applause for my team right there three three one staff get your hands in there before we get into anything i I want everybody to look around this room for a second. Tonight is about celebration. We spend a lot of time talking about what our youth and young people need to improve, what challenges they face, our schools they have to overcome,

7:36 but sometimes we just need to stop and simply acknowledge what they have accomplished. Y'all, come on, come on, show me some air, show me some air, we're family, right? And that's what tonight's about. We're celebrating birthdays, we're celebrating young people graduating, getting back in school, getting their first job, making an honor roll, Showing up consistently, completing probation, and sometimes we'll celebrate something as simple as, and important as, young people decide, I'm going to keep going, I'm going to live.

8:13 We were created to be more than just a program. We wanted to build something where young people could walk through the door, be themselves, build relationships, every new thing, make some mistakes, learn from them, and still know that there are adults standing beside them that are saying, we got you, keep going. So enjoy this moment. Take the pictures. Get your award. Eat good. Celebrate each other. And most importantly, be proud of yourself. Just want to do somebody by the name of Pastor Fred Wilson. Pastor Fred's wrong.

9:42 Yes, sir. Well, come on. Let's celebrate tonight. These amazing young men tonight. Y'all just patty cake and do this. Now, if they were in some trouble or something like that, we'd be making a whole lot of noise. one more time For each one of these young men, make some noise in this house. So proud of them. So proud of all they're celebrating. And I want to, before I pray, he just walked out the door.

10:14 But can we celebrate De'Ron as well, this great leader who's doing, I think optics mean something. To see a black man leading this team and all these brothers who are standing and to have an organization led by the first African-American system. If we come on, Christa Hamilton, optics mean something. Sitting at the table to our black mirror in Chicago, optics mean something.

10:45 If they can see it, they can be it. Amen? So we want to bless them tonight and bless our event. If you could just buy yours just for a moment. Father God, we thank you, Lord. We thank you for this day. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your grace and your mercy. We thank you for keeping us. Everyone in this room, from the eldest to the youngest, has a testimony that you kept us through something, some stuff that we got in, shouldn't have been in, bad mistakes we made, and yet we're here because you gave us another chance.

11:20 It is our privilege and our responsibility to help these young men to have a second chance and to have the right chance at life. Thank you for Reach 21. Thank you for the vision of Christa Hamilton and UK and all these wonderful men and women who give up their time, talent, and treasure pour into these young brothers. God, we ask your blessings upon each and every one of their lives, not just if they reach 21, but that they will live long, prosperous, and productive lives and become all that you have for them to be.

11:53 Now, bless our time together tonight. We give you praise for it all. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Come on and see with me our CEO of UCAN, the first African-American female to hold this position. Make some noise for Christa Hamilton. What a wonderful introduction. Thank you so much, Pastor Fred. Well, before I get going into my remarks, I want to thank our mayor of Chicago

12:24 for coming to the furthest, most southern tip of the city of Chicago for us tonight. And Director Delrese Adams of ICESIA, she is one of our funders for the program. And then also our Director of Reentry for the Mayor's Office, Joseph Mepps. So thank you all for joining us and supporting us to ensure that we can do this important work. And we have two of our esteemed board members, Cedric and Markel. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.

12:55 Without a governing board, a nonprofit cannot exist. So thank you so much for all of your support. Well, thank you all, families, for joining us tonight. We are here to celebrate the incredible achievements of these 14 young men. I want to say that change is hard. And every adult in this room can attest to that. Anybody who tried to lose weight, stop doing something, So we know that change requires us to stop doing things that probably feel good and are very familiar to us

13:28 and start doing some things that are uncomfortable to us. So tonight I want to applaud each of these young men and their families for having the courage to choose to do something different, to believe in themselves, and to keep showing up. So thank you, families. We're going to keep on applauding you and celebrating you tonight. I have the incredible honor, as you've heard, of leading this organization of nearly 750 dedicated men and women, serving almost 10,000 children and families across the state of Illinois.

14:03 I also have the privilege, as Pastor Fred said, of being the first woman and the first black leader of this organization after more than 153 years. We are 157 years old, so I've been doing this for nearly five years now. And that is an important milestone for our organization, but what it means more to me is that I get to serve people that look like me, that grew up in communities that I grew up in and still live in, and you all deserve every opportunity to succeed. And that is what I'm most proud of, of the work that we are doing.

14:34 Reach 21 is very close to my heart, but before I tell you why, I want to tell you where this journey began. In January of 2025, we intentionally launched this program at Callahan Funeral Home in Inglewood. Anybody ever been there before? Unfortunately, right? Some people wonder, why would we start something new at a funeral home? We did it because we wanted our young men to stand in a place that far too many of us know. all too well. And we know it because we buried brothers, cousins, nephews, sons, and even some

15:06 of our fathers and our friends. That day symbolized for us the end of a chapter, but the beginning of a new one, which was called Reach 21. UCAN made a commitment that we would work tirelessly and relentlessly to make sure that we never gather there again to bury one of our Reach 21 young men. And guess what? After a year and a half, we have it. So we are very proud of that. And I've worked in lots of programs, and I've been to lots of funerals, but

15:36 so far, and knock on wood, never, Reach 21 will not be one of those programs I add to that list. And that represented for me leaving behind old choices, old environments, and old ways of thinking and embracing the possibility of a different future. So thank you, young people and parents, for embracing that opportunity with us. Tonight is proof that transformation is possible. We have someone reaching 21 tonight that we'll celebrate. Many of these young men have been with us since day one, so since January 2025.

16:10 And we plan to go, these people have asked me tonight, how long does the program, how long does the program? Until they reach 21. So if they walk in at 11, God willing, I'll be here to see you reach 21. So that is how long the program is, until they are ready to transform and transition into the world. We thank you for trusting UCAN and trusting the process with us as we develop and grow this program. You all have put in the work, and tonight we celebrate not only your accomplishment, but we celebrate your courage.

16:44 This mission is deeply personal to me, as I mentioned before, because of my nephew, Jonathan. Jonathan was just 21 years old when he lost his life to gun violence in Englewood, so I know what that feels like, and we buried him at Callahan Funeral Hall. He loved basketball. He loved God. He loved his family. But like many young men who grew up in Englewood, he also made mistakes. He struggled. He spent time in and out of the justice system. He never graduated from high school.

17:15 At that time, I was already a leader in social services. One of the hardest realities I've ever faced, and many of my counterparts in the room, we couldn't save somebody that we love. And they know how that feels. We've loved people that we love deeply, and even standing in this seat, in this position, we couldn't do what we're trying to do for you.

17:47 I always wonder if Jonathan had a program like Reach 21. He actually did turn 21, but he wasn't ready to thrive. And that's why we're here today. That's why REACH 21 exists. It's for the 13-year-old who's beginning to lose his way. It's for the 16-year-old who's been in and out of the justice system. It's for the 20-year-old who's not sure if he'll see his 21st birthday. But we believe that every young man deserves other people to believe in him

18:21 even before he may believe in himself. So to our young men, we are so proud of you. We can provide the opportunities, the resources, and the support, but you are doing the hard work, not us. You are showing up, you are investing in yourselves, and every day you're showing us what is possible. To your families and your friends that are here tonight, your presence matters. It's actually essential to being REACH 21. You have to have an adult that's going to walk the journey outside of the UCAN ecosystem.

18:55 Your presence matters. Your encouragement matters. Transformation doesn't happen alone. It happens in community. So tonight, remember this, when we gathered in that funeral home, we were declaring that the past did not have to define the future. And tonight, we are no longer standing in a funeral home. We are standing in a room full of life, full of possibility, full of hope, and full of resilience. So congratulations on every milestone that you have achieved.

19:25 Thank you for trusting UCAN to walk this journey with you. This is more than a job at UCAN. We call it hard work. Sometimes it feels hard, but we love it. It is a calling and a blessing and a privilege and an honor to serve you. So just know that when you walk into the UCAN offices, and I hope you already feel this young man, that we see you as our brothers, our nephews, our sons, and we want you to do so well. So God bless you and your families as we continue along this journey together

19:58 and enjoy the rest of the evening. I'm going to call Deron. Where's Deron? So we have a special award tonight for a community impact leader that has just meant so much to UCAN. As I mentioned at the top of my remarks, we cannot do it. We love the work and we love the mission, but we cannot do it without funders and supporters at all levels of government and the community.

20:30 So, Deron, would you like to give our award away? Sure thing. Community of Black and World, Partnership of World Goals 2, presenting a recognition of exceptional partnership and our commitment to fostering youth success throughout Chicago and facilitating re-entry into society. Mr. Johnson Mapp.

21:00 Let's keep clapping, y'all. Let's keep clapping. It's hard work. It's hard work, not hard work. There wasn't in the plans. At least I wasn't aware of them. So, thank you, and good evening, everyone.

21:31 It is a privilege to join you as we celebrate the young men of REACH 21, along with families, mentors, staff, and community partners who walk beside them every step of the way. Why is the Office of Reentry here at a violence intervention event? It's a fair question. At first glance, reentry and violence prevention can seem like two different conversations. But the longer I've done this work, the more I've come to believe they're really part of the same story,

22:05 just at different points in a person's life. One focuses on helping people rebuild after justice involvement. The other focuses on creating the opportunities, relationships, and support that make justice involvement less likely in the first place. That connection has changed the way I think about this work. My own journey has taught me something I'll never forget. People rarely change because someone simply tells them they're valuable.

22:36 They change because someone consistently treats them like they are. Someone keeps showing up. Someone keeps encouraging them. someone continues believing in them when they struggle to believe in themselves. When I look at Reach 21, that's exactly what I see. I don't just see a program. I see mentors investing time. I see staff refusing to give up. I see families continuing to encourage. I see a community choosing to walk beside young people instead of watching from a distance.

23:11 That's why we're here today to celebrate these young men. Yes, we're recognizing birthdays, jobs, and other different accomplishments, but those accomplishments don't happen overnight. Each one represents hundreds of small decisions. Choosing to come back, choosing to listen, choosing to trust, and choosing to keep going, those decisions deserve to be celebrated because they become the foundation for everything that follows. I also want to recognize UCAN for the extraordinary work that they do every day.

23:47 As one of the city's community reentry support centers and a trusted community-based partner, UCAN demonstrates that meaningful change happens through consistency, accountability, and relationships that last longer than any single program. To the five young men who have been with Reach 21 since the beginning, your commitment says something powerful. It reminds us all that growth is not defined by perfection. It is defined by the courage to keep moving forward even when the journey is not easy.

24:22 As a director of the Mayor's Office of Reentry, I've come to believe that every time a community chooses to invest in a young person's future, it strengthens that young person, their family, and ultimately our city. That's what we're celebrating today. The work happening here reminds us that creating safer communities requires all of us, families, mentors, educators, employers, community-based organizations, and government

24:52 working together to expand opportunity and support young people before they reach a point of crisis. I'm grateful to serve alongside a mayor who has challenged our city to make those investments, strengthening those partnerships, and continuing to build a Chicago where every young person has the opportunity to thrive. It is my honor to introduce the mayor of the city of Chicago, Brandon Johnson.

25:31 Hey, what's going on? Good evening, everyone. And let's give it up one more time for Director Joseph Mack. Thank you, sir. breaking barriers and making history. You know, when I sought out this position to become the mayor of this great city, I wanted to make sure that we did something for our people. But we cannot do that alone. You need partners. You need individuals, organizations, institutions that play a collective role

26:01 in ensuring that our people are protected, loved, seen, and heard. and when we created the office of re-entry and established it with funding and resources the Bible says in Matthew 6.21 where your treasure is there your heart will be also and Joseph represents the heart of Chicago but I am truly honored to celebrate these young brothers and I want you all to do something that we don't do often

26:32 let's just clap for ourselves So for Reef21, y'all give yourselves a round of applause for your accomplishments. You know, today is truly a celebration, but it's important that we remind ourselves of why it's important that we not only come together and convene in ways to celebrate with family and loved ones, but to pat ourselves on the back sometimes. It doesn't mean that you are arrogant. It doesn't mean that you are conceited or cocky in any way.

27:05 But I'm of a faith tradition where sometimes you will have to encourage yourself. You may not have that phone call from a friend or a loved one or a parent. In fact, sometimes your friends and your parents and loved ones may disappoint you. I know this firsthand because I am still reeling from the idea that my son is 18. I just dropped him off at Eastern Illinois. Boy, y'all pray for me and my wife and my baby, because he hasn't checked in on me since he's been gone.

27:40 But what I want for my three children, what I want for the two boys in my home, is what I want for you. And we cannot do this alone. And that's why I'm grateful to your family members, to the mentors, to the UCAN team, and everyone who walked beside you to help make this day possible. know something that you are not alone you'll never be alone and know how proud we are of you not simply because you've reached this milestone but because you kept showing up

28:10 you kept believing in yourselves you kept moving forward even when the road wasn't easy and so your success you all be clear it doesn't happen by chance it happens because you refuse to stop believing in you a community chose hope over fear and you chose opportunities despite the obstacles. And that's what building a better Chicago looks like. When people talk about building safer communities, the conversation always starts after violence has already happened.

28:43 But if we're really serious about keeping our communities safe, we have to do the work in the beginning to prevent violence from happening in the first place. And violence is not just simply gun violence. Violence is when our schools are closed. Violence is when opportunities that exist in other sections of the city or the world do not exist in the sections of the city that have experienced trauma and pain. And that's why I'm proud, and I want all of you to know this.

29:13 Last summer we hired 31,119 young people for summer jobs. And this year we broke the record. We hired over 32,000 young people for summer jobs. so that they can find their purpose. And that's exactly what today represents. It represents when community chooses to invest in our young people instead of giving up on them, and young people who refuse to let their circumstances define their future. We know what works when young people are surrounded by opportunities

29:46 and people who believe in them life changes. Last year, the fourth highest neighborhood that young people were hired from was in Roseland. And last summer we had a 100% reduction ...in homicides in Roseland. It turns out when you give young people opportunity, it keeps them safe. And that's why, in closing, this work that UCAN is doing is so important. Every day, Reach 21 is helping young people build brighter futures through mentorship and guidance

30:21 and that support that they need to make positive choices before the justice system ever has a chance to define their story. And again, thank you to Director of Reentry, Joseph Mapp, and the entire Office of Reentry for their commitment to removing barriers and creating real opportunities for all of our residents throughout our city. As we continue to commit ourselves to this work, let's do what's necessary. Let's celebrate one another. And to the five young brothers who have been here since the very beginning, that's something remarkable.

30:57 That means to me that not only are you prepared for success, but you're prepared to lead. Your commitment says something powerful because it reminds young people every single day that are watching you. Despite setbacks, you get to determine the final word of what your story will be. And please know that my administration will continue to build on these partnerships. My goal is to build the safest, most affordable big city in America. As you all move on with your lives, know that the city that raised you, the city that's investing in you, is a city that I hope and pray that you will raise your family in.

31:33 Your future teachers, your future construction workers, your future entrepreneurs, your future fathers. And one day you'll be able to look back on this moment and know that this was the investment that set you apart. In closing, there's an incredible writer and civil rights leader by the name of Booker T. Washington. And Booker T. Washington wrote this book called Up From Slavery. And he talked about the difference between a white boy and a black boy.

32:04 He says the difference between the white boy and the black boy is that the white boy knows his legacy. And is reminded of his legacy every day. So if he falls short, they remind him, do you know who your father is? Do you know who your grandfather is? He said, for too many black boys, their legacy gets cut off. And it's hard to hold them accountable if we don't know from where we come from. Let me assure you, black boys and young men, you come from a profound, rich legacy of black men before you

32:34 who paved the way to open up opportunities so that one day, not only can you stand in success, but you can see success on the fifth floor with a black mayor pouring into your life. You are our legacy. You are our best part. God bless you all, and God bless our great city, the city of Chicago. Thank you very much.

33:08 I appreciate how invested everybody was until our keynote speaker, but we have a future mayor that's coming up next. Y'all give a round of applause for the young brother, Jaheim Mays. We've seen the ones on. We've seen the ones very well. Make some noise, y'all. Make some noise. I am proud to be a participant in the Reach 21 program. Being a part of Reach 21 has been a great experience for me. This program has helped me grow as a young man by teaching me the importance of responsibility, leadership, and staying committed to my goals.

34:04 Since joining the program, I've enjoyed learning from my mentors, building relationships with other participants, and taking advantage of the opportunities REACH 21 has given. It's been even more meaningful to share this journey with my brother, who is also a part of the program. I'm grateful for the support and the encouragement I receive from everyone at REACH 21.

34:35 They challenged me to keep growing and believe in myself. And I'm thankful to be a part of a program that truly cares about these young people.

35:25 I know I'm in between you all and Eden, so I'm going to keep my remarks really, really short. I first want to thank UCAN and the UCAN family who put this phenomenal event together, but really all the parents, all the family members that are supporting these beautiful black young men.

35:55 I'm so proud of you. I'm really obsessed with you all. You don't even know how many pictures I've taken and sent to different people to say, look how outstanding our black men are. But I want to just share with you, it is not by coincidence that two days ago, I was at a place called Monarch Center. And Monarch Center is the juvenile temporary detention center where young men go who have been convicted of a crime. And it is a trauma-informed center. So it's a little bit different. They're not really behind bars like in jail. They're in dorms, but they're still incarcerated.

36:35 But I got the opportunity to sit at a table with three young men, and when I tell you they were brilliant, they looked just like you, they had on polos, they told me about the criminal justice system and what could be changed in it. They told me what they thought judges could do differently. And then I asked one young man, well, how long will you be here? And he told me, I'll transfer out of here when I'm 21, and I'll do 30 years in IDLC.

37:08 And it broke my heart because the whole time I talked to that young man, I kept thinking, he is so brilliant. Like, I will hire him tomorrow. He could really help me do my job to change the criminal justice system. And there was a running theme. Each of the young men said, we wish we had a program. We wish we had somebody when we were teenagers running the streets, making bad decisions, just grab us and tell us to do something different. But you have that opportunity.

37:39 You haven't made that bad decision. You have people in your life at these tables who believe in you. And when you stop believing in yourself, guess what you do? You catch on to your aunt. You catch on to your big mama. You catch on to you can. And you let them pour into you until you believe in yourself again. And I want each and every one of you to write your own story. Don't let nobody, no teacher, no police officer, no mentor, no counselor, no high school counselor, tell you what your biggest dreams tell you.

38:16 If they tell you no, guess how you proved them wrong. You do it anyway. I am so proud to be here. I already feel your hope to see your accomplishment. and I just want to wish you all the best in life because you're going to make a change for our communities. We're depending on you, and we know you can do it. So thank you very much on behalf of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

38:50 at the organization that I lead, and we pour into communities by funding great programs just like this. So thank you all, and have a blessed evening.

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