# Women Shaping Chicago: Commissioner Lissette Castañeda

- Date: March 24, 2025
- Type: Video
- Length: 1:29
- Topic: Other
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE4xPElGN1Y)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 269 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/uE4xPElGN1Y.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

From overcoming displacement to leading change in housing, Commissioner Lissette Castañeda’s journey is a testament to the power of community and women uplifting each other. I’m proud to work alongside powerful women like Lissette in our administration. Learn more about her story and impact. #WomenShapingChicago

## Transcript

[0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uE4xPElGN1Y?t=0) I can't separate where I am today from where I started. Gentrification ended up displacing my family from one community into another. In this new community though, I was really fortunate to find the strong women who led me and who taught me and who encouraged me to really grab hold of the power within and really encouraged me to be a leader. And that's how I got where I am today. When I was given the opportunity to think about this job, I really thought about the long history that I had in housing, not in one particular place, but in fact, all of it. And it just felt

[0:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uE4xPElGN1Y?t=32) right. It felt like the next thing that I had to do was come here and get to the root of where a lot of the work that I was doing was coming from. It's not just about advancing for yourself, but it's about giving a hand up as you climb up. I would say to a young woman who wants to create change in their own community, to not be afraid, to just leap into the arms of that opportunity. You should never be limited by anything less than imagination. The fact that I am a woman of color cannot be separated from my

[1:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uE4xPElGN1Y?t=67) passion for the work, from my passion for the people that we serve ultimately, and from my passion for making sure that every single person in the city can make the best choice for themselves and their families. And I'm just really honored to have the opportunity to do that work at this level.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/uE4xPElGN1Y · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt