Mayor Emanuel Unveils
First-Ever Chicago New Americans Plan
New Plan, Developed over
Months of Community Conversations, Outlines 27 Distinct Initiatives That Can
Create Thousands of Jobs and Boost the Ability of Chicago’s 560,000
Foreign-Born Residents to Fully Contribute to the City’s Growth
Mayor's Press
Office 312.744.3334
Today, Mayor Emanuel released
the Chicago New Americans Plan, which outlines 27 initiatives to build a
thriving, diverse and welcoming city over the next three years. The plan, which
is the first of its kind in the nation, highlights the potential economic
impact when the City supports the creation and expansion of immigrant-owned
businesses; develops, attracts, and retains talent and expertise from other
countries; and aims to bolster the City’s status as a vibrant and welcoming
international city.
“With residents from over 140
countries and more than 100 languages spoken in our city, Chicago is a city of
immigrants,” said Mayor Emanuel. “These immigrants are small business owners,
teachers, parents, clergymen, elected officials, and leaders in our
communities. This is why I am committed to making Chicago the most immigrant
friendly city in the nation. I thank the ONA Advisory Committee for assisting
us in developing a plan that will ensure Chicago continues to thrive and grow
and attract the world’s leading human capital to compete in the 21st century
global economy and beyond.”
By implementing the
initiatives listed in the Chicago New Initiatives Plan, the plan proposes to
create thousands of jobs by increasing the growth of immigrant small and medium
sized businesses and by doubling the exports of immigrants businesses. The plan
also states that making early childhood options and summer enrichment
opportunities more available to immigrant parents will increase savings later;
for each dollar spent on early-childhood education, seven dollars in savings
are coming.
In July 2011, Mayor Rahm
Emanuel created the Office of New Americans and set the goal for Chicago to
become the world’s most immigrant-friendly city. Just months later, the Mayor
convened an advisory committee comprised of 50 leaders representing Chicago’s
business, academic, civic and philanthropic communities. The goal of the
advisory committee was to identify challenges unique to immigrants, recommend
initiatives to be implemented over the next three years, and develop a detailed
implementation plan for the Office of New Americans and its partners.
The Chicago New Americans
Plan recommends a broad array of new programs and initiatives, which are
designed to improve the day-to-day lives of immigrants while promoting
Chicago’s economic growth and cultural vitality.
The plan’s 27 initiatives are
grouped into three categories: Our Growth, Our Youth, and Our Communities. The
three categories are divided into eight subgroups which will focus on economic
opportunities, human capital, education, public safety, health, city services,
civic engagement and ensuring that Chicago remains a place where diversity is
welcomed and celebrated.
“The Chicago New Americans
Plan is an economic improvement and community development tool that will be a
national model for creating a city that welcomes and incorporates the immigrant
community into all city services and programs,” said Celena Roldan, Executive
Director, Erie Neighborhood House. “Historically serving immigrants since 1870,
Erie Neighborhood House is committed to empowering the immigrant community
through the Mayor’s New American Plan and applauds his efforts to make Chicago
the most immigrant friendly city in the country.”
"As one of the most
rapidly growing immigrant groups in the Chicago area, South Asian Americans
appreciates having a voice as the city considers how to make the city more
inclusive and leverage the great potential of all immigrant groups,” said
Ami Gandhi, South Asian American Policy & Research Institute (SAAPRI).
"Our humanity is
enhanced by our differences; we build Chicago knowing that our diversity
represents our strength and our best selves,” said Jerry Doyle, Vice Provost,
Illinois Institute of Technology. “The Mayor's announcement today reminds us
all that we are ONE Chicago; that as we welcome, embrace, and celebrate New
Americans we draw upon and renew the long-standing tradition of Chicago as a
city of immigrants upon whose shoulders we have launched the dreams of
millions; a city whose voice and achievements serve as a beacon for all to
aspire to - including ourselves."
To make Chicago the world’s
most immigrant-friendly city, the City will effectively manage the
implementation and success of this plan. The Office of New Americans will
utilize a multi-tiered scorecard to measure initiative implementation and
results. The scorecard will also evaluate the extent to which the initiatives
together are improving economic, civic, and cultural vitality for Chicago.
The ONA collaborated with
Civic Consulting Alliance, A.T. Kearney, and Downtown Partners Chicago, all of
whom provided their support on a pro-bono basis, in the development of the
plan.
The Chicago New Americans
Plan was unveiled at the Erie Neighborhood House, a place historically serving
immigrants since 1870. The Chicago New Americans Plan and a full list of
initiatives are available at http://www.cityofchicago.org/newamericans.
###
ONA Advisory Council Members
in their respective subgroups:
Economic
Opportunities:
Omar Duque, President and
Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Nilda Esparza, Executive
Director, Little Village Chamber of Commerce
Sue Gin, Chief Executive
Officer, Flying Food Groups
Liz Griffiths, Executive
Director, Albany Park Chamber of Commerce
Luis Gutierrez, Executive
Director, Latinos Progresando
Michael Mini, Director
Government Relations, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce George
Chunkau Mui, Global Business
Consultant, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency
Rob Paral, Principal,Rob
Paral and Associates
Jaz Park, Board Member,
Korean American Association of Chicago
Alberto Senior, Senior Exec.,
Miller Coors
Alejandro Silva, Chief
Executive Officer, Evans Food Group
Roberto Rodrigues, Professor,
University of Chicago
Human
Capital and Education:
Nancy Aardema, Executive
Director, Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Ana Bedard, Associate
Director, St. Augustine Institute for Workforce Education
Tanya Cabrera, Associate
Director, Illinois Institute of Technology
Gerald P. Doyle, Vice
Provost, Illinois Institute of Technology
Roberto Gonzalez, Assistant
Professor, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration
Jill Kushner Bishop,
President, Multilingual Connections
Clara Lopez, Vice President ,
El Valor
Juan Rangel, Executive
Director, United Neighborhood Organization (UNO)
Harold Rice, Executive
Director, Albany Park Community Center
Juan Salgado, President,
Instituto del Progreso Latino
Rebecca Tancredi, Managing
Director, Upwardly Global - Chicago Office
Safety,
Health and Access to city services:
Walter "Slim"
Coleman, Reverend, Centro Sin Fronteras
Ahlam Jbara, Interim
Executive Director, The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago
Kathleen Jung Hee Fernicola,
Policy Director, Asian American Institute
Viviana Martinez, Chief of
Staff, Office of Cook County Commissioner Jesus Garcia
Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive
Director, National Immigration Justice Center
Katya Nuques, Associate
Director, Enlace Chicago
Caroline Orzac Shoenberger,
Director, Chicago Legal Clinic
Maria Pesqueira, President
and Chief Executive Officer, Mujeres Latinas en Accion
Sima Qureshi, Executive
Director, Muslim Women's Resource Center
Celena Roldan, Executive
Director, Erie Neighborhood House
Layla Suleiman Gonzalez,
Director Office of Strategic Planning, Illinois Department of Human Services
Tania Uzueta, Advocacy
Coordinator, LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Project - ALMA
Bernie Wong, Executive
Director, Chinese American Service League
Civic
engagement, Diversity welcomed and celebrated:
Lawrence Benito, Executive
Director, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
Dalila Fridi, Senior
Technical Application Analyst, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Ami Gandhi, Executive
Director, South Asian American Policy and Research Institute
Maricela Garcia, Executive
Director, Gads Hill Center
Alie Kabba, Executive
Director, United African Organization
Gary Kenzer, Executive
Director, Polish American Association
Emma Lozano, Founder, Centro
Sin Fronteras
Denise Martinez, Director of
Office of New Americans, Office of the Governor
Ahmed Rehab, Executive
Director, CAIR Chicago
Rebecca Sanders, Executive Director,
Chicago Cultural Alliance
Freddy Santiago, Pastor, El
Rebano Church
Elena Segura, Director,
Office for Immigrant Affairs and Immigrant Education, Archdiocese of
Chicago
1 comment:
A followup ... some note correctly that two of the Muslim representatives are Arab. They are. But the issue is they are not invited as Arabs. They are invited as representatives of Muslim Organizations. The Muslim Organizations decide who represents them, not Mayor Emanuel. He didn't invite them because they were Arab. He invited the Muslim organizations to participate and, in my opinion, excluded Arab groups and Arab leaders from Chicago. That's a very significant point. Here.
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