What Happens When Residents Start Paying Attention?

What happens when residents start paying attention?

Join author, civic engagement advocate, and Where The People Meet TV founder Meleika Gardner for a community conversation about the book Unsafe Black Voice: Exposing Evanston's Political Machine Inside America's First Reparations City.

Many residents have experienced a growing disconnect between official narratives and what they see, hear, and experience in their neighborhoods. Public meetings, housing policies, property taxes, development projects, and community engagement efforts are often discussed one way from the podium and experienced another way on the ground.

Drawing from years of civic involvement, public records, community organizing, and firsthand experience, Gardner will discuss the questions that inspired the book and what she learned while documenting the people, decisions, and power structures shaping Evanston.

Moderated by Lesley Williams, the evening will include a guided conversation, audience Q&A, and an opportunity for residents to reflect on how public decisions affect everyday life.

Whether you've read Unsafe Black Voice, are currently reading it, or are simply curious about the conversations it has sparked, you are welcome.

Whether you follow local government closely or simply want to better understand how decisions are made, who influences them, and how those decisions affect everyday life, this conversation offers an opportunity to engage with issues that continue to shape Evanston's future.