Good news Chicagoans! Our fair city recently moved one step closer to hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. Two weeks ago, it was announced that Chicago had made the list of finalists that are in the running from around the world. The winner will be announced s
This is, indeed, terrific news for Chicago and its residents, especially in communities on the south and west sides where three of the largest Olympic venues would be built. Folks, we’re talking billions of dollars in revenueùand job-generating construction projects, vending opportunities, professional services contracts, and additional transportation and security needsùjust to name a few.
On top of that, playing host city to the Olympics would usher Chicago onto a worldwide stage, securing its place as a truly global city and positioning its residents and businesses to take advantage of the economic opportunities that go along with that distinction. Black Chicago, we’ve got to get ready. The Chicago Urban League is proud that the city’s African American communities would play an important role in the Games.
Research, including the Urban League’s own Olympic study released a year ago, shows that past host cities have experienced unprecedented economic growth and revitalization in the years leading up to the Games and beyond. The Games can do great things for all communities but foresight and planning are required. Those who do not plan will lose out. That’s why it is so important that Blackowned businesses work now to build capacity so that they can compete if and when requests for bids on lucrative Olympics contracts go out.
For some small businesses, that might mean joint venturing with other firms. Already, the usual suspectsùI’m talking about the key business players whose names have become synonymous with the big-money deals going down in the cityùare already carving out niches for themselves. If the Black community waits until the official Olympics site is announced, it might already be too late to ensure an equitable level of participation.
We can’t let that happen. This city has a painful history, particularly in the construction sector, as it relates to contractual and job opportunities for African Americans and women. Now is the time for all Chicagoans to pull together to rewrite that history.
From the beginning, the possibility of hosting the Games has been an important policy concern for the Urban League. In 2016, if the Games do come here, my hope is that the Black community will not be shaking its head over its inability to land its fair share of the contracts and job opportunities that an Olympics event would create. It’s time out for after-thefact protests; it’s time now for before-the-fact planning and development.
Since Chicago first entered the international contest to host the Games, the Urban League has been working in partnership with legislators, and faithûand communitybased organizations to develop strategies to prepare and connect small businesses and neighborhood residents with the opportunities the Games would create. In the coming months, the League will convene community meetings and streamline dialogues as part of the citywide planning process.
We will also encourage collaboration among business owners from across the Black Diasporaùimmigrants who hail from places such as Jamaica, Haiti and Africaùto heighten Black Chicago’s economic and organizational profile similar to the way Hispanics have formed alliances across nationalities.
As an organization, the Urban League is well-positioned to support this effort. Now in our 91st year of existence, we are an economic development agency with strong links to African Americans in Chicago, as well as to the broader business community. As we gear up for the Games, understanding the concerns of members of the community is key.
Some, for instance, are worried that the Games would trigger widespread displacement of residents living in the Washington Park community where the Olympic stadium would be built. They need to be heard. I challenge the Black community to get involved in this process to win the Games, to claim the Olympics as a victory for economic development, both individually and collectively. Let’s start today building a legacy we can all be proud of.
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