Disrupting Segregation: Bridging Gaps Through Neighborhood Tours

When grocery shopping or picking up medicine from the pharmacy, have you ever wondered how your local amenities compare to other neighborhoods? What about the dining options within walking distance of your home? Or, how about the ease with which you can access cash from a bank or currency exchange?  

These are the types of questions people are asked to consider when participating in “Disrupting Segregation,” a bus tour that takes them through two contrasting Chicago neighborhoods to observe and understand the differences and disparities between them. According to Tonika Johnson, founder of the Folded Map Project, these tours are intended to create a space for participants to learn about and remove barriers between communities.  

“Once you learn about the history of a neighborhood, it increases the value that you feel about that place, and it can make you question the things that you’ve heard about it,” she said.  

“Disrupting Segregation” is a partnership between Folded Map Project, the City of Chicago’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ), and Sherman “Dilla” Thomas, Chicago’s TikTok historian and founder of Chicago Mahogany Tours. Folded Map Project, OERJ, and Chicago Mahogany Tours have all received Trust funding. 

Earlier this year, a few Trust staff joined civic and nonprofit leaders for a tour that took them through the Englewood and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. The first leg of the tour in Englewood, led by Thomas, provided participants with an overview of its history and an upfront view of how disinvestment has long plagued the neighborhood. As participants were observing the area, using a toolkit created by Folded Map, they were asked to write down their initial reactions and what they had learned about Englewood. 

Despite the disinvestment, the tour aimed to demonstrate that every neighborhood has its assets. Participants made a stop at Englewood Branded, a store owned by resident Corie Luckett that sells hats, T-shirts, and other apparel that boosts neighborhood pride. Participants also walked next door to the storefront to visit Englewood Breakroom, a pop-up plaza that offers residents and youth access to sports, concerts, and other recreational activities. The Breakroom, which opened in 2023, was created in partnership between Luckett and Team Englewood.  

Later in the day, attendees were bused to a busy corridor in Lincoln Park, where they were tasked with completing a series of errands from the toolkit that asked them to compare the differences in amenities between the two neighborhoods and even their own. Tasks included visiting a grocery store to examine the quality of produce and observing outdoor amenities like art and green space. 

“It’s imperative to understand that these neighborhoods are not a monolith – Englewood is not a monolith,” said Johnson. “As a society, we create these expectations and action steps without understanding, but we don’t give space or grace to learning. Through Disrupting Segregation, rather than answering what can we do, we should shift the focus to learning. That’s transformative alone.” 

Johnson also underscores the importance of participants getting the word out by inviting their friends, families, and colleagues to sign up for a tour. Alternatively, residents are encouraged to use the questions and activities from the Folded Map Action Toolkit to host their own tour.  

In addition to participating in a tour or organizing your own, Thomas provides a simple step Chicago residents can take to help break the cycle of segregation: frequenting businesses outside of their normal routine. “One of the best things a person can do is spend $25 once a month in a neighborhood that they don’t live in or work in,” he said.  

To learn more about “Disrupting Segregation,” including how to access the Folded Map Action Toolkit, click here.