Pride in Kankakee

I was recently asked by the Daily Journal in Kankakee to list 10 reasons I was proud to call Kankakee my home. This should appear in the paper within the next week.

Please email kankakeechamber@gmail.com to share your thoughts.

- My job as the Executive Director of the Kankakee Chamber of Commerce is largely focused on the business community, but I find pride in the many steeples that peak above the downtown rooftops. There is something inspiring about worshipping in a building built of stones taken from the ground here. Or maybe it was wood brought to the site by a great-grandfather. But the materials were used to construct sacred places where Kankakeeans have gathered for generations. I take pride in knowing that churches, both new and old, help to make lives whole.

- I am proud of the spirit that Gaines and Sharon Hall have shown in Kankakee. The Halls’ have let us experience what people here in 1901 must have gone through when they first saw Frank Lloyd Wright’s original prairie-style home completed.

I have almost driven off the road at the corner of Eagle and Harrison just thinking about how they turned a sad reminder of days past into an inspiring symbol of what could be for our city.

Sure, I realize not everyone can rehabilitate a Frank Lloyd Wright home, but people are doing their part in hundreds of other homes and it is visible all over the city. As a resident of the Riverview district, I can see that the work the Halls did extends far beyond their property. The spirit I am proud of is alive in the work done on the Dominguez home on Greenwood and the welcome given at the Greys’ home on Chicago.

- Sadly, in Kankakee racial tensions make headlines, but there is another side to the story that I am proud of. It is a side of the story of race in Kankakee that really isn’t all that much of a story.

The story goes like this: In my life in Kankakee I am surrounded by situations in which people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds do better than simply co-exist… they thrive, they form friendships and mutual respect. I am proud that my son is growing up here.

- I am proud of the ambitious people who are investing, rehabilitating and rebuilding Kankakee. These are people with vision who are putting their money and reputation on the line. They take a risk on the continued resurgence of Kankakee. I want to do everything I can to remind them that they have made the right move.

- While I am proud of the core leaders Kankakee has counted on. I am also proud of the people in Kankakee who do the less noticeable work in neighborhoods. Part of the pride I have comes from those who have never given up on their neighborhood. These are authentic community-minded people. These are the individuals who organize neighborhood groups, plant flowers on street corners, welcome newcomers and confront those who need to be confronted. This is many times thankless work … it should not be.

- I have never been wrongly convicted of a capital crime. Regrettably, others in Illinois have experienced that injustice. I am proud to live in the hometown of a man who saw that injustice and made sure that innocent people were not put to death for crimes they didn’t commit.

Sure, opinions on Governor George Ryan’s character and on his death penalty moratorium vary, to say the least. And there are plenty of headlines and TV images I would like to forget. Still, I am proud that it was someone from Kankakee who saw that something was very wrong and did something about it.

- I am proud of our city leaders who have approached the job of directing Kankakee with level heads. While Kankakee’s current leaders have not been perfect, our next leaders will be in a better position when they take over the city because of the sober governing done and hard decisions made by this administration.

- I am proud of our hospitals and the amazing people that comfort us, ease our minds and make us better. Maybe we see a competitive nature at work here, but the benefactors of those efforts are the accident victims, the new parents, the elderly and the community at large.

- I don’t like to paint with too broad of a brush, but in general there is one word that describes many of the people I have known in Kankakee: resilient. Resilience is a character trait that has served Kankakee well. I might be too young to realize how rough Kankakee’s toughest times were, but I am smart enough to notice, appreciate and take pride in the stubborn nature of people who dig in and work at making the place where they live a better place to be. Resilient people aren’t disheartened when they read or hear negative things about their hometown. Instead they are inspired to work at making the situation better. These people should not be underestimated.

- I am proud of Kankakee’s history. This is a source of pride for many in the community who work to preserve historic buildings and gather the relics and stories of our past.

While I am proud of our history I am more proud of what lies ahead for Kankakee. Sure, it might sound strange to be proud of the future, but it is something I am just that sure of. What Kankakee is becoming will be something to take pride in.