People Profiles
Maurice Pha’tal Perkins
Pha’tal, a rising star in Chicago’s underground rap scene, uses his position in the spotlight to make a difference in Englewood, the community where he was born, raised and still calls home.
Michelle Russell
To Michelle Russell, education is everything. And as the proud principal of TEAM Englewood Community Academy, she knows better than anyone how key it can be to a community’s success.
Kenneth J. Johnson
Just about every day, Kenneth Johnson picks up his camera and hits the streets of Englewood, taking candid images of daily life in the neighborhood where he grew up.
Cecile De Mello
Cecile De Mello is the first to admit that not many of her peers actively seek out Englewood as a place to raise their families. But for this hard-working mother of three, the choice has been rewarding.
Antoine “DJ Dap” Butler
Lifelong Englewood resident Antoine Butler enjoys sharing his talents and giving back to Englewood whenever and however he can.
Nicole Johnson
Nicole Johnson was intrinsically motivated to come back to Englewood after completing her education because she knew she had a lot to offer. Upon earning her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan
Tina Hammond
As the owner of West Englewood’s Tina’s Treasures Childcare, she takes great pride in providing quality day care for neighborhood children and acting as a teacher and positive role model while their parents are at work.
Felicia Slaton-Young
As the co-founder and executive director of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce, Felicia Slaton-Young, a resident of Englewood for nearly 30 years, knows that her neighborhood’s future hinges on a thriving business community.
Corie Luckett
“Englewood is everything to me,” says Corie Luckett, who moved to the neighborhood as a second grader and still resides there nearly 35 years later.
Michelle “Chellee” Rashad
Chellee Rashad is a change agent in Englewood. A native Chicagoan born and raised in West Englewood, she returned to the city in 2014
after graduating from Howard University. Though Chellee was always passionate about where she grew up, she didn’t truly begin her life’s work in community development until she made the decision to quit her corporate job to focus 100% of her time on restoring her beloved community.
Vora Long Williams
Vora Long Williams, a retired postal worker and lifelong Englewood resident, was tired of seeing the neighborhood she loves littered with
trash so she took it upon herself to make a change.
Jonathan “PASTAH J” Brooks
When asked to pick a word that best characterizes Englewood, Jonathan “PASTAH J” Brooks chooses “resilience.” As senior pastor of Canaan Community Church and Chicago city director for Mission Year, Jonathan encounters resilience in his community on a daily basis and encourages Englewood’s residents to work towards peaceful solutions to their problems.
Tonika Johnson
Tonika Johnson first started photographing Englewood as a creative outlet, a natural way to document the neighborhood she grew up in, works in, and continues to call home. It wasn’t until she started sharing her work with friends that she realized the images she was capturing were in direct opposition to the Englewood being portrayed on the news.
You Belong with Us
Englewood is filled with dynamic leaders, caring community members, loving parents, successful business owners, creative artists and more. Every week we are committed to delivering a new profile of an outstanding community member that has a voice in this community and a story to tell.
If you or someone you know has a inspiring story to tell and would like to share it with others, please provide your contact information and a summary of your story below.