Daily Chicagoan: Democracy Is a Verb

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It’s Wednesday. Catch up with the latest from WTTW News and read tributes to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson from prominent Chicagoans.

(Ken Carl / WTTW)

As the country prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, WTTW will be documenting how individuals and local organizations are responding to challenges and opportunities around democracy. Firsthand: Democracy is a year-long multi-platform initiative featuring documentaries, journalism, community conversations and more. WTTW News kicked off the series with a special edition of “Chicago Tonight” focused on civic attitudes and civic life in Chicago and beyond.
Maryanne Colter, Illinois state coordinator for Braver Angels, a national organization aimed at ending polarization in America. “People who used to be friends are now fighting,” Colter said. “And that ended up being the development of the first workshop of getting half blues, half reds, that’s Braver Angels terminology, together to have face-to-face conversations and just learn to have civil discourse again.” Colter said listening, rather than trying to persuade, not only helps people feel seen and heard but is also a practical approach to problem-solving and policy debate. Verneé Green, CEO of Mikva Challenge, an organization aimed at empowering and informing youth to be more active citizens. Mikva administers school-year and summer programs that employ young people in local government offices, City Hall and community organizing roles in Chicago.
“Democracy is a verb,” she said. “It means that democracy is action. Young people should be active, not passive, participants in what’s happening in our society.” Alexandra Filindra, a political psychologist and scientist at the University of Illinois Chicago.
She said this specific period of distrust and polarization could be unique and more long-lasting than those that came before. “We have to think of polarization happening in conjunction with other things that can facilitate greater breakdown,” Filindra said. “So in the 1790s, for example, there was a lot of polarization, but you didn’t have the same level of economic inequality. You didn’t have the same level of centralization of authority.” Jennifer Benz, senior vice president of public affairs and media research at National Opinion Research Center.
She said a move back toward high public trust could be tied to slowly increasing economic conditions or a national challenge that brings the country together. “It’s hard to know what brings people back from these turning points,” Benz said. “It’s sort of a slow recovery from an entrenchment, often tied to economic conditions or there’s some sort of turning-point event or situation that changes things.”

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A juvenile snowy owl is recovering from a broken wing at DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center. (Courtesy DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center)

Holding a snowy owl in his hands was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Ken Reinert said he’ll never forget. It’s also an experience he’d rather not repeat. “You don’t want to see the bird injured,” Reinert said.
But an injured bird is precisely why, early on the morning of Feb. 7, Reinert received an SOS from Oaken Acres, a wildlife rehab center in Sycamore, west of Chicago. A snowplow driver on I-88 had spotted a snowy owl in distress along his route, near DeKalb, and called Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, which in turn contacted Oaken Acres. The game of telephone ended with Reinert: Could he nab the bird and bring it in? “I’ll help any time I can,” said Reinert, a long-time self-described “bird nerd” who’s become Oaken Acres’ go-to guy for owls. He sprang into action, grabbed his net and carrier case, and headed to the scene. In a stroke of luck, the owl was struggling along a fence line when Reinert arrived, which helped contain the bird. The snowplow driver had not only remained on site, he’d been joined by a supervisor, and the two distracted the owl while Reinert crept up from behind with his net.
Healing begins: Reinert transported the owl to Oaken Acres and from there the bird was taken to DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center, where it was quickly diagnosed with an open fracture to its left wing (humerus), likely due to a collision with a car, according to Dr. Sarah Reich, the center’s lead veterinarian. In an update shared on social media, Reich said she performed surgery on the injured owl immediately, a choice that’s “always risky, as we generally want to make sure an animal is stable enough for prolonged anesthesia first. However, the longer a bone is exposed, the more likely it is to become infected or necrotic.” At one week post-op, Reich said the bird was doing as well as could be expected — eating and demonstrating “spunk” — but it was too soon to tell if interventions had been successful.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is honored at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 19, 2024. (WTTW News)

A “giant.” A “champion.” Officials from Chicago and across Illinois expressed condolences and shared their memories of legendary civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday at the age of 84. “We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “I am personally grateful for Rev. Jackson and his family embracing me and our city with his wisdom and guidance. His friendship, counsel and prayers had a deep impact on my family.” Johnson, who called Jackson a mentor and friend, said the Chicago flag would be lowered to half-mast to honor his legacy and passing.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday called Jackson a “giant of the civil rights movement,” and similarly ordered flags to be flown at half-mast across Illinois. “He broke down barriers, inspired generations, and kept hope alive,” Pritzker said in a social media post. “Our state, nation, and world are better due to his years of service.
More tributes: “He was this transformational figure,” said Kevin Boyle, professor of American history at Northwestern University. “He was a bridge between that extraordinary generation that had took the Civil Rights Movement into its greatest breakthroughs, and then the age of Obama at the other side. He’s the man who made it possible for America to transition from Jim Crow America to Barack Obama’s America.” “He believed that love could conquer hate,” said Ald. William Hall (6th Ward). “He believed wholeheartedly that love can change the world and he lived it. … He believed in the mission and the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he didn’t need a pulpit. He didn’t need the title. He didn’t need the congregation. The world was his congregation.”