New Executive Director Kennedy Bartley Shares

Vision for United Working Families

It is an honor and privilege to introduce myself to you as the incoming Executive Director of my longtime political home, United Working Families. As we move into the next chapter of our organization, we also find ourselves in a new phase of our movement. In this moment, I feel the incredible responsibility and calling to lead us on this next leg of our journey towards transformation and true public safety for all. 

The incredible power that the members of United Working Families and our affiliate organizations hold is a result of the tireless fights our movement has waged for more than a decade–fights I am honored to have been a part of, and fights that came before me that laid the foundation for my ability to lead in the bold and courageous ways my mother and grandmother modeled for me. I am honored to continue the legacy that my predecessor and mentor, Emma Tai, has built here at UWF. In this moment our movement gets to set the direction for the future of a Chicago that cares for everyone, and demonstrate to the world what it means to co-govern for the many in the third biggest city in the country.

When I think about the city we will build over the next decade, I think of my little cousin Travon’s smile and heart. What Travon needed, and what kids across our state need, is a fully funded school, a stable community, an after school program, streetlights, and most importantly, he needed to grow up in a place where a 14 year old didn’t have to think about surviving. Instead, Travon was murdered 9 years ago. For far too long governments have co-governed with billionaires and businessmen who have profited from the destabilization that they have manufactured in our communities–stripping us of resources, overfunding a police force to terrorize and control us, all while enriching themselves through tax breaks and subsidies. Now, we have grown the power to make sure that our public policy is driven by those who know what grief feels like, and understand the stress of survival.

Growing up, my Grandma Bennie would always tell me to grow where I am planted. As I reflect, I realize it is the result of our movement growing where we were planted–even in soils of divestment and state violence, closed schools and polluted air–that a tree is budding with fruits of justice and peace. It is not enough that we can win elections, now we must honor those who came and went before us, especially those with avoidable deaths–those not here because of closed schools, police violence, demolished housing, or shuttered mental health centers–people like Travon. While we continue to build community power in the county and state, we have an important opportunity to transform this city to be a model for housing as a human right, bodily autonomy and health care that’s accessible to all, access to healthy food, clean air and water for every neighborhood, communities with self-determination and free of militarized policing and surveillance, and a society that loves and respects our elders. 

My vision for United Working Families is to bring the faith and resilience I learned from my Grandma Bennie, Grandpa Ollie, my mom, my dad and step dad  to guide us towards radically investing in people to create the safety and the joy we all deserve. As I dream of a new day for our communities, I dream of a city government meeting the needs of the least of us, and our communities having the resources to not just survive but thrive. I dream of the hundreds of thousands of Black folks who found safety outside of the city seeing Chicago as their home again; I dream of creating a sanctuary for our new neighbors fleeing the homes our government is responsible for destabilizing. Together, we must follow the leadership of Black women like  Fannie Lou Hamer and recognize our struggles are bound together, remembering “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

I look forward to celebrating our wins while continuing this struggle, in solidarity and love. 

With gratitude,
Kennedy Bartley

Kennedy Bartley was previously the Director of Campaigns for the Chicago Torture Justice Center helping to secure funds for a memorial honoring survivors of police torture. She was the chair of United Working Families’ policy committee and previously served as UWF’s Senior Legislative Director leading campaigns to secure crucial community investments at the city and state level. Kennedy is a member of the Collaborative for Community Wellness, Defund CPD and has been a community organizer/activist in Chicago since 2013. Kennedy was appointed to both Mayor Johnson’s overall transition committee and the public safety subcommittee.