Tag: social justice

Things I Always Notice In Helsinki

My local friends do not pay attention to many things that I marvel at each time I come. For them, it’s a part of their daily life, and for me all these things are a never-ending source of a “good envy,” things I hope to see in Chicago one day.

  • Seven-year-olds taking public transportation by themselves with confidence.
  • An abundance of family-style buffets pretty much everywhere; the ability to choose what exactly and how much you put on your plate
  • Absence of homeless people. I know that I do not see them, not because they are artificially “hidden” from other people’s sight, but because it’s almost impossible to become homeless in Finland.
  • Stainless steel public toilets everywhere. I can write a large blog post just about these toilets, their perfect design, their unbreakability, their convenience, and ease of cleaning. And yes, I saw them being used for different purposes, same as in Chicago, but still.
  • The widest network of bike paths, which allows you to get by bike anywhere and safely.
  • An abundance of public spaces that are used by everyone.
  • And one more time about unhoused people, because the housing crisis in Chicago is becoming worse every day. In Helsinki, people do not need to use bus stops for living, do not need to pull around the city all their possessions in a grocery cart, and do not need to use library bathrooms to wash themselves or take a nap in a safe space. And just to be clear, I see poor people in Helsinki. I see people scavenging the garbage cans. An antique shop next to Boris’ house in Helsinki distributes stale buns (unsure from where) every morning, and I see people lining up two hours ahead of the distribution time.

And I am not even mentioning the healthcare, eldery care, and many other things. I do not think I will see it all happen in Chicago during my lifetime. But I will do what I can to make it happen.

“It’s Basic” Documentary

I am on my way home from this event. I was half an hour late, but it was just the right time, as it turned out. The programming started approximately ten minutes after I arrived, and the panel after the screening was only 30 minutes long. After the “official part” was over, half of the audience rushed to the podium to talk with panelists, and I decided I did not want to stand in their way.

I loved the documentary; I cried several times. I am a firm believer in basic income, and I do not need any convincing, but it was great to hear about true stories, scientific analysis of the results, and about what’s next.

One thing that concerns me about this initiative and others like it is the randomness and small size of the groups of people who can benefit. It feels like one extra piece in the boundless mosaic of human services, and when I think about how I would like it to evolve, I would say this program should be as universal as possible.

On another topic: the Green Line was delayed several times both inbound and outbound, but I was able to ignore the surroundings and do something productive on the train.

I am super tired of everything which is happening in my life (including work), but there are things I can’t drop, no matter what.

My main reason to attend was the panelists:

  • Toni Preckwinkle, President, Cook County Board of Commissioners
  • Mayor Michael Tubbs, Special Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom for Economic Mobility; “It’s Basic” Film Executive Producer
  • Margaret M.C. Thomas, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

TIME Magazine: America Needs to Rethink It’s Economic Model

Here is the article I wanted to discuss. The topic (“How we can fight economic inequality”) is not new, and many people write about it. The fact that the earning gap between the lowest and the highest earnings in the USA is much bigger than in Europe is equally well-known.

The idea that is not discussed very often is viewing one’s work not only as a source of income but also for its importance for independence, identity, and community.

Continue reading “TIME Magazine: America Needs to Rethink It’s Economic Model” →

Happening on May 1

Two Upcoming Events

Guaranteed

The two-year pilot program, which provided guaranteed cash payments for its participants, ends in December.

Here is a WBEZ episode that recaps the results of the program. The most important aspects highlighted by  author and scholar Eve Ewing are the following:

More flexibility. A lot of other assistance programs dictate how funds can be spent. Guaranteed income programs let people use the money however they want.

An investment in public safety. Ewing says when people return from jail or prison and have alternative forms of income, that decreases the likelihood they’ll resort to violent crime.

One word: Dignity. Ewing says guaranteed income challenges the notion of “deservingness,” and that the right to safety, education and housing should not be decided by economic status. 

The Guaranteed podcast.

Labor Day Parade Pictures

(As usual, I am waiting for more from Igor). I think it was a good idea to move this parade to Pullman, but the parade organizers have a lot of work to do to make this event better attended next year. I do not have pictures from the Eddie Fest because, once again, it was a suboptimal planning. We will do better next year!

Continue reading “Labor Day Parade Pictures” →

May 1

I went to the new plaque dedication at the Haymarket Memorial. The weather was miserable, so unfortunately, it was hard to feel May-Day-like. Probably, a part of it was that I was not that much in the May Day mode because of a conference and all other professional things going on. So, there won’t be a proper MayDay post, but at least some pictures of this very rainy event are here!