Executive Summary

Communities United (CU) is a survivor-led, intergenerational racial justice organization that works across historically segregated Black and brown communities in Chicago to advance our vision for healing-centered communities. As a survivor-led organization, we ensure that people who have been most impacted by generational trauma, racial inequities, and other forms of systemic harm are at the forefront of creating changes grounded in their lived experience and leadership. Young people are the heart of our organization, and a majority of our staff come out of our youth leadership pipeline.

It is our body of work over the past 20 years that has led us to formalize what we call our Healing Through Justice (HTJ) model. HTJ develops the sustainable leadership pipeline of youth most directly impacted by systems or policies that have caused harm, and created a broad-based movement in the community as more young people impacted by injustice experience empowerment and healing through joining in collective action. The model emerged out of the powerful narratives of youth of color and families that have been a part of our work.

The Obama Foundation has recognized and honored CU’s youth organizing project, Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), which utilizes the Healing Through Justice model. CU’s healing-centered approach to youth leadership development has also been widely recognized in local and national news outlets including The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and more.

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