About | FIRSTHAND: Segregation

Chicago is one of the most segregated big cities in America, and it comes at a cost. The Metropolitan Planning Council found that segregation costs the region $4.4 billion in lost income, 83,000 fewer bachelor’s degrees, and about 200 lives cut short by homicides every year. In FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION, WTTW explores the impact racial divisions have on individuals, the city, and our region with a documentary series, reported stories, expert talks, and community discussions.

FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION is part of the award-winning FIRSTHAND multiplatform, multi-year initiative focusing on the firsthand perspectives of people facing critical issues in Chicago.

Community Engagement Partners

Folded Map Project visually connects residents who live at corresponding addresses on the North and South Sides of Chicago, and investigates what urban segregation looks like and how it impacts Chicago residents. The project invites audiences to open a dialogue and question how we are all socially impacted by racial and institutional conditions that segregate the city to understand how our urban environment is structured and its impact on our social networks.

Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has been dedicated to shaping a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous greater Chicago region. As an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, MPC serves communities and residents by developing, promoting and implementing solutions for sound regional growth.

Text Journalism Partners

The South Side Weekly is a nonprofit newspaper dedicated to supporting cultural and civic engagement on the South Side, and to developing emerging journalists, writers, and artists. The Weekly publishes in-depth coverage of politics, the arts, and issues of public interest alongside oral histories, poetry, fiction, interviews, and artwork from local photographers and illustrators.

The Invisible Institute is a journalism production company on the South Side of Chicago working to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable. They produce investigative reporting, multimedia storytelling, human rights documentation, the curation of public information, and the orchestration of difficult public conversations.

WTTW News drives in-depth coverage and analysis of Chicago news and public affairs across WTTW’s television and digital platforms, and in the community, including wttw.com/news, Chicago Tonight, Week in Review, Black Voices, and Latino Voices. WTTW News is committed to providing trusted journalism, fact-based news, and authentic engagement that is inclusive and reflective of the diverse voices in the Chicago region.

Major support for FIRSTHAND was provided by

Ann and Rich Carr
Jim and Kay Mabie Family
The Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation
Edwardson Family Foundation, in memory of Ed Marciniak
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
Denny and Sandy Cummings
Philip and Rene Alphonse
Lewis Collens and Nancy Sindelar
The Duncan Family
The Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation
Larry and Mary Mages
Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation
Rande and Cary McMillan
Neal Gerber Eisenberg, in honor of Scott Fisher

As of February 22, 2022

Credits