Owner
MarginNotes LLC
FOCUS
Jessyca Dudley will build safe and healthy communities in Chicago. Chicago loses more than 400 people each year to homicides; in recent years that number has jumped to over 700 lives lost—driven by the gun violence facing young people and communities of color in our city. Jessyca will work to: 1) elevate the voices of those who are most impacted by health inequities; 2) validate their experiences as meaningful; and 3) acknowledge their roles as stakeholders and leaders in the fight for change.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Implementing Health Data Practices to Support the Advancement of Equity for Communities of Color in Illinois
Across Illinois, African American communities are disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 infections and deaths, amplifying the racial inequity inherent in the social and economic systems that have never adequately supported the health, housing, economic security, and safety of communities of color. Further exacerbated by a lack of comprehensive racial data, African American communities are challenged to advocate for the support and resources needed to survive and recover from the pandemic. African American communities in Chicago and across the state need to advocate for the advancement of data practices that lead to greater equity in our communities; creating a strong coalition of organizations committed to making health data accessible and racially disaggregated could lead to better efforts to advance equity across the state and support communities of color in recovering from this pandemic.
MORE ABOUT JESSYCA
Jessyca helps philanthropic organizations develop strategies, evaluate programs, and explore responsive fund development plans. She has developed grantmaking and advocacy strategies to reduce gun deaths and injury in the United States, implemented community-based prevention and outreach programs, and conducted clinical and social science research to improve the health of communities.
Click here to watch Jessyca’s Legacy Project video.