By Arne Duncan, Image: Chicago CRED, Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 14, 2022
The City of Chicago is the undisputed gun violence capital of America. Last year, the city saw nearly as many shootings and killings as New York and Los Angeles combined, despite having barely a fifth of their combined population. While several other cities have higher per-capita murder rates, the sheer number of shootings in Chicago—more than 4,400 in 2021, including 800 homicides—places my hometown at the epicenter of America’s gun violence epidemic.
Yet, I am hopeful.
For the last six years, through the organization I founded, Chicago CRED, I have been working with men and women at extreme high risk of shooting or being shot. Many have been in and out of the criminal justice system; many have been shot; most have lost loved ones. All of them have witnessed levels of violence that would traumatize the most seasoned soldiers. And like soldiers in battle, they are just trying to survive—to feed and house themselves and their families and to stay safe in their communities.
Their upbringings were often marred by any number of adverse experiences: substance abuse, domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health struggles, joblessness, educational failure, or hunger. Most were driven to the streets by the same human desires we all have—camaraderie, validation, security, and love. They are the most extraordinary people I have ever known. Their resilience and commitment to transforming their lives and their communities in the face of overwhelming obstacles inspires me every single day.
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