The Oxymoronic Truths about Chicagoans & Chicago, including ITS Black Haitian Dad!

From Chicago, IL… and a Chicagoan by Osmosis (smile)

DISCLOSURE: Capital letters simply denote my writing style… I am not a fanatic of any group or person. I am the type of person who can support someone with whom I disagree on many levels, if such a person’s ultimate work will have contributed to the greater good and do more good than harm. I am as enigmatic as one can get. In one instance, I can play devil’s advocate and defend Bill Cosby and at the other I can defend Donald Trump… WHY NOT? Why follow a herd… it is boring and wrong… what if the herd were wrong. I CANNOT BE BOXED… SORRY!

If you haven't visited Chicago at least a few times or lived in it, you're missing out... don't get me wrong I know what living in other amazing big cities are like... I spent my first decades (i.e., 10 years) in the U.S. living in New York City. I have been to LA, Seattle, Minneapolis and many other amazing major U.S Cities. But there is nothing like Chicago. Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall... it's simply amazing.. but admittedly, Chicago Summers are unmatched. The latter are so filled with amazing events that it should be criminal for people to enjoy themselves so darn much. No words are sufficient to so express, but please allow me to do my best... but trust me, it is one of the best if not the best City on Earth. It cannot fully be explored in one visit or through ephemeral or temporary visits...Here is why? ENJOY Dear LorinsPOST Empathizer!

1. Chicago has a Black (biracial) Father…

Chicago's Black (Biracial) Haitian Dad - Mr. Jean-Baptiste Du Sable

I will introduce you to Chicago's Black (biracial Dad) soon... but of course, you either know or should already know that Chicago did produce America’s first Black (biracial) President of the U.S. (POTUS)… yet there are many unknown 'oxymoronic' truths about the City of Chicago to which all learned minds should be exposed… and I have observed them first-hand and will share them with you from a positive yet truth-centric point of view.

The amazing city of Chicago is located in the great state of ILLINOIS, and was founded by a Black (biracial) man from my homeland (i.e., a Haitian man) named Jean-Baptiste Point Du Sable. Mr. Du Sable was from St. Marc, Haiti, the birthplace of my Mother and the city in which my maternal Grandmother was a prominent grocer and merchant, a trait that both my Mother and my Aunt (two women, who had profound impact on me) inherited. Mr. Du Sable, like many Haitians, was a Black pioneer, a trader, and again was the founder of the settlement that later became the city of Chicago. Mr. Du Sable, like the other Black Haitian pioneer and genius named Toussaint Louverture, who was betrayed and captured by the French government after he built the First Black republic in the World, was himself captured by England. His mother was a Black Hatians woman, but his Father was a Frenchman who married his Black mother after he moved to Haiti. DuSable is believed to have been a freeborn. History records that around the 1770s he went to the Great Lakes area of North America, settling on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Chicago River, with his Potawatomi wife, Kittihawa (Catherine).

Staying true to his defiant Haitian roots, DuSable was arrested by the British arrested him for the defiance of the crown, and taken to Fort Mackinac. There he managed a trading post called the Pinery on the St. Clair River in present-day Michigan, after which he returned to the site of Chicago. By 1790, Du Sable's establishment had become an important link in the region's fur and grain trade. In 1800, he sold out and moved to Missouri, where he continued as a farmer and trader until his death. But his 20-year residence on the shores of Lake Michigan had established his title as Father of Chicago. The late Mr. DuSable died on August 28th 1818 in St. Charles, MO.

Since history has a funny way of repeating itself, knowledgeable and aware Blacks should never forget the two two acts of betrayal and cowardice committed by European/White males on the two Black pioneers and geniuses known as Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Baptiste Du Sable, who despite such acts managed to change their respective regions for the better. The City of Chicago erects a Du Sable bust and also establishes a Du Sable Day.

1a) Chicagoans are PEACEFULLY and Proximately Segregated

Contrary to popular belief, Chicagoans are the most amazing people I have ever met… no matter what racial/ethnic background from which they emanate, they are “cool”, calm and collected, interesting, thoughtful, and proud of their City and their Sports steams. Who can forget the Chicago Bulls and don’t forget that both Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama emanated from the City of Chicago. So do Farrakhan and Jesse Jackson. Pseudo-suburban areas like Hyde Park where I live are not only historic and are occupied by both wealthy people of all races, and University of Chicago students and professors and are right by the Lake Shore and are a quick 20-minute drive from the City. They are also self-contained with assortments of Mom-and-Pop restaurants and bookstores to which locals have been going for nearly 40+ years. I met a lady at a local bookstore who told me that she’s gotten some books from a local historic bookstore that she wouldn’t sell to anyone for a million dollars.

1b) Chicago is the largest value city in the country. Unlike the City of New York and other major cities, working Chicagoans can actually afford to live in a decent area and pay their bills without working numerous jobs. Chicagoans are very fitness driven and are quite open-minded. Most of them are willing to discuss any topics no matter what their race, color, religion or sexual orientations are. They appreciate honesty. The city itself is an architectural marvel. Almost the entire city is comprised of amazing architecture. The Lake Shore Drive (which lines Lake Michigan) is known as America’s best urban drive… The whole drive has architecture on one side, and beaches and architecture on the others. The Chicago look is beyond amazing with prominent buildings that are too many too named and at least one of them used to be the tallest in the World.

North Lake Shore Drive

1c) Touristic activities and the night life in Chicago are beyond amazing. The hip bars/taverns and restaurants are so numerous that on can never fully explore the entire City. The architectural sites, and museums are beyond numerous and amazing. There are no words that are sufficient to express their magnificence. Visit them for yourself or message me for insights or directions about the best value visit because you can live in the City for 100 years yet not be able to fully explore its many amenities. It is like a nation in and of itself.

1d) PERFECTLY-SEGREGATED AREAS (Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian) are a DREAM for ENTREPRENEURS and/or PROPERTY INVESTORS

Although people of all races live in various areas, there are certainly areas in which people of a specific race resides due to tax bracket/income and historical factors. Such areas present a great opportunity for business folks or investors who want to target a particular type of clientele or develop particular types of community centers.

1e) WEALTHY NEARBY SUBURBS (e.g., Evanston, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Wilmette, and even Hyde Park where I live) are strategically located). For instance, the University of Chicago is in beautiful historic Hyde Park where the Obamas and Farrakhan and many wealthy and successful folks reside, and right by the beach-centric Lake Shore Drive; and Northwestern University is in exquisite and demographically wealthy Evanston. The nearby suburban areas of Chicago are beyond amazing. I mean they are breathtakingly amazing. I have even thought about giving tours to people who love to real estate or those who have dreamt about owning amazing pieces of real estate, and the amazing thing is that there are dozens of places like these places. YET, WINNETKA is the second wealthiest demographics in the nation, with the average home price there at about $2 million dollars each. Trust me; if those in Evanston are breathtaking, the ones in Winnetka are beyond words.

Winnetka, Residential Property

1f) The CHICAGO LOOP and its ARCHITECTURE

It is simply magnificent, with a boat-accommodating a river running through the City and MAGNIFICENT BUILDING and near-by hotels like the London House, the TRUMP tower, the Drake, Ritz, Hyatt, and many others which are near the appropriately named MAGNIFICENT MILE, where one can find anything that one needs and when one is tired of shopping, one can simply end up at the beginning of the Lake Shore Drive Beach. I have stayed at the London House, and it was amazing. An associate and ex paid for it because she really wanted to go there, but it averaged at about $400/night for two nights for the suite that we were in. But trust me, it was exquisite. I'm very frugal YET must say that it was well worth it.

The Chicago Loop (Side View)

Magnificent Mile Bridge

Magnificent Mile During Christmas

1f) RUMORED ABOUT GANGS AND GHETTOS

Gangs and ghettos are situated in remote areas of the City and live their own mysterious lives and are mostly in specific areas of the South side of Chicago. Only results of gang-related violence will be noticed, and apparent gang members surface from time to time. But Chicago is NOT LIKE A WAR ZONE. Trust me. An exception or two includes the former well-known CABRINI GREEN ghetto that was located near the City itself, which housed lots of low income families and often was infiltrated by a lot of gangs. Modernly, Cabrini green is converted into a rather modern, impressive and massive building, which is occupied mainly by blacks who were previously displaced. There are also many other amazing and modern buildings that have been erected nearby with mixed populations and some amazing shopping centers and parks or gathering places. The new “housing project” is security-guard-enabled and is encircled by mostly working-class and wealthy Whites that had moved in that area of gentrification over the years. They dynamics are different from everything else I have ever seen in my thirty plus years of living in America. Whites and Blacks are living in the same area peacefully, but yet in differing housing settings to accommodate the apparent income gaps. It is the type of FRIENDLY UNEQUAL and SEPARATE that I would call a PEACEFUL INTENTIONAL SEGREGATION in which both sides mind their business and co-exist peacefully. I have only seen the latter in Chicago.

1g) A REAL ESTATE INVESTOR’S DREAM

Amazing real estate investment opportunities are not only available in wealthy areas like Kenilworth, Winnetka and Evanston, but interestingly enough there are even interesting investment opportunities available on the South Side of Chicago. While there is a small influxof Whites and other non-Black groups that are taking advantage of low-cost housing on the South Side and in majority quantity in Hyde Park due to the University of Chicago and its historic nature, architecture and tax bracket, the South side primarily belongs to Blacks (and to some extend Hispanics too). Chinatown seems to have been developed from such an occurrence and there are a lot of previously-Black owned buildings that have been purchased by Asian and specifically-Chinese investors. New investment properties are being erected and signs of future gentrification are apparent, making it a real estate investor’s dream since Chicago architecture, no matter where it is located. Even in areas like Englewood, which are known to be dangerous, some lovely military housing projects were erected and people of all walks of life are moving into them even though they are surrounded by ghettos. My point is that it's only a matter of time that more gentrification will take place as the City has been saturating itself with more and more developments with new arrivals taking jobs from nearby consulting firms and companies. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the South Side is next. I will discuss why a Black renaissance is imminent on the South side below. But already there are some great sites and restaurants, including African and Jamaican restaurants that have surfaced in many areas of the South side, and lately a Ghanaian banker rescued Chicago's last Black-owned bank.

1h) The PEOPLE of CHICAGO – Some of the Best Blacks and White Folks that I have Never Met

Chicagoans will spark a conversation about any topic. They seem to be well aware of the reality of life and are open-minded enough to discuss many issues. It is no accident that the Oprah Winfrey Show emanated from Chicago, IL; and the first Black (biracial) President emanated therefrom as well. There a sort of cool-headedness and swag about Chicagoans. I have seen more interesting dynamics than any other places to which I have been exposed in the States. There is never a dull moment. I have met the most liberal White dudes in Chicago and talked about topics that most other Whites around the country would be too scared to even mention. Without boasting, I must say that I make it easy for people to express their true thoughts by nature and I should perhaps have my own show in the future, however, I must give credit to the many White men and women that have demanded to talk to me or hire me to help them think or motivate them in one way or another. Chicago has some of the most approachable Whites I have never met. Now, that doesn’t mean that they are not racist (at all) or that they are entirely non-snobbish. Rather, they have established a normal that allows them to co-exist with Blacks and have Black friends without an appearance of superiority. I have seen Whites stop others from discriminating against Blacks or other minorities.

The Blacks of Chicago are one of a kind. For a city that is known as “ChIraq” because of its gang-related gun violence and all, even the biggest thug in Chicago is approachable, has a sense of humor and seems to be kind. Perhaps it’s a characteristic of the Midwest that emanates all aspects of society. But I am very impressed by the Chicago Blacks, their ability of think critically and their willingness to accept other Blacks (e.g., Africans, Jamaicans, Haitians) as part of the big Black family. LOVE IT!

The Hispanics are their own distinct communities as well which are seemingly more vibrant that some of the Black ones. The Indians and other Asian groups have distinct communities as well. But everyone can be found anywhere. I have fostered friendships with Indian workers and managers or store owners who share their home cooked meals with me at their store while I study, and I see them as my brothers. We joke around and have pranks on each other and all.

Despite the fact that as in many big cities (like San Francisco, and New York) the homeless population is comprised of far too many Black men (an issue that has bothered me so much that I have embarked on a major project about it, which is explained by their direct disenfranchisement by racist Whites and lack of proper upbringing due to Father Absenteeism and deterioration of many Black-occupied areas on the South side), the City is very kind to its homeless folks in that it doesn’t chastise them and seem to have a number of programs that are accessible to them. YET, more needs to be done. This is why I have created the Trillion Black Male Mentor Centric Mental Army (The Trillion BlaMMMA)

A BLACK AMERICAN RENAISSANCE IS NEEDED & I AM SURE IT WILL START FIRST IN CHICAGO

Perhaps another Haitian man has to come along… to team up with the Black geniuses of Chicago as their catalyst and glue. Chicago will be the new Black Mecca. In the near future, people of all walks of life, and particularly Black people will flock to Chicago for opportunities that are not available elsewhere. And just like Chicago founded by a Black man, and Chicago produced the best talk show host that has ever lived (Oprah Winfrey, a Black lady), the first Black (biracial President), namely, President Obama; the best sportsman ever, Michael Jordan, and amazing people like Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson and others. I saw the Farrakhan residential property once or twice in Hyde Park and it looked amazing. The mosque that he runs is also a work of art. Farrakhan is an amazing Black man! Within the next decade or so, CHICAGO will have become the MODEL for Black Renaissance to the nation at large. YET, IT CAN and WILL!

2. THE STATE OF ILLINOIS (ITSELF): is an amazing State that is made of seemingly countless amazing suburbs or villages, many of which surround Chicago and one of which is the second richest demographics in the whole country (i.e., Winnetka), right behind the other rchiest demographic, which is located in the great State of New York. There are a lot of wealthy people in the Chicago suburbs. The level of “old money” that exists in Chicago or Illinois from families like the Pritzkers, one of whom, namely Billionaire J.B. Pritzker, is the current Democratic gubernatorial candidate, is mind-boggling.

I hope you have enjoyed this article because it certainly was one of the most enjoyable ones for me to write (smile). Like many of my articles, I feel like I was inspired to write it by God and the Universe.

IN A RUSH -

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