KENWOOD-OAKLAND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
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Mission Statement
Through the sustained engagement of low-income and working families, KOCO develops multi-generational leaders who impact decision-making processes and public policies, improving the quality of life in our local communities.
About This Cause
KOCO is a historic grassroots multi-issue, multi-generational membership-based organization on Chicago’s Southside. It is one of the oldest Black-led base-building groups in Chicago; primarily representing low-income and working African American families. KOCO was founded in 1965 by community and religious leaders from the neighboring communities of Kenwood and Oakland as a vehicle for grassroots democracy. Direct action community organizing is KOCO’s primary methodology for change; and is actively engaged in cutting edge, transformative and bold organizing campaigns in the issue areas of affordable housing, equitable education, youth investment, and senior rights. Historically, KOCO’s organizing has led to: the construction of King High School to replace one of the only schools Blacks could attend in the area, which was overcrowded at the time; 300 units of affordable housing, a free medical clinic, and the awarding of the federal Empowerment Zone designation. This year, KOCO has played a leadership role in the Obama CBA Coalition, which successfully negotiated a community benefits agreement with Chicago’s Mayor to create anti-displacement measures for Woodlawn residents in the midst of rampant real estate speculation in the footprint of the Obama Presidential Center. KOCO’s housing organizing has also led to 75 households in Lake Village East apartments having reduced rent through an innovative program involving the conversion of HUD “enhanced vouchers” to CHA Housing Choice Vouchers. The preservation of these units’ affordability led to the building owners receiving an award in 2018. In 2015, KOCO led a 34-day hunger strike that led to the reopening of the closed Dyett High School in our community, and an investment of $14M to revitalize the school with a new academic focus and direction. The following year, KOCO co-led a coalition that successfully pressured the University of Chicago to reopen its closed adult Level 1 trauma center after it had been shuttered for 25 years.