Build Communities Not Prisons was created in response to the tragic death of Michael Broadway at Stateville Correctional Center due to the egregious, inhumane prison conditions. They foster a community of advocacy amongst folks affected by the carceral system to ensure their perspectives are not only heard, but lead.

Mamas Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity (MAMAS) uplifts the interconnectedness of parenting and political work; nurturing and building power, to cultivate spaces for collective healing, mutual support, and liberation from the sexist marginalization of mothers and caregivers. Their Mothers of The Kidnapped (MOK), is a primarily Black and Latiné working-class group of mothers caring for incarcerated survivors of Chicago Police violence.

Black Midwifery Collective’s mission is to improve health outcomes for Black birthing individuals by actively addressing disparities in maternal and infant health that have disproportionately affected communities of color. They work to revolutionize midwifery models of care by increasing the racial diversity of Community Midwives to combat obstetric racism and dismantle institutionalized birth practices.

The Final 5 Campaign is dedicated to closing Illinois’s final five youth prisons. Just ten years ago, eight youth prisons incarcerated nearly 1,200 young people across our state. Now, five prisons incarcerate 100 youth. The failure of these “Illinois Youth Centers” (as they are officially called) to provide care and respect to young people is no longer acceptable. The Final 5 Campaign exists to say that the time is now. We are at the finish line.

Dissenters are leading a new generation of young people to reclaim our resources from the war industry, reinvest in life-giving services, and repair collaborative relationships with the earth and people worldwide. They work to take back our resources from elites and their violent wars, prisons, police, weapons, and walls. In short, defund militarism and endless wars.

Bring Chicago Home Campaign (Housing Justice) is a grassroots movement of Chicagoans committed to creating a dedicated revenue stream to combat homelessness in Chicago. The coalition aims to restructure the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), a one-time tax on properties when they are sold to create a substantial and legally dedicated revenue stream to provide permanent affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness. The new tax would generate $163 million annually to be dedicated to combating homelessness.

Illinois Worker Cooperative Alliance (Workers Rights) is a multiracial, multilingual alliance of worker-led organizations formed to promote, educate and support the development of worker cooperatives in Illinois. IWCA is proud to be the first Seed Commons lending peer active in Illinois. Their vision is to create stable economic resources and workplace democracy for low-wage communities.

Not Me, We is a Black-led organizing group in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago fighting for issues around racism, housing, and education. They organize poor and working-class community members, allowing for mutual aid and collective power.

Survivors Know is a membership organization of survivors that channels the power of those most impacted by sexual violence and sexual harassment to organize workplaces against misogyny and violent patriarchy. They place survivors’ needs, rights, and hopes over those of perpetrators, corporations, and institutions.

The Coalition to Decarcerate IL is a group of activists, loved ones of the incarcerated, and formerly and currently incarcerated individuals working to end the extreme, unending, and ineffective prison lockdown in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Since March 2020, their incarcerated community members in IDOC have often been confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, while COVID-19 continues to spread and their mental health worsens. For the past year, the coalition has been mobilizing and advocating for protecting the mental and physical health of people in prison. Their work is focused on pressuring the Illinois Government and IDOC to implement effective COVID-19 precautions, end the ineffective and torturous lockdown, and release people.

The Illinois Workers in Action is a grassroots organization that empowers Black and Latinx workers through education, organizing, solidarity, worker power, and rights. They address violations and discrimination in the workplace, build leadership and worker power. Some of the violations and discrimination include wage theft, harassment, sick days, and OSHA violations.

Lift the Ban Coalition is a statewide coalition advocating for rent control and the repeal of the Rent Control Preemption Act — which prohibits local communities from implementing rent control — as a policy option to sustain affordable hous-ing throughout Illinois. Passing the referendum offers a tool for Chicago’s economic well-being and access to affordable housing for all.

SoapBox Productions and Organizing utilizes multimedia curation to elevate social movements in Chicago centering education, entertainment, and structural change. Their video and photography work challenges dominant narratives to raise consciousness and critique oppressive systems. Their long-running podcast “Bourbon ‘N Browntown” creates dialogue with guests about important historical and con-temporary social movements.