Legendary Series Part 3: All Hail the Great City of Chicago

I had spoken about my home city and nation in the last post. It has been two months short of three years since I relocated to U.S. after I left those places. Now let us talk about the places I had been living in the present time and which have been sustaining me during these three years. This edition will focus on none other than the windy city Chicago which provided for me and served as home away from home for a lengthy duration. In fact, I have been living here for three years but my association stretches for more than last 5 years when I first entered the project through remote setting in Hyderabad in December 2019. I might have worked in Hyderabad, but the control is in Chicago even at that time. I might have worked on Indian canvas at that time but I had been regulated and managed by those in U.S. In a sense I am a puppet player working in a foreign world within my native country where everything native seem foreign. This foreign person was given strength by a country like U.S. where I felt like I was never employed by India or worked hand in hand with India. This is a perspective emerged during that time while I was working for a U.S. employer. This is to say the bond with U.S. and Chicago began five years back who are the real masters and strengthened a feeble person like me in all major occasions and moments that matter. Backed by these places I grew from strength to strength and acted with a lot of freedom which might not be possible in a traditional native setting. Hence, I am all for the great standing and glory of these real power lines which make me stand and do everything I can in the last five years. 

My association with Chicago is really five years strong including the offshore setting and you can deduct some time if living in Chicago really matters. Though I am given everything by this place, I still can’t interact and bond with anyone outside my own people. This nameless and faceless foreign places and foreign people who don’t relate to me in any way but contributing to my cause in a great way is a scintillating aspect of true globalization. In a way I am in a relationship with this city and people after working for so long in close connect. But alas, this relationship can’t be expressed with anyone where everyone is foreign but all added to my story. I don’t exaggerate even one bit – just consider this reality that besides providing a great platform to operate and express myself, the city has given me all the monetary support in the last five years. There is no other source of income for me during this time for any of the most important operational expenses, living expenses and for any other needs. It moves me to tears that this city empowered me by funding and allowing me to contribute to India and U.S. at large. I am all for the great ability of these places to create more wealth and create many more stories like me far into the future.  

I will add some insights into the American wealth creation in a while but let me tell another deep fear within me before that. One of the reasons why I live in pockets of isolation and a foreign life is I might not belong to these places. This place has some name and fame and I might be diluting it. The place houses legendary and stalwart people and I might be a true outsider. Other than writing something which makes sense sometimes, I am never someone who can uphold the sanctity of these places. For example, I embarrass myself and everyone around in a toastmasters meet routinely where I can’t make a few vocal sentences with some sense. My head hangs in shame at my true and real communication ability and for messing around these great places. I fear if someone so primitive, so basic, so imperfect, so unpredictable, so deficient and so limited has been given a green signal to reach so high with unbridled encouragement is truly correct. I believe the view that America is being regenerated into a backward third world setting has some weightage by virtue of people like me operating here with much freedom. Developed America to developing nation, it sounds very good for operating through all the phases in another cycle of evolution. But don’t blame me or people like me if we are really diluting the brand of America and its cities with some irreparable damage. This thought even pushes me to go back to India if I am truly honest to where I stand. But I think we need to work along the lines where I had much more to contribute to this nation as an asset and continue here for some more time, rather than force me to retreat by making me look extremely subordinate. In a way, with all my shortcomings, I would like to add to the strength of my strength. I would like to work making this city and country a much better place. 

Coming back to the view of the great American wealth creation, I am all for the work which generates more wealth in U.S. Simply, I had been funded for all my work and my income by virtue of this city and country which has more avenues to create and distribute wealth. I had to say money matters and only thing which matters the most to me. By taking care of this important dimension, the city had played a vital role in giving me self-esteem and respect. I remember the days in U.S. when I struggled for the lack of a job and finances nine years back. Travelling from there to the present day where the city has provided this key tool to aid me for so long is nothing short of legendary. Hence my true focus is really on how to assist a Chicago and U.S. create more wealth and emerge as places which champion equity across the world by reaching out to and pulling up have-nots and disadvantaged groups. I am already a work in progress and this is how – A strong economy will increase the ability of citizens to purchase and earn more; strong standing citizens contribute more income to organizations; stronger organizations pay its employees like me well and this all starts with a good, decent to great economy and good standing citizens. In my little role as economic catalyst, I had already contributed my sweat and blood to invigorate the nation by all means. I had much more to pay back and I can lay down many other avenues through which the organizations and cities earn greater wealth and employ, pay many needy individuals. But nothing to take away, the legendary U.S. citizens who all pay for their health insurance are indirectly paying me for so long. This is how these legends have turned a drop of water into an ocean or raise my story so big through all these years. 

The many other avenues through which the city and country can generate more revenue are multifold. Here are a few - 1. Encourage companies to invest in research and development to spur innovation. This could lead to the creation of new products and services that can drive economic growth. 2. Promote the adoption of digital technologies to improve efficiency and productivity. This includes embracing artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other emerging technologies. 3. Implement policies and incentives to attract top talent from across the country and around the world. This can help drive innovation and competitiveness. 4. Promote the development of industry clusters where businesses, research institutions, and government entities can collaborate and share resources. This can drive innovation and economic growth. 5. Invest in infrastructure projects that improve transportation and connectivity. This includes expanding public transportation, improving road networks, and enhancing digital connectivity. 6. Encourage businesses to explore international markets and expand their export activities. This can open up new revenue streams and increase competitiveness. I already fill in the brackets by contributing to some of these points. I am all for the opening up and thriving of these many reasons which power the economic status of these places. 

Talking about the legendary reasons and citizens, Chicago has the most advanced black population in the world which I already mentioned sometime back. They form a prominent reason behind my standing of today. There is no second thought about this. I am a strong vocal for the growth of this black group. But however, Chicago has experienced a decline in its Black population over the years. Since its peak in 1980, when the Black population was around 1,187,905, the number has decreased to approximately 797,253 in 2017, a drop of about 32.9%. This trend has been attributed to various factors, including economic challenges, housing policies, and social issues. This has to be reversed and the city need to be on a path to housing more African-Americans and create greater individuals out of them. From the famed former President to eminent mayors and CEOs, these people from the city have reached greater positions of power and rendered with greater effectiveness. 

Chicago has emerged as a shining beacon for African American culture, achievement, and resilience, earning a reputation as home to one of the most developed Black communities in the world. The city’s vibrant Black population is rooted in a rich history marked by struggle, perseverance, and an unyielding drive to thrive. This legacy was set in motion during the Great Migration when thousands of African Americans left the oppressive conditions of the Jim Crow South in search of economic opportunities and a chance at dignity. Chicago, with its booming industries and promise of urban renewal, quickly became a welcoming haven. Political empowerment has also been a hallmark of Chicago’s Black community. The election of Harold Washington as the city’s first African American mayor in 1983 marked a turning point in the political landscape. Washington’s leadership, along with that of subsequent Black leaders, underscored the community’s rising influence in local governance. These leaders have relentlessly championed civil rights, economic equity, and social justice, ensuring that the voices of Chicago’s Black residents are heard at every level of civic life. 

Economically, the Black community in Chicago has built a robust and dynamic presence. Over the decades, African American entrepreneurs have established successful businesses ranging from small, family-owned enterprises to larger ventures that contribute significantly to the city’s economy. Institutions such as the DuSable Museum of African American History not only preserve the legacy of Black heritage but also serve as active centers for education, community engagement, and cultural exchange. These institutions play a critical role in inspiring the next generation and instilling a deep sense of pride and identity. Today, Chicago’s Black community is celebrated globally for its multifaceted contributions to the arts, politics, business, and social progress. Its ongoing legacy is not merely one of survival but of thriving—a testament to the power of resilience, innovation, and collective action. As Chicago marches forward, its Black community remains at the heart of the city’s identity, driving progress and inspiring hope on both a local and global scale. 

From housing the organization and forming a great working platform to me for a lengthy period, this city has been an inseparable thread that binds my life. I will add more on the multi-faceted culture and other fascinating aspects in another post. As the city continues to evolve over the centuries reaching the very top, it needs to make relevant interventions to the crores of people beneath. By stationing in a position to render the same, the city has done the very job with aplomb, decisively contributing to many countries and cultures for many years. I am a small addition to the beneficiaries of the recent past and really wish the city to march ahead in pursuing the cause known to itself.