N'DIGO STUDIO | The Folded Map Project

Description

Join your host Hermene Hartman as we talk with Tonika Lewis Johnson, a photographer from Englewood who has creatively examined the streets of Chicago to highlight the drastic differences between the North and South side in terms of the communities that live there, property values, available resources and more. Tonika’s project is called The Folded Map and she calls herself a social justice artist & today we take a fresh look at Chicago.

Tonika recounts how she first realized the difference between neighborhoods in Chicago as a teen traveling on the bus and train. During these bus rides, she noticed how different her own neighborhood looked compared to others and she began to wonder why. Tonika began to compare Chicago neighborhoods based on their geometric alignment on the grid on which Chicago is designed. She explains how the drastic difference in the quality & living standards between similar streets comes down to segregation of minorities and the disinvestment of funds and resources within those communities. Tonika describes how she formed an initiative within her neighborhood of Englewood to build a stronger sense of community, to share information and resources with each other to build a stronger community. Tonika also explains how systemically racist tools and policies have created these segregated & neglected communities & how her projects are working to overcome these challenges.

Join us for this enlightening episode of the N’DIGO Studio Podcast!

Guest

Tonika Lewis Johnson

https://www.tonijphotography.com/

N'DIGO Studio Supported by

The Chicago Community Trust

MacArthur Foundation

The Field Foundation Of Illinois

Special Thanks

Hyatt

Tyronne Stoudemire

Credits