[Video] A Tribute to Jane Ramsey’s Jewish Social Justice Leadership

Jane Ramsey has led the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs courageously and energetically for over three decades. Jane has been at the forefront of many critical issues affecting Chicago and the nation. Throughout the years, her leadership enabled the JCUA to become one of Chicago’s most active and important organizations speaking on behalf of human and civil rights issues.

As Jane retired from JCUA in September 2012, here is a tribute video to her work and legacy. It is up to us all to carry this torch forward, as is said in Perkei Avot (2:21) -

“You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.”

Thank you, Jane.

Jane Ramsey to retire Sept. 1, capping off more than 30 years of social justice work with JCUA

For Immediate Release

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Chicago | http://www.jcua.org
Media: Jonathan Lehrer | jonathan@jcua.org
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Jane Ramsey

CHICAGO, Aug. 15, 2012 – After three decades during which she defined the Jewish social justice agenda in Chicago, and shaped the organization that carried out the mission, Jane Ramsey has announced her retirement from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs – the organization that she led for more than 30 years.

Founded by Rabbi Robert Marx in 1964 as a Jewish response to the emerging civil rights movement, under Ramsey’s leadership JCUA expanded its social justice role and has become the ”go-to” organization for those seeking allies in the fight for justice.

When then long shot mayoral candidate Harold Washington became the object of racial slurs, JCUA called for Chicagoans to act on their better nature. When CHA residents sought allies to ensure that their rights were honored as the city tore down its high-rises, JCUA pulled together the coalition of religious and civil rights institutions that became the tenants’ allies. In the wake of September 11th, 2001 when Chicago’s Muslim community became the target of hate crimes, JCUA reached out to offer support and solidarity, subsequently founding the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative.

More recently, when Chicago’s Mexican communities were threatened by both gentrification and deportations, JCUA fought for immigration reform and battled the now-infamous practices of the Agriprocessors, Inc., a kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa. This led to a nationwide effort, the “We Were Strangers Too Jewish Campaign for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”

Ramsey Retrospective: Long and Winding Road

Chicago Jewish News Profiles JCUA President Jane Ramsey

By Judy Levey
Chief Executive Officer, JCUA

Congratulations to Jane Ramsey, the subject of a major cover story in the Chicago Jewish News (March 16, 2012). As we announced recently, Jane was named to the new position of president after many years as executive director. In the article, writer Pauline Dubkin Yearwood chronicles Jane’s many contributions to JCUA.

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Long and Winding Road
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood

There are so many memories, so many accomplishments, they tumble forth from her so fast, she sometimes has to stop and catch up with herself for a minute.

The day after Sept. 11, when a Jewish organization reached out for the first time to the Muslim community as a partner in eradicating hate.

The press conference at the Robert Taylor Homes, when the public took notice for the first time of what the Chicago Housing Authority was doing to residents there.

The time a coalition of Jews, Latinos and African Americans, wanting to send a message to Sears about jobs, flooded the teller lines at the bank on the first floor of the then-Sears Tower, leading to an elevator shutdown – and a meeting with Sears officials.

The successful effort to wrest a Pilsen housing complex from the forces of gentrification and save it for the area’s low-income residents.

And the many quieter, less public successes: a curriculum on Judaism and urban poverty that now reaches some 30,000 students; an Urban Mitzvah Corps for college students; voter registration drives; and, most cherished, joining forces with groups from other Chicago ethnic and religious communities to fight against poverty and oppression.

That’s only a small part of what Jane Ramsey recalls as she looks back over her three decades as executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, a 48-year-old organization that works in partnership with other Chicago communities on social justice issues.

Read the rest of this story at the Chicago Jewish News website

Myths and Realities of Homelessness and Poverty: A Plan for Transforming Cities

By Jane Ramsey
President, JCUA

This lecture was delivery by Jane Ramsey on Feb. 29 at Iowa State University. Her appearance was cosponsored by the College of Design, the Department of Community and Regional Planning, the Graduate Community and Regional Planning Club and the Committee on Lectures.

We are here tonight to explore the myths and realities of homelessness and poverty, through the lens of Chicago’s supposed “transformation” of public housing. How fascinating that a path has been forged between Chicago and Iowa by some former residents of public housing and others who were forced out of the housing market as a result of the “transformation.”

Let me begin by sharing with you my somewhat unique vantage point as this story unfolded.

It began, coincidentally, for me as a University of Chicago graduate student in 1976 when I was placed as an intern with the city of Chicago’s economic development department, then called the Mayor’s Committee for Economic and Cultural Development. Following my internship I was hired on as a city planner…getting an invaluable, first-hand education about Mayor Richard J. Daley and the Chicago Machine.

JCUA Speaks Out for Continued County Ban on “Detainers”

The Cook County Board recently made history by adopting an ordinance that keeps taxpayers from picking up the tab for federal immigration enforcement. Now, however, the board’s action is under attack.

Though it’s already officially law, the ordinance was discussed at a public hearing this morning, attended by numerous supporters of the existing language.

JCUA believes the existing county ordinance is a good policy that protects public safety and reserves limited law enforcement resources.

For years, the federal government has issued “detainers” that instruct local police to hold individuals after their authority has expired and until immigration agents can take custody, costing Cook County residents millions of dollars each year. The county board found that the vast majority of individuals held on detainers had only minor criminal charges, and that the federal detainer policy dissuaded immigrant victims and witnesses from stepping forward to report crimes.

Jane Ramsey, president of JCUA, delivered the following testimony at today’s hearing:

“We applaud the County’s wise decision to not act upon ICE detainer requests. These requests have deleterious effects upon families and communities, separating children from parents, and spouses from one another. In addition to the emotional loss and loss of parental support and guidance, the economic impact is devastating as families lose their source of income.

JCUA Names Jane Ramsey President and Judy Levey, CEO

Jane Ramsey, newly named president of JCUA.

Judy Levey, newly named chief executive officer of JCUA.

CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2012 – The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs announced today that Jane Ramsey has been named to the new position of president, topping more than three decades as a leader in the Jewish social justice movement. Judy Levey, JCUA’s director of programs, will assume the position of chief executive officer.

Ramsey has led JCUA since 1979, except for a period in the 1980s when she served in the administration of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington.

“Jane’s tireless advocacy on behalf of people and communities facing racial, economic, and religious discrimination has had a significant impact in Chicago, the region and the nation,” said Rabbi Bruce Elder, chair of the JCUA board of directors.

From her platform and leadership as president, Ramsey will continue to concentrate upon and guide JCUA’s big issues that impact impoverished communities, minorities and victims of discrimination. As chief executive of the organization, Levey will lead and manage JCUA.

Levey’s experience directing nonprofit and government programs includes serving as executive director of the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky. She holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Levey also serves on the executive board of Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah in Wilmette.

“This is an ideal time to move our mission forward and reaffirm our fundamental values.  Building on our rich history and Jewish prophetic principles, I am committed to the reinvigoration of a new generation of activists to champion social justice,” said Levey.

“With the backdrop of our nation in economic crisis and our city reeling from the consequences including a record high level of housing foreclosures and an escalation of violence particularly hard hitting our youth, JCUA seeks to grow its capacity to tackle those issues deeply impacting Chicago’s most distressed and disenfranchised communities. At our core, JCUA is about justice, compassion, and ensuring healthy communities for all,” said Ramsey.

More information at the JCUA staff page.

Muslims, Jews and Christians Have to Work Together

JCUA’s Jane Ramsey and Rabbi Robert Marx were the “special honorees” at the Inner-City Muslim Action Network’s end-of-year dinner, Dec. 11, 2011.  This is Ramsey’s acceptance speech, along with a video message from Rabbi Marx, who was not able to attend in person.

On behalf of Rabbi Robert Marx and myself, and all of us at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, I am deeply honored and moved to accept this extraordinary award from you and the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. [Ramsey's remarks continue below video link.]

I think back 10 years ago, when IMAN and JCUA became partners, recognizing that we shared a common vision for a just city and nation, and of working from the grassroots up to tackle poverty and inequities, and to build bridges across racial, religious, ethnic and class lines.

Las Vegas Conference a Reminder of the Need for Continued Vigilance

Below are reflections from Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), on this year’s American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, which was held on Aug. 20 to 23 in Las Vegas.

By Jane Ramsey
Executive Director, JCUA

Slot machines at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas

When I stepped off the plane in Las Vegas, I was astonished by the immediate sight of hundreds of slot machines, literally steps from the gate where we deplaned. This soon became a familiar sight, as slots are everywhere — in the hotels, in the restaurants, in the grocery stores — truly everywhere. The flashing lights lure with the promise of winnings and fun. For me, the flashing lights and their presence at virtually every turn was a sad reminder of the exploitive and predatory nature of casinos.

Dr. Calvin Morris, executive director of the Community Renewal Society, and I, were in Las Vegas  to speak on a panel spotlighting Chicago organizing entitled “Faith Activists: Justice, Community Revitalization and Reconciliation,” at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).

The meeting was moved to Las Vegas after the planned Chicago location became untenable due to the protracted hotel labor dispute at the time of ASA’s planning. Thus, understandably, the conference was moved and Las Vegas had enough hotel spots to provide for the more than 5000 members.

As JCUA has learned over the two decades plus we have been fighting the introduction of casinos into Chicago, the industry lures individuals, families, seniors, and low income communities to its doors. For the most vulnerable, lowest income targets, the casinos have offered money to get started and free transportation, and promises of so much more — all to profit from the targets’ larger losses and dashed hopes.

“Keep the Vision Alive”

Rabbi MarxA

A letter from Rabbi Robert Marx, founder of JCUA, read by Rabbi Bruce Elder on June 23, 2011 at the Rabbi Robert J. Marx Social Justice Awards Dinner.

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We are a stiff-necked people, so goes the Biblical assertion.  To my great disadvantage I tried to discover the literal meaning of that aphorism by breaking my neck and left clavicle.  The pain I experience now is tempered by the realization that it could have been worse for the bone I injured was the same one that devastated Christopher Reeve.  And so, while fortunate in one respect, I am also deprived for the first time in many years, of the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

How I wish I could be with you to honor the inspired leadership of Jane Ramsey, the dedication and wonderful service of Steve Keen as JCUA president for the last three years, and the commitment of JCUA staff that remains as imaginative as it is tireless. How I wish I could be with you to congratulate my colleague, my friend, my Rabbi—Bruce Elder—as he assumes the presidency of out Council.  And how I wish I had the opportunity to congratulate the three outstanding members of our community you have chosen to honor this day:  Ralph Brown, Roberta Nechin and David Midgley.  For many years their good deeds have cried out for acknowledgment and recognition.

Of course I am with you in thought and in spirit.  There is still so much more to do.  There are communities hungering for guidance and help.  There are new fields to be tilled, homes to be built, hopes to be shared.  Not backward but forward must be our direction, even in this time of recession, in this time of reaction, in this age of temerity.  Please, do not be afraid to accommodate new dreams.  Please, keep the vision alive.

-Robert J. Marx, Rabbi

“Prophets of Hope”: The Importance of Unity in Economic Justice

This article, from the spring 2011 Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) newsletter, emphasizes the importance of breaking down lines of race, nationality and social class and working together to ensure all Chicagoans have access to decent and affordable housing. In 2000, through JCUA’s Community Ventures Program, LUCHA was able to create 30 affordable apartments for single mothers and their children. JCUA Executive Director Jane Ramsey had this to say in the LUCHA article, “Prophets of Hope”:

“We are moved by our faith and family traditions to pursue justice, to create an equitable, healthy city and nation, welcoming to all and free from poverty, hunger and homelessness. Heeding the prophet Isaiah, we seek to unite many, to ‘undo the bands of the yoke, let the oppressed go free, divide bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into the house.’ These ancient challenges have long guided humanity. Let us here and now complete the task.”

[Read the full article.]