Jimmie Brooks and DeAngelo Johnson of Breakthrough, an organization that is engaged in a wide variety of community-building initiatives in the Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago, came to Illinois State on April 20, 2023, to talk to students in a peace and conflict resolution studies minor core class taught by Julian Westerhout, an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government.
They described the history and evolution of the organization, which grew from the initiative taken in 1992 by Arloa Sutter to serve coffee to adults experiencing homelessness, to 18 programs serving all who live in the area, from young children to senior citizens. Students learned about creative programs involving sports as a tool for violence prevention and for youth empowerment, programs designed to alleviate food access issues, and programs designed to provide access to mental wellness services, among others.
The speakers also brought some high school students and another Breakthrough staffer, Camille Joy Powell, with them to tour the Illinois State campus. They were shown some of Illinois State’s facilities by Dr. Noha Shawki, who gave them a campus tour. More information about Breakthrough can be found at breakthrough.org.
