On Wednesday, the City Council’s Housing and Real Estate Committee finally considered legislation to protect the South Shore neighborhood from gentrification tied to the Obama Presidential Center. On Thursday, the full City Council has a chance to vote on the bill. For nearly a decade, our communities in South Shore and Woodlawn have been sounding the alarm: Without strong, enforceable protections, the very people who have made the neighborhoods what they are will be pushed out before they can see the benefits of this historic development.

The City Council has a choice. It can either allow outside investors to displace longtime Black residents or it can ensure that South Shore and Woodlawn families remain and thrive. The time to act is now.

Since the Obama center was announced in 2016,

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