On the dawn of the New Year, Mayor Brandon Johnson used the occasion to bring to the attention of Chicago’s leadership, the significant challenges that Black politicians, including himself, grapple with. To substantiate his assertion, he forwarded an article titled ‘Is there an increasing trend of Black mayors being targeted throughout the U.S.?’, published in Crusader last October, to Charles Smith, his business liaison. Marking the new year, Johnson sent a jovial greeting to Smith who replied in kind.
Johnson, during several discussions in January, suggested to political confidantes that the city was in the throes of a second Reconstruction period, paralleling the post-Civil War era characterized by substantial yet eventually stalled advancements for the Black community. These conversations, occurring halfway into his tenure, provide a snapshot of a novice executive digging deeper into his role as a Black leader despite sustaining significant challenges and questioning of his capability to lead over the past two years.
Johnson’s approach comes in light of potential fracturing within the Black and progressive factions that were instrumental in his victory in the mayoral race of 2023. Johnson is apparently striving to muster a supporting electorate that would secure his re-election, employing tactics similar to those of his predecessor, Mayor Lori Lightfoot. His primary strategy is to appeal to voters on the South and West Side areas, mirroring Lightfoot’s unsuccessful endeavor to win a second term.
Johnson has openly expressed, in his private and public communications, his belief that any grievances Black Chicagoans may hold regarding his performance are due to insufficient knowledge of his accomplishments. In a text message to Alderman William Hall, representing the 6th district, dated January 18, he wrote: ‘Our people need to understand better our efforts towards building a just, equitable society. We should engage more in community building… I am committed to this era of Re-Reconstruction.’
These messages were dispatched following a challenging week for Johnson where he faced criticism over his political committee’s mishandling of campaign contributions, amidst a city credit downgrade due to his recently released 2025 budget blueprint. Nonetheless, Johnson continues to refute these claims of poor performance.
However, Willie Wilson, a thrice run candidate for mayor and one of Chicago’s most influential African Americans, voiced some concerns. Wilson recounts how Black churchgoers often express their dismay over Johnson’s actions; ‘Why prioritize illegal immigrants over citizens?’ and ‘Why is he insistent on increasing taxes?’ These queries mirror their anxieties over the migrant crisis that overshadowed Johnson’s first term, and his retracted campaign vow of forgoing property tax hikes.
Johnson withdrew the proposed property tax surge only when it became evident that aldermen wouldn’t lend their support towards the inclusion of the tax hike in the mayor’s 2025 budget. The first issue, namely the migrant crisis, has emerged as one of the leading challenges to Johnson’s administration. His response to the arrival of thousands of impoverished migrants in Chicago, primarily from Texas, has left many Black constituents feeling disregarded.
Expressing his disappointment, Wilson stated: ‘He is neglectful of his own people, the ones who elected him into this office. This, I believe, is one of the major issues. My thoughts are, he has already incurred substantial damage.’ rebutting these criticisms, Johnson claimed that in fact, Black Chicagoans received ’20 times’ the funding that was allocated to the migrants.
He added: ‘There was a deliberate campaign by mainstream media to withhold this information from our community,’ and lambasted this occlusion as intentional misrepresentation aimed to cast his administration in a bad light. According to Johnson, the Black population of Chicago was denied the knowledge of his efforts towards their upliftment.
Under his administration, Johnson garnered $638 million from taxpayer funds towards providing housing and sustenance for the asylum seekers who started arriving in Chicago in 2022, with $268 million originating from city resources, and remaining covered by county, state, and federal aid. Notably, Johnson’s spokesperson also mentioned a proposed private investment plan which amounts to a substantial $13.6 billion.
Noteworthy projects included under this plan are the United Center 1901 Project penned by the owners of the city’s basketball and ice hockey teams, Bulls and Blackhawks respectively, the PsiQuantum Center in the Southeast side, and a new Advocate Health Care site, located in the same region. The federal government, under President Joe Biden’s administration, has also pledged $426 million in disaster relief to address the flooding on the West Side.
In a bid to fortify his accomplishments that directly benefit Black communities, Johnson has pointed to a decline in violence across Chicago, the expansion of the city’s youth summer jobs initiative, and the reopening of two mental health clinics. Johnson symbolically lauded these successes at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new west campus of Malcolm X College, where he praised city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin.
Amplifying his connect with Black constituents, Johnson significantly increased his presence in African American churches through a speaking tour that was initiated earlier this year. During one such visit to the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church, he suggested that the real catalyst behind the backlash over his decision to discontinue ShotSpotter (a gunshot detection system) the previous year was the media framing the interests of his constituency as antagonistic to the broader community’s needs.
On this note, Reverend Marshall Hatch of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, located in West Garfield Park, proposed that regardless of the apprehensions that Black Chicagoans might harbor about Johnson, it would be advantageous for them to rally around his 2027 reelection bid. The alternative, Hatch cautioned, might be a non-community member ascending to the mayor’s position.
During the 2023 mayoral race, racial politics played a significant role indeed. However, Johnson easily locked down the Black vote during the runoff stage, implying that the city’s political landscape is ever shifting. Fast forward two years, and Johnson maintains that same identity, as depicted in his speeches and private messages. In a text message to Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps on January 18, he wrote: ‘Your support is crucial, Tara! This is a struggle for the Soul.’ To which she replied: ‘With full commitment!’