ABOUT COAL
Coalition of African American Leaders (COAL)
About COAL
COAL is an umbrella organization founded by 13 of Chicago’s historic African American mens clubs. COAL’s overarching mission is to identify, examine, illuminate and find resolution to issues impacting the greater community. We strive to use our collective experience, expertise and resources to improve the quality of opportunity, quality of preparedness and the quality of outcomes (expressed as ‘quality of life’) for our Community.
What We Believe
The Coalition of African American Leaders believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people.
COAL is an assemblage that advocates and organizes for appropriate and responsible public policy change, system behavior change and equality of opportunity. We aim to achieve for all of our people the fullness of the life experience without any form of racism or exclusion as a deterrent.
We believe we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity of this full participation, thereby achieving the necessary education and training to participate.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Coalition is a concerned assemblage of African American social organizations who have come together for the purpose of addressing issues and concerns that impact on the well being of the African American community. The Coalition is composed of groups that have been in existence for decades, representing a large portion of African American individuals who are at the highest level of educational, economic and professional accomplishments.
The goal of The Coalition is to be cognizant of and respond to issues pertinent to the African American community of a specific or general nature in the interest of having a positive impact on a particular situation.
COAL, established 2002
I am now working with section 3 & low to lower income and our group has done much over the last 16 mos would like to att.one of your meeting
We look forward to you joining us at upcoming Power Breakfasts. I will add you to the COAL distribution list.
I run a fairly new Bed and Breakfast business in Bronzeville. While we are seeking a few part time youth for our inn, I am also actively involved with a neighborhood organization as the Founder of Bronzeville Area Residents and Commerce Council- BARCC which mostly represents homeowners. Our homeowner shareholders want to impact on crime, cleaner streets and better commercial development options. The group leaders and myself want to partner or work with other visionary groups to share ideas on how to engage residents especially our youth. Also, the Bronzeville Community Clubhouse I’ve recently learned is organizing a baseball league for this summer- including sign ups. I will also be instrumental in forming a progressively new Chamber of Commerce covering the Bronzeville and Near Southside of Chicago where we will purposefully seek new consumer revenues by attracting visitors from around the U.S., worldwide and among many other local Chicago neighborhoods. Dealing with crime- loitering, liquors and litter is at the top of our list. We’ve also researched the fact that too many public officials are deliberatly pushing to concentrate a disproportionate number of concentrated poverty in all African American communities thereby keeping them from advancing in every way. Racial discrimination is still being practiced with housing along with economic, political and social barriers.
Please advise if any of these general subject matters are of interest to the COAL team. Thank you!