About 10 years ago, Nasir Zakaria arrived in the United States as a refugee from Myanmar without a formal education as he tried to learn English.
His struggles navigating a new life propelled him to start the Rohingya Cultural Center three years after he settled in Chicago. Today, the center, located at 2740 W. Devon Ave., serves about 600 families.
“We need to stand with this country and help others,” Zakaria said, adding that the center — named after an ethnic group that faced persecution in Myanmar — provides help to anyone who walks through their doors. “So that is my dream to help others because when I needed help, no one helped me.”
He was among a group of 10 community leaders who recently were recognized by the Field Foundation of Illinois and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of their annual “Leaders for a New Chicago” cohort. Zakaria and the other awardees will each receive a $25,000 gift that can be used for anything, and the organization they work for will receive an additional $25,000 for their general operating budget.
Analía Rodríguez, the leadership investment program officer at the Field Foundation, said the recognition is unique because the financial award is considered “no strings attached,” meaning the leaders don’t have to provide the typical reports associated with grants. In past years, awardees told the foundation the money helped them pay off taxes, buy a home, create an artist studio or it was used as a donation for an organization.
The awardees include Glo Choi from the HANA Center, Mark Clements from the Chicago Torture Justice Center, Ling Young from the Southside Together Organizing for Power, Amethyst J. Davis from the Harvey World Herald, Vanessa Harris from Strategy for Access, Judith McCray from Juneteenth Productions, Carlos Flores from Chicago Art Department, Phil Jackson from the Firehouse Community Arts Center of Chicago and Yvette Moyo from Real Men Charities.
Rodríguez said the leaders, who are involved in racial and social justice issues, were chosen to highlight the power in Chicago communities, and the work they do to take care of residents.
“This is really highlighting their leadership in disinvested communities where people usually don’t think that there is power and there’s joy,” they said. “By highlighting them, we are also highlighting all the people that come behind them in their communities and their organizations, and we need to have these stories that uplift our communities.”
The Rohingya Cultural Center plans to use the $25,000 to provide English classes for the community, Zakaria said. It’s a need they see every day as refugees seek better jobs to stabilize themselves in Chicago.
“Right now more (immigrants) are arriving,” he said. “We need more help because they don’t know the language.”
Zakaria plans to use the $25,000 he’ll receive so his mother — who remains in Myanmar — can receive medical care for kidney disease. The funds will ensure that she will be able to undergo a surgery she needs, Zakaria said.
“Because of this award, I can bring honor to the name of the Rohingya,” he said.
Like Zakaria, Choi, a community organizer with the Chicago-based HANA Center, planned to use some of the award money to help his mother. She’s been having car troubles, and she relies on her car to work, he said. He was still trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the funds.
For the past three years, one of the programs Choi has worked on at the HANA Center has involved bringing together undocumented residents to figure out their needs and how to best advocate for solutions.
He was busy doing just that — after the state announced it was pausing enrollment for the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults — as he received congratulatory messages. About a week after the awards were announced, Choi said it still had not set in that he was chosen as one of the leaders.
He said the other $25,000 will help the HANA Center continue to serve Korean-American and multi-ethnic immigrants, in particular as they expand their programs to the suburbs.
“This is really a win for HANA Center, it’s a win for the immigrant community,” Choi said. “It’s a recognition of the work that we’ve been doing here and all the immense leadership that we’ve been developing for our community members.”
Elvia Malagón’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
