Episode Details

Last year, we spent some time on Chicago’s South Side. Jahmal Cole was there, asking a question to a crowd of volunteers assembled in a church parking lot in the Chatham neighborhood. “How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” he said into the microphone. “I've seen it in Edgewater. I've seen it in Greek Town. How come there ain't no holiday lights on the South Side of Chicago?” Cole is the founder of the community organization My Block My Hood City. For almost a decade, they’ve decorated homes on Martin Luther King Drive with holiday lights, ornaments, inflatable Santas and other decorations. So, in this holiday season, we wanted to revisit the time we joined this event – which is called “Be A Part Of The Light” – for the day, asking homeowners and volunteers why they decided to participate, and Cole why he thinks the simple act of putting up holiday lights can transform a community.