Her Story
About Jeanette
Jeanette Taylor has been an elected official and Alderman in Chicago, Illinois since 2019, where she represents 50,000 residents in her ward. She began her path as a community organizer, serving 23 years on a local school council after becoming involved as a teen mother, and later organizing with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. Taylor graduated from night school and earned a certificate from her local city college. She attributes her approach to strong morals and principles, carefully considering how decisions affect residents and fighting for those who feel voiceless, as demonstrated by her 34-day hunger strike in 2015 to save a neighborhood high school. In her role, Taylor focuses on connecting constituents to city resources, hosting community meetings to build trust in government, and working with local organizations such as the Eugenia Byrne Hope Center, AKA House, Precious Blood Ministries, Aklavis, and Brightened Park Neighborhood Council. She advises young women entering the field to engage deeply with community elders and youth while prioritizing self-care.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jeanette
01What do you attribute your success to?
I actually have morals and principles. I think about the decisions I make, who they help and who they hurt. And so I take every vote that I take a city council very serious, and I take it personal. I don't see myself any different than the people that I'm paid to represent. And I fight for people who often are either tired of fighting, or who often are not heard.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to wrap themselves around the community. Make sure that the elders and the young people, they are sitting at the feet, actually listening and talking with them, and to take care of themselves. I had a heart attack last year because I take things personal. When I can't help my families out, it hurts me. But I also understand that it's not all on me, it's not all my responsibility. And so taking time off, taking care of myself. Doing some of the things that I like to do in this role. It's something I would tell them. Put some... it's okay to be first. It's okay to say, not today. It's okay to take time off. You cannot... you can an empty cup, and I did that a lot during this time.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
My challenge is to getting people to believe that they have a voice in my office, and so having community meetings. I represent 50,000 Folks in a ward, and I can get probably less than 200 to show up at any given time, and that's because people don't believe in government. They haven't been talked to, they haven't been asked, and so it's getting people to believe that that's the work that I'm doing in this role, and that at any given time, they can come to me, they can talk to me, and if I can't figure it out, I figure out who I can go to to help them figure it out. Sometimes it's disheartening when I have families that are being displaced, and I have nowhere for them to go. But I work hard to look for a place. I try very hard to make sure I can help them.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I actually have morals and principles. I think about the decisions I make, who they help and who they hurt. And so I take every vote that I take a city council very serious, and I take it personal. I don't see myself any different than the people that I'm paid to represent. And I fight for people who often are either tired of fighting, or who often are not heard. And so I remember feeling like a voiceless mother in 2015 when I went on a 34-day hunger strike to save my neighborhood high school. And so I am their voice. I am the person who stands up to the establishment to say, that's not right, that's what my community needs, and that's not what my community wants.
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