My Block, My Hood, My City

My Block, My Hood, My City was founded in 2013 by Jahmal Cole.[3] The idea to create the organization stemmed from Cole's memory of taking a bus from North Chicago to Texas, in which he realized the diversity of the country.[2] While volunteering at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, Cole noticed the lack of exposure detainees from the South and West sides of Chicago had of other neighborhoods, which also motivated him to start the organization.[4]

In addition to founding M3, Cole has received several awards and recognition including the Chicago Ideas Award by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011, a certificate by the Illinois Office of Volunteerism and Community Service in 2012, and the Chicago Urban League Award in 2016.[3] He has also written several books about disparities in Chicago neighborhoods, with his most recent one titled It's Not Regular.[5] He currently resides in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago with his wife and daughter.[2]

My Block, My Hood, My City caters mainly to teens from the South and West sides of Chicago, although a version of the Explorers' Program has been offered to adults in the past.[4] The nonprofit aims to serve students from neighborhoods with high rates of crime and poverty, such as Englewood.[2] Many of the organization's fundraising efforts benefit the larger Chicago community, including micro-grants given to community leaders[6] and donations to Black-owned businesses.[7]

M3 is funded primarily through online sales of merchandise such as hoodies and t-shirts.[2] These merchandise sales contribute about $50,000 to M3 each year.[4]

My Block, My Hood, My City has partnered with black-owned small businesses in the Chicago metropolitan area, including Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery.[18] The Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks also partnered with My Block, My Hood, My City to help clean up Chicago's West Side.[1] Celebrities like Usher have also been seen wearing the organization's merchandise.[4]

The nonprofit group joined forces with My Community Table to raise money for local businesses as well as the organization's #HitTheHood program.[13] My Block, My Hood, My City has also been active in the Black Lives Matter movement. The group organized a rally in Chicago in remembrance of victims of police brutality including Breonna Taylor.[19]

In June 2017, My Block, My Hood, My City helped create virtual tours of Chicago neighborhoods with the help of Google as an extension of the Explorers' Program. My Block, My Hood, My City teens received technological mentorship from Google, and the tech company received virtual reality footage from the teens who lived in Chicago neighborhoods.[20]

My Block, My Hood, My City has been involved in various volunteering opportunities throughout Chicago neighborhoods. They have branched out beyond civic missions and have gathered volunteers to clean up surrounding neighborhoods, including areas like Chatham, Chicago.[8] They have organized volunteers to aid in snow removal in underserved communities.[21] In addition, My Block, My Hood, My City gathered volunteers to help clean up retail stores that were damaged during the George Floyd protests in Chicago[22] and has assembled volunteers to help at the Chicago Farmworks in East Garfield Park to plant and mulch crops in the community garden, in order to someday feed hundreds of people.[23]