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"Hoops in the Hood" brings unity to Back of the Yards

By Cristobal Martinez on Friday, July 24, 2009

Address: Back Of The Yards Neighborhood Council, 1751 W. 47th St., Chicago, IL

Friday nights look a little different this summer in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Basketball hoops are set up in the streets, surrounded by kids dribbling and shooting. Grills are smoking in front yards, getting loaded up with hot dogs. Popcorn and snow cones are being handed out. And people who previously did not meet are now coming together to enjoy the community feeling created by “Hoops in the Hood.”

“I wanted to bring together as many neighborhood people and agencies as possible to encourage the diverse populations of our neighborhood to cross common boundaries,” explains Sean O’Farrell, Program Director for the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC). For its inaugural season hosting Hoops in the Hood, the BYNC teamed up with six other groups that work in the neighborhood, but rarely have the opportunity to collaborate.

Cornell Park, Davis Square, St. Michael Elementary School, Lara Academy, U.N.I.O.N. Impact Center and Kids and Kops all jumped at the chance to work together to unify the community. Each of these groups does their part to bridge the cultural divisions in the community, but there are many obstacles. “47^th street is sort of a barrier in this neighborhood. The Hispanics live north of it and the African Americans live to the south,” says O’Farrell about how Back of the Yards has an unofficial dividing line between the residents.

 There are 18,000 residents under the age of 18 in Back of the Yards. Fear of crossing certain gang boundaries keeps people confined to their own area. Fear of the unknown contributes too many cross-cultural interactions being negative. “Every one of those kids needs to be exposed to positive experiences. They need to understand that they have positive options; not the negative ones they see on the streets,” says Craig Chico, President of the BYNC. With Hoops in the Hood, positive modeling happens in the streets, literally, as each week the event moves to a different block in the neighborhood, giving residents a reason to get out of their homes and comfort zones.

Police Officer Sabrina King loves the way the BYNC is bringing the community together. She volunteers with Kids and Kops, a program uniting the Chicago Police of the 9^th District with the Back of the Yards youth, and this summer she is coaching a team of twelve year-olds for Hoops in the Hood. “In just the first year, the program has already been great for the neighborhood. The interaction between all of the Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans is wonderful and is something that I don’t usually see.”

St. Michael Elementary School has a number of students participating in Hoops in the Hood. One of them, twelve year-old Jerome Smith, has enjoyed the opportunity to play provided by Hoops in the Hood. “I love this program. It gives me something to do on Friday nights other than sitting around at home.” His mother, Theresa, agrees. “I think it’s beautiful the way everyone from the area is coming together to support our children.”

O’Farrell and Chico both love the effect the Hoops in the Hood program has already had in the neighborhood. Residents are interacting in new ways, with over 200 people coming out each week to volunteer, coach, or play. Chico says they have come a long way in their goal of uniting neighborhood residents. “If you want to measure our success with a number, we have served over 600 hot dogs each week.”

O’Farrell also hopes the kids realize it is safe for them to hang out in any part of Back of the Yards. As he put it, “They’ll look back and say, “It’s not so bad out on 48^th—we remember playing basketball out there all night.”