BlackSpace Chicago
We localized the 14 principles of the Manifesto to build Black power and Black joy in Chicago.
Our Story
Chicago was the first Cousin to join BlackSpace, becoming part of the network in 2017. Inspired by the BlackSpace origin story at the second Black in Design Conference, the Chicago Cousins came together to build and connect. Over the years, they led a range of Black placemaking initiatives, including Jane’s Walks that celebrated and shared the histories of Chicago’s Black neighborhoods. Their work left a lasting imprint on the city’s cultural and spatial landscape, documenting and uplifting the stories, spaces, and experiences that shape Chicago’s Black communities.
Celebrating Chicago Cousins
The Chicago Cousins were a cornerstone of the BlackSpace story. Since our early days, this collective of designers, planners, artists, and culture-bearers have shaped how Black space is imagined, claimed, and designed in Chicago and beyond. Their work spans architecture, public space, research, and community practice, all of which are rooted in care, rigor, and deep local knowledge. From intimate gatherings to lasting projects, their legacy lives through the places they’ve made and the stories they’ve documented. Explore their projects and photos to see how this work has taken shape over time.
Past Organizers
Learn more about the folks who make BlackSpace Chicago possible.
-
![]()
Armando Sullivan
he/him/hisCousinArmando is an equity-centered transit planner and geographer focused on empowering communities through mobility and spatial analysis. He is from Montgomery County, MD and earned his Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard University. He currently lives in Hyde Park, Chicago.
-
![]()
Chandra Christmas-Rouse
she/herCousinChandra is an urban planner, advocate and artist. A background in community development and environmental justice informs her design approach of working with stakeholders in a participatory process to support capacity building, achieve place-based solutions & reimagine systems.
