The Mutual Aid Report
The Mutual Aid Report with hosts Stephanie Manriquez and Mario Smith, premiered this past September 2023, and took off with special guests Tanya Ward and Anton Seals of Grow Greater Englewood. The episode highlighted the importance of agriculture, and how scarce locally sourced produce is on the southern and west sides of the city. Their initiative aims to collaborate with local residents in the Englewood community to create sustainable local food economies, green businesses, and land sovereignty to empower residents to create wellness and wealth.
Throughout the episode, the topic of media coverage came up frequently:
“Englewood gets a lot of… there is such a rush with the traditional news media in this city, and in every major city where there are black and latino people… to talk about the worst aspects of the neighborhoods that these folks live in. Not realizing that the promotion of things like GGE is a narrative changer. People come to Englewood and discover, “Oh wow! There is a whole nother thing happening here that does not involve stuff that I see on the news all the time…”
What can Chicagoans do to help amplify the promotion of all those things that are good about Englewood, South Shore, and Pilsen (…) where the news media tends to thrive on the bad parts of those neighborhoods?”
– Mario Smith
And that is exactly what the Mutual Aid Report aims to achieve.
The Mutual Aid Report is a radio and live stream series that delves into the concept of mutual aid. Our hosts, Mario Smith and Stephanie Manriquez will unpack its historical significance and its role in local communities by spotlighting individuals who are making a real difference at the grassroots level in the city of Chicago.
In another episode, we got to interview some members of the Love Fridge– Eric ‘Manny’ Von Haynes, Ramon ‘Radius’ Norwood, James Wurm, & Lisa Armstrong. The Love Fridge was established during the pandemic (2020), and has since then aimed to feed anyone who needs it– no strings attached.
Love Fridges are public food pantries located throughout the city of Chicago, and anyone who stops by is encouraged to take whatever they need, and give back whenever they’re able. The Love Fridges are completely community-run, and most donations come from community members themselves.
The episode talked about the necessity of the pantries during the pandemic, and later touched on why food accessibility is needed now more than ever:
“That fear– that insecurity of not having food– when people have that in their mindset, they can’t escape it. And I think that this hunger, and this insecurity, is too ingrained, and I don’t believe that in 365 days we can solve that…”
– James Wurm
Guest James Wurm speaks up on how the Love Fridge will hold up in a year. Will they still be necessary?
Since then, bi-weekly shows have featured guests involved in a multitude of Mutual Aid organizations across the city.
Listen to the Mutual Aid Report every 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month at 2pm on 105.5FM Lumpen Radio Chicago, or on our website at Lumpenradio.com
Past episodes can also be streamed at Mixcloud.com/Lumpenradio