In Chicago, Police Violence Survivors Heal Through Song


Communal healing represents reparations in action. The Chicago Torture Justice Center, created in 2015 through a Chicago City Council reparations ordinance, advocates for wrongfully imprisoned Black men, as well as for victims of violence and torture at the hands of police. At the community center, area nonprofits like the Old Town School of Folk Music, lead workshops like the Freedom Songbook. The program uses protest songs as a way to encourage resiliency and healing in survivors.

Related Stories