City Government

Linda Hudson Endorsed for Alderman of Chicago’s 8th Ward by Post News Group

Local elections are February 28 in Chicago, the third-largest city in the country with a nearly 30% Black population. The city’s South and West sides, once marked by thriving and vibrant Black neighborhoods, now struggle with widespread disinvestment and other issues. One candidate running to make a change in the Eighth Ward is Linda Hudson, a longtime community organizer who has been endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.

Published

2 years ago

February 21, 2023

Oakland Post

Linda Hudson Endorsed for Alderman of Chicago’s 8th Ward

By Post Staff

One candidate running to make a change in the Eighth Ward is Linda Hudson, a longtime community organizer who has been endorsed by the Chicago Tribune. We talked to Hudson about why she’s running and what she hopes to accomplish if elected. Their interview has been edited for brevity.

Oakland Post: Why are you running?

Linda Hudson: [My family] moved to Calumet Heights in 1969. It was beautiful. There was homeownership and a sense of community. We had Black professionals and a working class. We had strong Black elected leaders.

I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I’m running because I don’t recognize my community. Our business corridors are filled with boarded up businesses. We’ve got tons of vacant and boarded up homes. There’s been an uptick in crime. There are many seniors in the community. I’m hearing over and over, “We feel like we’re under siege.” We don’t have a lot of programs for our youth. So, I’m running because I just don’t recognize the community that raised me and I want to bring it back to its glory. I want to bring professionalism back to the Eighth Ward office.

OP: What are your three biggest priorities?

LH: My top priority is safety. I want more police presence. I think we should know our police officers by name. There’s a shortage of officers and they are moved to downtown to protect that area. And the ones in the community are moved around to other areas of the city. If police officers could give our community two years without being transferred, that could be great for building community relationships.

Economic development is another issue. We don’t have decent businesses in the ward. We don’t have a nice sit-down restaurant. We don’t have healthy options. There needs to be a marketing strategy to bring business in and make sure businesses can thrive in this environment.

Stony Island is going to be the gateway to the Obama Center. And right now, there’s nothing for people traveling down this gateway. When I go out of town, I want to go to that restaurant or that store that I heard about. But this area has nothing for a visitor coming in.

The third thing is more activities for our youth. Many of our young people are opting out of college, so we need to put trades back into the school. We need more mentoring, and more activities.

OP: Why you instead of the incumbent?

LH: Because I have a vision. The incumbent does not. She was appointed and has been in office for 16 years. And, there has been a drastic decline in the community in the last 16 years. There’s no clear vision. We have the Regal Theater on 79^th Street that has landmark status and this administration has done nothing to help renovate and restore it to its past grandeur with the many grants that are available through city programs.

And right across the street from the Regal is a coffee shop that was built with millions of dollars but never opened. I see 79^th Street being our arts district. I see more viable business in our business district – trying to help small entrepreneurs grow their businesses. I’ve talked to people and they want to be in this community. But they must go through the alderman’s office and the incumbent makes it very difficult.

We’re an older ward and older people are going to leave. The only way to attract younger people is to have activities. Young people like to go out. A bowling alley or movie theater. We’ve got to be able to grow this area. And I have the vision and the professionals willing to assist in the effort.

I will be the alderwoman for the entire ward, not just those residents that go along with the incumbent’s program.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Mississippi’s House of Representative’s Pass Jim Crow Law

Don't Miss

Opening of Spark’d Studios in Minneapolis. Empowerment with Sunny Love.

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

3 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

IN MEMORIAM: Nate Holden, State Senator and Longtime Los Angeles Councilmember, Dies at 95

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.” Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nathaniel “Nate” Holden, a prominent figure in the city’s politics, passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed on May 7.

Holden, who represented South Los Angeles for 16 years on the City Council and served one term in the California State Senate, was widely regarded as a forceful advocate for his community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.”

Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Holden’s journey to political prominence began in the segregated South, where he was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1929. He often recalled the childhood moment when he first heard the governor of Georgia vowing to continue suppressing Black people.

“Doing the best you can for the people. Law and order. Make sure that people’s communities are safe. I did it all,” said Holden, reflecting on his legacy.

Holden is survived by his sons, including former California Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represented a district in Southern California that includes Pasadena and Altadena in Los Angeles County and cities in San Bernardino County.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.