ENGLEWOOD — There are good things happening in Englewood — you just wouldn't know that by watching the nightly news.
Resident Rashanah Baldwin wants to let Chicagoans know that there is more than crime in her community, and her "Good in Englewood" segment on Kennedy-King College's WKKC (89.3 FM) aims to do just that.
"Crime is everywhere. It is not just happening in Englewood, although that's what the media would have people believe," said Baldwin, 30, who is known to friends as Shanah B.
"I get tired of seeing TV news doing live shots in other neighborhoods about positive stuff going on there but not in Englewood," Baldwin said.
Whether it's a public meeting or an event, Baldwin said every week she plans to deliver nothing but good news about her community. The show started in February and airs at 1:15 p.m. every Tuesday.
"I want people to know that Englewood is not the worst place to live. We are homeowners, educated and employed," said the multimedia consultant for the nonprofit Teamwork Englewood. "I hope to raise a family in Englewood someday."
While acknowledging some of the challenges facing Englewood, such as high crime, unemployment and foreclosures, Baldwin said other neighborhoods like Lincoln Park also face these same issues.
"It takes the residents to change the perception of the community," she added.
Harold Lee Rush, a WKKC on-air personality, agreed to have Baldwin do her segment during his weekly show, which airs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
"I try to do my part to highlight the positive people in my community. I am glad to see people like Shanah B. who are willing to bring Englewood back because we have been under siege for years," said Rush, an Englewood resident.
He pointed to the Monday shooting death of 14-year-old Endia Martin as an example of how the media is quick to attribute a negative incident to Englewood.
"Most of the TV news station led their broadcast with the girl's murder and said she was shot in Englewood, which is incorrect," Rush said. "She was actually shot in the Back of The Yards, but by it being close to Englewood, the media attached it to our community."
Baldwin said she plans to keep the show going indefinitely, and hopes it gets other concerned residents more involved in Englewood.
"You can't turn your back on your community," she said.
