Tonika Lewis Johnson, visual artist and creator of the highly acclaimed Folded Map, has a proven track record of generating public engagement through her art and personal connection to Chicago as a life-long resident of Englewood. As a part of her 2021 Artist As Instigator residency, she has set her sights on the living history of Greater Englewood homes sold on Land Sale Contracts during the 50s and 60s.

IMG_2962.jpg

A home once sold on a land sale contract in the Greater Englewood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois.

Land Sale Contracts, or LSCs, were an unscrupulous practice wherein would-be homebuyers, locked out of traditional mortgages by racist policies, were offered contracts that enforced excessive monthly payments without ever transferring ownership. According to a Duke University study, between 75-95% of homes sold to Black families during this period were sold via LSCs. “What happened during this crucial era, that of the making of America’s mass white middle class during the long postwar economic boom, was a systematic, legally sanctioned plunder of black wealth,” to the tune of over $3.2 billion.

The Plunder of Black Wealth in Chicago (2018) documented more than 100 homes in Englewood alone sold using this practice. Amber Hendley, lead researcher on this report, shared the addresses with a curious Lewis Johnson who quickly discovered many of these homes were still standing.

My goal with this project is to map the evidence of historic legalized theft in Greater Englewood and engage the public in action-oriented conversations that ultimately bring this unresolved crime to justice.

- Tonika Johnson

Inequity for Sale is an artistic, critical exploration of this racist practice in Black neighborhoods, and how LSCs directly contributed to the wealth gap and community disinvestment we witness today. The project will comprise 10-15 life-sized land markers for LSC homes, a website documenting the stories of this period of plunder, and a walking tour via the Vamonde app that connects this history with present-day conditions in Greater Englewood.

Joining Johnson on this great venture is long-time collaborator Paola Aguirre, architect, urban designer and founder of Borderless Studio. Aguirre will help with design concepts and creative strategies for data visualization and interactive engagement materials for Inequity for Sale.

Lewis Johnson’s dream goal is to campaign for a collection of the homes to become an official City landmark, and purchase one as a permanent home to Folded Map and a community gathering space. 

Notice: Inequity For Sale On June 2, 2021

Notice: Inequity for Sale was a public hearing to launch Inequity for Sale, and invited special guests, collaborators, scholars, civic leaders, advocates, and activists, as well as members of the local community and broader public, to weigh in on how the project can bring awareness and be a resource to current and future organizing and advocacy for fair housing and a more equitable economy. During the event, a virtual exploration of homes sold on Land Sale Contracts in Greater Englewood demonstrated how legalized theft in the past directly contributed to the present inequity in Black communities.

During the event, Tonika shared maps of neighborhoods in Chicago, IL, that have been devastated by the discriminatory practice of land sale contracts (right), a map of all the homes in Greater Englewood that were sold on land sale contracts (center), and discussion around a groundbreaking article in The Chicago Reporter (left) that was one of the catalysts for Inequity for Sale. Watch the full recording.


Legally Stolen Podcast Series

Legally Stolen is a 3-episode podcast produced by the National Public Housing Museum and Artist as Instigator Tonika Lewis Johnson as part of her project, Inequity for Sale, a virtual and physical exploration of homes sold on Land Sale Contracts in the 50s and 60s. Legally Stolen is available on your favorite streaming platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Breaker, and RadioPublic.

Episode One is a deep dive into the history and research that sparked Tonika’s idea to create Inequity for Sale. Featured guests include co-author of the Plunder of Black Wealth in Chicago report Amber Hendley, author of Family Properties Beryl Satter, author of The Color of Law Richard Rothstein, and housing activist Athena Williams.

Read the Episode One transcript.

Episode Two takes listeners on a journey through present-day Greater Englewood, exploring how legalized theft in the past directly contributed to present inequity in Black communities. Featured guests include Alderman Stephanie Coleman of the 16th Ward, Englewood residents Lolita Hughes and Patricia Porter, author of Family Properties Beryl Satter, and author of The Color of Law Richard Rothstein.

Read the Episode Two transcript.

Episode Three focuses on Chicago’s fight for fair housing and racial justice, including redress for legalized theft from Black people and communities impacted by predatory real estate practices. Featured guests include lead researcher of the Plunder of Black Wealth in Chicago report Amber Hendley, housing activist Athena Williams, author of Family Properties Beryl Satter, and author of The Color of Law Richard Rothstein.

Read the Episode Three transcript.


About Tonika Lewis Johnson

TonikaBioPic (2).jpg

Chicago-based photographer Tonika Lewis Johnson is a long-time community activist who began documenting Englewood, her South Side neighborhood, as a way of counteracting the numerous media reports and visuals that ignored the positive and focused on the problems. She made beautiful images of the people and beloved spaces of her neighborhood that were exhibited in her hometown at Rootwork Gallery, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Harold Washington Library Center, and Loyola University's Museum of Art. 

In 2010, she helped co-found the Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E), with the mission of building relationships and mobilizing people and resources to create positive change. She also co-founded the Englewood Arts Collective in 2017. In her work, Tonika explores segregation and documents the richness of the black community. This approach was the foundation for her critically acclaimed Folded Map project, that visually investigates disparities among Chicago residents and brings them together for conversation. On her website, there are images, videos, and a downloadable action kit for those who wish to expand their knowledge of their surroundings and explore how systemic racism has impacted all facets of our lives.

The Museum is thrilled that Tonika will be the Artist-as-Instigator for the year.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through IMLS Grants LG-94-18-0248-18 and MA-20-19-0659-19.

imls_logo_2c.jpg