A project that began over two years ago was erected and unveiled in Englewood Thursday morning by way of a 25-foot monument that is meant to serve as a beacon for youth and reminder of academic achievement.
ASPIRE stands at the corner of Marquette Road and Wentworth Avenue, former home to Kennedy-King College, and was brought to the community by real estate development firm Sterling Bay in collaboration with Chicago-based construction firm Skender, design firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative and other local partners. The monument was designed by Chicago artist and activist Maxwell Emcays.
The monument is meant to “memorialize the rich legacy of educational institutions that have advanced the academic aspirations of scholars” and capture “the spirit of all Englewood students who aspire and achieve,” according to the monument’s plaque. The back of the monument reads, “With belief, power of knowledge and strength of community, one can aspire to greatness.”
Emcays said a lot of the research done in preparation for this project showed the history of education in Englewood from Kennedy-King College to other schools that had been taken down. He said it was about a year into planning when the monument actually started to take shape in his mind and then in reality.
“I’m excited and look forward to how it embeds itself into the community and how the community embeds itself into the piece,” Emcays said. “I think this is the beginning of the way the piece will really come to life to now see what people will make of it.”
Keiana Barrett, chief diversity and engagement officer at Sterling Bay, said the different aspects of the monument were very intentional, from the graduating student silhouette to the city skyline to Englewood’s architectural integrity.
What can’t be seen but is ever present, however, is a time capsule within the base of the monument. Barrett said some 20 to 30 community groups and stakeholders each left behind items in hopes that 100 or so years from now, the community can thoughtfully reflect on the past.
Emcays said he left behind “something that is part of my community work,” an item that is reflective of his nonprofit Never Forget Chicago.
The cost of the project would have been in the neighborhood of $350,000, Barrett said, but it was all thanks to donated time and talent from the various partners.
Corie Luckett owns Englewood Branded, a community store that gives 10% of its proceeds to fund youth and community engagement. He said he put some of the store’s merchandise, including shirts and hats. in the time capsule.
Luckett said he hopes the name of the monument, ASPIRE, gives youth the opportunity to see the possibility of growth and success.
“That’s a visual there that you can continue to aspire and you look up there and know it’s doable, it can be done, and you just have to keep moving forward,” Luckett said.
