Committee members were selected based on a criteria designed by the city’s Equity Advisory Council. Applicants who demonstrated the following attributes and skillsets were selected for an interview with CUE and OERJ:

• Understanding of Chicago’s political landscape 
• Commitment to equity 
• Diverse background 
• Cross-cultural intelligence 
• Civically active in communities most impacted, who are often Black and Brown
• Facilitation skills
• Strong network

Of the 98 applicants who applied (a very strong set of applicants), OERJ and CUE interviewed 23 applicants who were identified as highly aligned with the criteria set by the Equity Advisory Committee. The final committee members were chosen based on the following: 

• Geographic representation
• Diversity across various identities
• Age 
• Race 
• Ethnicity 
• Geographic location 
• Lived experience 
• Skillsets 
• Ability to work collaboratively and build relationships with committee members, government, and communities most impacted by inequities
• Baseline understanding of co-governance 
• Strong understanding of those most impacted by systemic racism and commitment to systemic change

There are many definitions for co-governance that have emerged. A big part of the Steering Committee’s work will be defining what co-governance means for Chicago. However, the definition that resonates the most with the City of Chicago, Chicago United for Equity, and participants of the Exploring Co-governance in Chicago and Beyond Convening comes from Demos, a non-profit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy: 

“Co-governance is a strategy centered around sharing economic and political power that helps ensure that government is actively working with communities to design and implement policies such that the people who are most harmed by structural racism and our economic system are part of co-creating the solutions.” - Demos

1. Participate in a community conversation near you.
2. Leave a public comment on our working definition. 

More information is coming soon. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to equity.opportunities@cityofchicago.org