Mission

Northside Action for Justice (NA4J) is a grassroots, member-controlled organization that builds power for low- and moderate- income people in order to advance the cause of economic and social justice on the north side of Chicago and across the globe.

History

NA4J was launched in 2007 and was founded by members of Community of Uptown Residents for Affordability and Justice (COURAJ) and Rogers Park Community Action Network (RPCAN). Both COURAJ and RPCAN had a sustained presence and actively organized in their respective communities. They joined together in 2007 to build a stronger, more collaborative grassroots multi-issue organization.

Prior to NA4J, these two groups organized tenant councils, fought gentrification and displacement, supported the development of affordable housing and living wage jobs, worked to create and maintain good neighborhood public schools (such as helping to bring Uplift High School to Uptown), and promoted economic justice throughout the Northside and across Chicago.

What We Stand For

Housing and Community Development
NA4J members organize to preserve, protect, and expand decent affordable housing. We work with tenants to improve building conditions, fight illegal evictions, and stop displacement and gentrification.

Education
Over the years our members have organized to defend public schools from closure and privatization, and for community control over our neighborhood schools. NA4J members helped form the Northside Save Our Schools Organizing Committee to stop mass school closings and fight for an elected, representative school board.

Public Services
NA4J co-founded the Alliance for Community Services to connect persons receiving services and the workers that deliver them. NA4J and the Alliance is working to stop and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other Human Services and promote accessible, accountable and robust public human services in our communities.

Economic Justice
NA4J supports efforts to bring living-wage sustainable jobs to our communities, stands in solidarity with organized labor, and works to promote tax fairness such as supporting the creation of the Robin Hood Tax.

Board of Directors
Susan Aarup, Lakeview
Angela Clay, Uptown

Brenda Dunkins, Uptown
Michael Grice, Lakeview

Anna Guevarra, Edgewater

Kim Jeffries, Uptown
Marc Kaplan, Uptown

Carla Langston, Uptown

Tim Langston, Uptown
Dorothy Lawless, Rogers Park
Louella Pickett, Rogers Park

Wilma Pittman, Uptown
Kathy Powers, Edgewater
Gayatri Reddy, Edgewater
Karen Zaccor, Uptown

Who We Are