Chapter 18

I moved to Chicago in 2007 for college from a tiny rural town in Indiana. The bid for/against the Olympics was one of my first experiences with collective action and realizing the realities of how governments and special interests groups work (or don't work) for the people (or for certain subsets of people). I was a part-time usher for Broadway in Chicago during the bid for the 2016 Olympics and recall it being quite controversial. We were required to wear pins showing support for the bid while we were on shift--those refusing to wear them were written up and sent home. Looking back on it now, it feels even more egregious--particularly because the majority of the ushers were either retired folks or people from marginalized communities who were potentially getting sent home without a paycheck.

                       B.C. - Chicago (email to author 4/4/24)