In a virtual groundbreaking video for its first major development in the Woodlawn neighborhood last month, development firm Greenlining Realty featured speakers such as Pete Buttigieg, Martin Luther King III and Rev. Al Sharpton.
“I am incredibly honored to be breaking ground on the Woodlawn Pointe development, a critical step in reversing the negative effects of redlining in our communities,” said Lamell McMorris, founding principal of Greenlining Realty USA. “While this is a historic moment for our community, it is also an incredibly special time for me personally as we lead this important work in my own hometown and embark on a new path forward for Woodlawn.”
McMorris, who is a native of the West Woodlawn neighborhood, founded Greenlining Realty in 2016 to help reverse the effects of redlining on minority communities.
“Greenlining is doing such important work to help reverse the historically damaging and continuing effects of redlining and to build greater racial and economic equality,” said Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. “Tackling issues of systemic racism and correcting the inequities that have existed in this country for far too long is a defining issue for the American project in this century.”
Martin Luther King III, a human rights advocate and the oldest child of Martin Luther King, Jr., referenced his father’s well-known trip to Chicago to highlight inequality in housing. “Over fifty years ago my father came to Chicago to address the issue of housing: affordable, fair and public housing. I want to compliment Lamell and the team for continuing in the tradition of creating a scenario where the community can truly realize its dream,” he said.