December 23, 2025
I woke up this morning with a spirit of gratitude. Perhaps it was the anticipation of having time to rejuvenate and spend time with family and friends. Or maybe it was the reflection on how people show up for each other in community every day. Or it could just be my general disposition towards optimism shining through. But I woke up with joy!
I am not naïve. This year has been challenging for many in our community and around the world. We have seen violence, hunger, diminished healthcare, racism and antisemitism rear their ugly heads in countless ways. At the same time, I am encouraged by the way that we have shown up for each other every day. And that has been my touchpoint in the season when many focus on gifts and giving.
It is a blessing and privilege to work with an amazing team for the people of Chicagoland. Every day, our board and staff play a small part in assisting people who work to transform their lives through our business coaching, career counseling, financial advice, leadership training, and sharing important data about Black and other underserved communities. While data provides evidence of our impact, the personal stories from our clients feed our excitement to do more. Over the next few days, I hope you will understand as we take time to renew our energy to pursue our mission with even more zeal.
During this time of year, we often wish people “season’s greetings” or “happy holidays,” acknowledging that we celebrate in many traditions. In my study of those traditions, there are common threads of love, hope, joy and faith. None of these sentiments give us license to ignore the challenges that we see and experience; they merely say that we choose to focus on our ability to persevere—to overcome—to keep pressing forward in the face of what can sometimes seem to be insurmountable odds. They represent our decision to choose collective work and responsibility over chaos and defeat.
So, whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or whether your tradition includes a combination of these beliefs or none at all, we wish you the best of this season, thank you for joining in community with us and look forward to working with you towards a better community in 2026. And I hope you will join me in approaching each day with joy.
Karen Freeman-Wilson
President & CEO, Chicago Urban League
