“Love is being able to reach beyond anything that you think is impossible, but believing that with faith, with hope, with God it is possible” — Rev. Dr. Yvonne V. Delk

At the 143rd Annual Membership Assembly (AMA), our keynote speaker, Rev. Julian Deshazier challenged us to put Love into Action, joining together for the good of those who struggle.

Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Middleton, CRS organized a groundbreaking cultural immersion and led a delegation of 13 thought and faith leaders to Palestine and Jerusalem during an ongoing war.​

"Love is the force driving us to dream and create a better world, to dismantle systems of oppression, and to build bridges instead of walls." – Rev. Avalon Betts-Gaston

At the 142nd Annual Membership Assembly (AMA), our keynote speaker, Rev. Avalon Betts-Gaston, challenged us to reimagine what’s possible when we stand together for change,.

The beauty of our 2022-2023 theme, ‘Healing as One,’ lies in the interconnectedness of humanity, hope and healing. Social justice initiatives are intertwined with our human aspirations, and our healing does not occur in isolation. As we heal, we evolve and plant seeds of hope. And this hope, in turn, drives our mission forward, uniting us in purpose, activism and in collective vision for the future.

In 2021, Community Renewal Society chose the theme Liberating Love, based on Galatians 5:13, to underscore the call to freedom and service through love. Participants gathered virtually to hear about the organization's victories in social justice and advocacy campaigns, meet board members and staff and be inspired to serve.

WE MUST BREATHE affirms the sanctity of life. There is no place for poverty and racism in our society. Together, with a collective breath, we can transform society toward greater justice, greater good and greater love. Together, as Beloved Community, we must breathe.

Try to think bigger than you ever have or had courage enough to do: that blackness is not where whiteness wanders off to die: but that it is like the dark matter between stars and galaxies in the Universe that ultimately holds it all together.

View highlights from various community engagement events, policy wins and investigative journalism accomplishments. Events include a mayoral candidate forum at an annual MLK assembly, a Day of Faith at the Capitol, and screenings of the documentary "Milwaukee 53206." Policy wins discussed are the Fair Tax amendment, the Just Housing Amendment and the historic court-enforced consent decree to reform Chicago's police department. Additionally, The Chicago Reporter built a comprehensive database of candidates seeking elected office and published various investigative pieces.

Community Renewal Society's 2017-2018 Annual Report highlights the organization's accomplishments in criminal justice reform, police accountability and investigative journalism. The report discusses the society's advocacy for restoring rights and opportunities for individuals with criminal records, as well as improving public safety and trust between civilians and the police. The Chicago Reporter, an investigative journalism initiative, focuses on confronting racial and economic inequality through data analysis and narrative storytelling. The society partners with various coalitions and foundations to work towards dismantling racism and poverty in Chicago and beyond.

CRS has undergone restructuring and leadership changes. Their current focus includes violence, criminal justice reform, employment opportunities, education funding, access to jobs and housing and police accountability. CRS is committed to cultural competency and representing Chicago's diversity.

July 21, Community Renewal Society, working with the Grassroots Alliance on Police Accountability and Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the tens of thousands of community members they represent, achieved an unprecedented victory in policing reform in Chicago with the passing of the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ECPS Ordinance. Due to the extensive involvement by the community in both the original coalitions, the ordinance is commonly known as the People’s Ordinance. The ECPS Ordinance provides the deepest level of community engagement in policing in the nation.

February 22, Pretrial Fairness Act (HB 3653) is signed by Governor Pritzker bringing an end to wealth-based pretrial incarceration in Illinois! CRS is part of the Coalition to End Money Bond which advocated for this law. When the law goes into full effect in January 2023, it will end money bond, dramatically reduce the number of people jailed pretrial and transform our state’s pretrial justice system.

January 13, Public Housing Access (SB1980 HFA 2) passed. The Public Housing Access Bill, an initiative of RRCOI which was unanimously passed by the General Assembly, creates standards for Illinois Public Housing Authorities to use in the criminal background screening process. This ensures that individuals who have been caught up by the criminal legal system have the ability to get stable housing regardless of where they live. It also shortens the “lookback” period to six months from the date of application.

January 13, Pretrial Fairness Act (HB3653 SFA 2) passed. After years of working with our partners in the Coalition to End Money Bond and Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, the state legislature passed the Pretrial Fairness Act as part of the Black Caucus’ criminal justice reform bill. Illinois is now the first state in the country to COMPLETELY eliminate money bond!

January 13, Employee Background Fairness Act (SB1480 HFA2) passed. With the passage of the Employee Background Fairness Act, state law will now provide standards for employers to follow when they consider conviction records in a person’s background. And, most importantly, this legislation makes discrimination based on a conviction record a civil rights violation under the Illinois Human Rights Act!

January 1, Housing as a Human Right (SB1780 HFA 3/PA 101-0565) goes into effect! CRS is part of the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI) which advocated for this law which makes housing discrimination against people with arrest, expunged/sealed and juvenile records illegal!

August 23, Housing as a Human Right (SB1780 HFA 3/PA 101-0565) is signed into law! CRS is part of the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI) which advocated for this law which makes housing discrimination against people with arrest, expunged/sealed and juvenile records illegal! November 21, Rules pass for a Just Housing Amendment for Cook County. With these rules, the Amendment ensures that over one million residents of Cook County will be protected against housing discrimination. The Amendment also contains significant protections for people with records.

April 25, 2019, The Just Housing Amendment became law creating equal access to housing opportunities in Cook County for people with records. May 17, CRS officially settled our lawsuit with the City of Chicago. With this settlement, CRS will have a significant future impact on crisis intervention and diversion practices of the Chicago Police Department. May 27, the Illinois General Assembly passed the constitutional amendment for the Fair Tax and Governor Pritzker signed the rates bill on June 5.

January 18, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law the Combating Illegal Gun Trafficking Act! Then that same month, on January 31, history was made in Chicago. Never before has a court-enforced consent decree to reform a city's police department been filed without the support of the U.S. Department of Justice. Here in Chicago, with the final approval of Federal Court Judge Robert Dow, the first measure of this kind became a reality.

CRS successfully advocated for the Fair Access to Employment Bill (HB 5341), which clarified that outstanding fines and fees cannot be considered in petitions to seal criminal records. This bill was signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner on August 10. Additionally, CRS hosted a Gubernatorial Candidate Forum to assess candidates' alignment with their Platform for Renewal.

CRS led the passage of Public Act 100-0284 (HB 2373), significantly expanding eligibility for felony record sealing in Illinois as part of the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois (RROCI). They also collaborated with the Responsible Budget Coalition to secure a full-year state budget with new permanent revenue, aiming to repair the damage from previous cuts and make smart investments in the future. In August 2017, CRS and partner organizations launched a lawsuit against the City of Chicago to push for police accountability.