StoryCorps Chicago: Former alderman says it sometimes felt like a ‘useless task’

StoryCorps Chicago: Former alderman says it sometimes felt like a ‘useless task’

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Freddrenna Lyle grew up in the Park Manor neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Back then the area felt like a true community, she says. Neighbors looked out for each other and everyone took a communal sense of pride in the children on their block. Today Lyle is a circuit court judge in Cook County, but for more than a decade she served as alderman of the Sixth Ward. As part of our StoryCorps series, she recently sat down with 16-year-old Parris Harris and told her what she enjoyed about being alderman.

This story was recorded in partnership with Chicago Cares and the Gary Comer Youth Center.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from the current visit, as well as from previous trips.