Don't Go

Tonika Lewis Johnson is a photographer and multi-media artist, and creator of the Folded Map Project. She is recipient of the 2024 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship and one of Chicago Magazine's 2017 Chicagoans of the Year.Maria Krysan is LAS Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago, and co-author of the multiple award-winning book Cycle of Segregation.

"Don't Go is a remarkable piece of work that can change how we all live. The human voices and engaging, innovative approach do more than a mountain of data ever could to bridge racial barriers. This is a powerful and compelling book."Lawrence D. Bobo, Harvard University"The first-person accounts in this book are a powerful reminder that segregation isn't just about points on a map; it's about the geography of feelings inside those growing up within its shadows. Don't Go lays this bare, while also giving space for hope that change will come – and how."Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University"This book provides a challenging but beautiful reflection on the reality that many Chicagoans know to be true but too often don't know how to talk about or address. In sharing real-life personal accounts, the book invites everyone to consider the power of stories and relationships as a weapon of separation or a tool for healing."Candace Moore, Senior Strategic Advisor at Race Forward and Inaugural Chief Equity Officer for the City of Chicago"Don't Go is the much-needed, cross-disciplinary, collaborative tome on how segregation and fear keep cities like Chicago divided. Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan frame the complex subject of racism and geography as both a deeply personal narrative and a profoundly systemic problem. As has become Johnson's signature style, in Don't Go she has masterfully blended the poetics of Black life with the very real human emotions – such as uncertainty and misinformation – that keep us all from feeling more connected."Amanda Williams, Chicago-based artist and 2022 MacArthur Fellow"Every one of us, no matter how much we're committed to racial justice and believe in racial equality, has stereotypes that we need to overcome. If you think you're immune from the stereotypes of 'dangerous Black neighborhoods,' you should read this book."Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law"... firsthand accounts provide a fascinating window into the bizarre emotionality of racism ... a deeply revealing examination of the psyche of a city."Publishers Weekly

• Foreword – Mary SchmichWhat This Book Is AboutTonika's StoryMaria's StoryThe Story of "Don't Go" – Tonika + Maria's StoryThe Sociologist's NotebookSection 1: FearGrandma's No Go Zone – Adrianne's StoryAdventures of a White Dude – Jerry's StoryDear Grandma – Jeff's StoryContext is Everything – Aleya's StoryTrains, Robbers, and Coffee – Soren's StoryFulfilling Prophecies – Danica's StoryReflections on Stories of FearSection 2: MessengersLet's Get Something on the Books – Joey's StoryRacist Worms – Eva's StoryFollowing the Pack – Tom's StoryGlitter – Zachary's StoryAt the Center of Everything – Katherine's StoryReflections on the MessengersSection 3: ShortcutsWhat Am I Supposed To Say? – Jenny's StoryHarmful Mundane/Helpful Mundane – Sara's StoryThe City Doesn't Eat You Alive – Becky's StoryThe Bubbles – Halle's StoryRent a White Lady – Caroline's StoryWhistling While You Segregate – Jamaine's StoryReflections on ShortcutsSection 4: From Hurt to HealingAccordingly – Leslie's StoryEngineering Change – Tiana's StoryFrom Mad Max to Lady Dates – Kristine's StoryCuriosity Passports – Roberto's StoryQuestions and Answers – Amy's StorySaying No to Hate – Jenny S's StoryJumping Rope – Dominic's StoryReflections on From Hurt to HealingSection 5: Taking a Step to Take One MoreTalkingFeelingActing