And the University of Chicago has announced it will build a Level 1 adult trauma center for the South Side on its Hyde Park Medical Center. The South Side has been without a Level 1 adult trauma center since 1991, forcing residents of communities with a disproportionate amount of gun violence to travel the furthest for life-saving care. Black youth from the South Side of Chicago have waged a more than five-year-long campaign demanding the University of Chicago build this trauma center, staging dozens of protests, lockdowns and other actions. The movement was sparked by the 2010 death of 18-year-old activist Damian Turner, who was shot only blocks from the University of Chicago, but who had to travel all the way to another hospital downtown, where he died. Organizer Veronica Morris-Moore explained the significance of Thursday’s announcement.

Veronica Morris-Moore: “It means that black lives matter. It’s not just a hashtag, and it’s not just a movement. It is a reputable source for political changes. It means that people who believe that racism exists within the institutions, within the policies of this country have to organize with folks who believe what they believe and find a common issue to fight for that addresses the day-to-day lives of black people. The university has conceded its power to the demands of young black people and the people that have supported them and the community that they represent.”