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Everything is Fine

Evanston, Illinois is known as one of the most liberal cities in America. Yet despite its veneer of progressivism, it is also one of the most divided. When the National YMCA passed down orders to desegregate facilities, Evanston’s White Y closed the Black Y branch. There were multiple attempts by the Black community to buy the building back, but all were denied by the White Y. Instead, the building ultimately fell into disrepair. And in 1980, the Evanston Fire Department used the historic building to practice putting out fires, burning it to the ground.

More than 40 years later, former Emerson YMCA members reminisce on the memories, heartache, and impact the demolition of the building still has on the Black community today.

  • Vanessa Kjeldsen
    Director
  • Vanessa Kjeldsen
    Writer
  • Leah Holmes
    Writer
  • Kelsey Carroll
    Writer
  • Vanessa Kjeldsen
    Producer
  • Leah Holmes
    Producer
  • Kelsey Carroll
    Producer
  • Dino Robinson
    Producer
  • Dino Robinson
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Investigative Documentary
  • Runtime:
    28 minutes 28 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 14, 2023
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Northwestern University
  • American Documentary Film Festival
    Palm Springs
    United States
    March 21, 2024
  • National Academy of Arts and Sciences
    Chicago/Midwest
    Crystal Pillar Nomination
Director Biography - Vanessa Kjeldsen

At the age of 15, Vanessa Kjeldsen premiered her first short film at SXSW in Austin, Texas. She has been in love with storytelling ever since. Kjeldsen is a recent graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She is the recipient of The 2022 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Achievement Tom Skilling Award, and has been nominated for a Chicago/Midwest Emmy for her reporting. During her time as an anchor, producer and reporter for Northwestern News Network, she was also nominated for five Student Chicago/Midwest Emmys, including Best Talent. In 2022, Kjeldsen's investigative police reporting earned the collegiate Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence. She has reported for the Washington Post, United Press International, NBC 15, and WEAU 13.

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Director Statement

During filming, the urgency of this story grew. A tragic shooting took place, taking the life of 18-year-old Jacquis Irby and critically injuring two other 15-year-olds in Evanston’s Black community. During the next city council meeting, a mother spoke, explaining through tears that the last time she saw Irby’s mother was at the funeral of another youth in the community taken by gun violence. Again and again, our subjects brought up the loss of the Emerson YMCA, and all of the other importants places in their community that have been closed and since gentrified, leaving youth with nowhere to go. This story was no longer just about an older generation’s loss of the Emerson Street Branch YMCA, the former hub of the Black community. This was the story of a loss so deep, generations some fifty years later are still impacted. This was the story of an all too widespread phenomena of displacement and erasure.

Evanston touts its progressivism and inclusion. Every street corner is peppered with Black Lives Matter signs. Yet, when it comes to preserving its historically Black community in its own backyard, it’s difficult to see what action is being taken. The shooting inspired us to connect our historical film to the present, demonstrating the maelstrom of devastating impacts the slow death of a community has on its youth. The connection to the present also took our film in a new direction, leading to a sit-down interview with Evanston’s Mayor, Daniel Biss. We talked about Evanston’s racial problems and solutions, and he demanded the community turn those signs and words into action. We asked him how and he told us he didn’t know. Meanwhile, in Evanston’s Fifth Ward (the historically Black Ward), ‘For Rent’ signs are indicators of the thousands of Black residents leaving. Storefronts are empty, and the streets are quiet. The former building that housed the Emerson YMCA was torn down and made into a condominium, and the last generation that experienced the Emerson YMCA are now entering their 90’s. These wise souls of the Black community are the last living memory of the heartache of loss and remembrance, making this story of the utmost importance to share. Their memory of Evanston’s past, both beautiful and ugly, lives on through this film.