Asiaha Butler is a longtime resident of Greater Englewood and is determined to uplift, inspire and change the perception of her neighborhood, which is often seen as a death trap. Butler has served on various boards and councils to ensure residents have a voice to address issues that face the community. Through her leadership she was able to work with educators, concerned citizens, and parents to develop a comprehensive educational plan for schools in the community as well as engage residents in plans grounded in community planning and development. Butler received her Master Degree in Inner City Studies Education at Jacob Carruthers Center of Northeastern University Illinois.
In November of 2010, she mobilized residents and co-founded the Resident Association of Greater Englewood also known as R.A.G.E., which she currently serves as Executive Director. The mission of R.A.G.E is to mobilize people and resources to force a change in the community. The primary focus areas for R.A.G.E. is Education, Youth Development, Economic Development and Civic Empowerment. She served as the Action Champion/Chair of the Englewood Quality of Life Housing and Public Spaces Task Force, leads the Buy the Block Home Ownership Program and R.A.G.E. served as the lead organization for the Englewood Public Safety Task Force for two years. Butler recently founded her own real estate development company to ensure that housing development in Englewood happens from the bottom up to avoid gentrification or displacement of current residents. Under Butler’s leadership, R.A.G.E. recently launched the R.A.G.E. Economic Upliftment Program (The Re-Up), which is laser focused on commercial and residential real estate development, homeownership and developing innovative strategies to help create pathways to generational wealth. With countless recognitions and awards for her leadership, Butler has become one of the most recognized and powerful voices from the Englewood community. You can learn more about the work of RAGE at www.ragenglewood.org.