Physicist Bryan Ramson, 37, purchased a four-flat in Garfield Park in 2019. When he witnessed illicit activity disrupting the block. He took action. Now he runs the local block club and was elected to the Chicago Police District Council for District 11. Credit: Akilah Townsend for Illinois Answer Project

Binghui Huang is an investigative reporter covering economic and equity issues in Chicago. She previously covered health and business at the Indianapolis Star. With more than a decade in local news, she has uncovered dangerous carcinogenic pollution by a medical device maker, investigated worker abuses in RV factories and revealed shoddy work by workplace safety inspectors due to decades of underfunding and cuts to the department. Her reporting has prompted changes in business practices, legislative reform and increased funding to critical programs.