When the Market Isn’t
an Option Zine Series

When the Market Isn’t an Option is our four-part zine series that unpacks U.S. housing history, including redlining, neoliberal housing policies, and community activism. These histories are interwoven with oral history excerpts that exemplify public housing residents’ resilience and power

When the Market Isn’t An Option Image of Zine Cover

Click each zine cover to read the issue. If you’re interested in owning a physical copy of the zines, follow the link below to head over to the Corner Store Co-op, the museum’s resident-owned and operated store, to buy your copy online.

Buy your copies here.

Programmatic Archive Activation

Volume I: Land Sale Contracts

The first volume of the series, “Land Sale Contracts” connects to and features the work of previous Artist as Instigator Tonika Lewis Johnson. Tonika and the team spotlight and unpack the legal theft of Black wealth through racist real estate practices during the 1950s and 60s.

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Programmatic Archive Activation

Volume II: Public Housing Disinvestment

This volume, “Public Housing Disinvestment,” looks at the creation of public housing and the gradual disinvestment on the federal and local levels—especially as more Black residents moved into public housing.

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Programmatic Archive Activation

Volume III: Public Housing Deterioration

This volume, “Public Housing Deterioration,” looks at how the conditions of public housing degraded between the 1970s to the present day due to disinvestment, neglect, and the so-called “War on Drugs.” This zine also looks at the depiction of public housing in popular culture and the impact of demolition on public housing communities.

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Programmatic Archive Activation

Volume IV: Public Housing Displacement

This volume, Public Housing Displacement, assesses the ongoing demolition and privatization of public housing and their effects on the state of public housing across the country.

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About this Archive Activation

In 2021, NPHM staff collaborated with faculty and students of the Policy Research Collaborative (PRC) at Roosevelt University to develop a partnership which resulted in the creation of the zine series. The class used collaborative research and creative scholarship methodologies, engaging with the Museum as a critical resource to bridge between arts & culture, and creative public policy-making.

The cohort of interns recruited from this class worked with the Museum’s community partners, including the 2021 Artist as Instigator Tonika Lewis Johnson and her Inequity for Sale project, to conduct interviews and utilize stories from our Oral History Archive to develop policy interventions around housing security, housing discrimination, and the racial wealth gap, some of the most pressing issues of our time.

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What’s a zine?

The origins of zines, or fanzines, go back to the 1930s science fiction fans self-publishing their own stories in response to their favorite novels, creating their own distribution and publishing networks. During the 60s, zines became an influential source of information for social and political activists, using creative power to illuminate important conversations and perspectives. Their distribution networks were complex and helped to exchange ideas in a pre-Internet era.

Meet the Zine Team

Juanairis Castaneda

(she / they)

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Juanairis Castaneda

(she / they)

Juanaris is a lifetime resident of Logan Square. An alumni to Monroe Middle school (‘14) and Lane Tech College Prep (‘18). As of 2022, she was a first-generation Undergraduate student at Roosevelt University double majoring in History and International Studies. Juanairis has worked with After School Matters and Logan Square Neighborhood Association’s partnered Youth Leadership Institute (Summer ‘17 & ‘18) to propose affordable housing and bring city funding to neighborhood schools. Her current personal study focus is the impacts of gentrification. She is the oldest of three and daughter of immigrants. Their life goal is to open a cafe lounge / library sometime in the future.
Jack Werner

(he / him)

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Jack Werner

(he / him)

Jack, as of 2022 was in his final year at Roosevelt University in Chicago. A Political Science major, one of his areas of focus has been studying and analyzing housing policies and practices both historic and contemporary. Aside from this project, Jack serves on the board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Kane county, which advocates for support for, education of, and erasing the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Sophia Gallo

(she / they)

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Sophia Gallo

(she / they)

Sophia, as of 2022, was a senior at Roosevelt University studying sociology and women and gender studies. In addition to their work with housing, Gallo is passionate about environmental justice and works towards creating a more sustainable university. In her free time, Gallo also enjoys drawing, painting, sewing, and exploring other art mediums.
Alexyss Wofford

(she / her)

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Alexyss Wofford

(she / her)

Alexyss, as of 2022, was a senior at Roosevelt University. She is majoring in English with a minor in Sociology. She enjoys listening to podcasts in her free time.
Victoria M. Limón

(she / her)

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Victoria M. Limón

(she / her)

Victoria, as of 2022, was a third-year clinical psychology doctoral student at Roosevelt University and a Graduate Assistant at the RU Office of Student Research. Her clinical interests include working with the correctional population from a compassion-focused therapeutic approach and improving mental health care in the correctional system. Her advocacy interests include prison reform, reducing mass incarceration, and improving public housing policies that impact formerly incarcerated individuals.