Janelle Boyd’s an unusual black face in mostly white Eastwood. But she’s made a comfortable home there for herself and her boys with her determined march out of public housing and through a maze of low-wage jobs.

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None of the Mills kids have “walked” on graduation day — yet. Will a change of scenery help? They’re eyeing different schools — and a different state — in hopes at least one of the kids can chart a better future.

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James Manyang’s commute to work measured a very modest 3½ miles each way. Except he walked it. Now, he drives his own car. Most are not so lucky.

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Only a handful of African-Americans own homes in the city. For one who does, Brandiss Pearson-McIntyre, the odds were particularly long — and the rewards especially sweet.

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Rashida Mims and 9 kids cram into an unsafe house in an unsafe neighborhood. Lead threatens their health; criminals target their home. It’s the best they can do.

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Charles Rivers has lived for almost two decades in a South Side home where his family makes the most of its limited space. Like many families, they’d like a little better. But they have some odds working against them. In the hunt for better, all Rivers has found is frustration.

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