Panelists discuss telling black stories in a white America at Chicago Urban League Summit 2018

By Arlana Shikongo,  Education and Youth Beat Editor, The Real Chi & Ebony Ellis, Economic Justice Reporter, The Real Chi

On June 28, the Chicago Urban League hosted their first inaugural educational forum. “The Stories We Tell: A Forum on African-American Narratives” was geared towards their Race and Equity Initiative, which was born of a need for conversations about African-American youth, adults and communities; and the ways in which formal and informal policies have shaped their lives and experiences.

The day consisted of three panel discussions which included Chicago activists, organizers, artists and other networks of people who work in communities on the South- and West side that are continually affected by economic divestment and unaccomodating policy. Youth artists from Young Authors Chicago, Free Write Arts and Literacy, and Kuumba Lynx entertained the crowd with a varying range of performances.