The West Side of Chicago holds a special place in my heart and you know what else does? Black women. Today, I celebrate International Women’s Day by highlighting Samantha Callender, the new Delores McCain and Terry Dean Community Narrative Reporter for Austin Weekly.
New grants have been made available to offer pandemic assistance to small businesses operated by people of color on Chicago’s West Side. The Support West program will provide $5,000 in relief to businesses who apply before the deadlines close on February 28th.
This year, celebrate Black History Month by taking a virtual tour of its founding location, a YMCA in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Tours of this historical Chicago landmark are being organized by The Renaissance Collaborative, a Bronzeville social impact organization through their Living Landmark Friendraiser.
Read MoreAs Mayor Lori Lightfoot changes the city's phases in response to COVID-19, rideshare workers are maneuvering through uncertain times.
Read More(Disclaimer: This article is an editorial of a firsthand account. Names have been changed to protect the identity of all involved parties)
While the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and small businesses are going through an interesting time. Some small businesses are coming up with different solutions to keep an income going.
Read MoreNearly 20 years ago, Brenda Palms Barber, the executive director of the North Lawndale employment Network (NLEN), knew that in order to create a successful business focusing on employing previously incarcerated men and women she had to create a company that would match their skill set.
Read More"Juneteenth is a day to remind us of how far we've come in 400 years, and our continued fight for liberation for the next 400," says LaCreshia Birts, 30, petitioning for Juneteenth to become an official city holiday. Birt is the Initiator of The Black Remembrance Project, an advocacy group in Chicago advocating for the proper recognition of Juneteenth and to establish an annual Juneteenth celebration in Chicago’s downtown.
Read MoreGet your helmets ready because another e-scooter trail may be coming back to Chicago sometime in 2020.
Read MoreThe city of Chicago boasted in an April 2019 press release that two-thirds of the city has access to rental bikes through its partnership with Divvy, however, based on the cycling giant’s community investment to date West Side residents are still waiting for their opportunity to ride like everyone else.
Read MoreOne week in jail for marijuana possession was all it took for aspiring correctional officer Andrea NaTay Drane to be shut out of a world of opportunities forever.
“Though I was in jail for one week, I was in mentally in jail for seven years,” says Drane.
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