Set for Oct. 5 in Pilsen, the Brown Skin Lady Show is all about embracing change as the city transitions toward the fall season.
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Destiny Harris emceed the night of the Report Release on Aug. 29 for No Cop Academy, an endeavor that is being led by black youth demanding that the proposed $95 million being allocated to build the Joint Public Safety Training Academy in West Garfield Park be redirected to Chicago Public Schools.
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The newly-renovated Woodson Regional Library got more than just a facelift. After a nine-million dollar restoration, the library is set to become the city’s first dementia-friendly library.
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Incarceration affects many black and brown people in Chicago, whether prosecuted or not. One of the forces in Chicago actively working towards dismantling the criminal justice system is an organization run and lead by students.
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Nearly four years after Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, the Van Dyke trial began just this month. The prosecution rested its case last week. Now, the defense begins its attempt to prove Van Dyke was justified in shooting McDonald 16 times. As the trial nears its end, Chicago waits for the verdict with baited breath.
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Rising from her seat in the middle of William Penn Elementary School’s small library, a young mother looked over her shoulder, sighed, and pleaded, “Please stop taking my pencils out of my pencil box.”
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There currently exist many organizations aimed at helping Chicagoans navigate the city’s medical marijuana program, but most are sponsored by cannabis companies in Illinois and very few groups service the South and West Sides of the city. Black and brown folks stand to benefit just as much from access to cannabis as anyone else, but they are readily skipped over by many advocacy organizations.
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West Side residents looking to explore their inner farmer can attend the Garfield Park Conservatory between noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15 for the seventh annual Harvest Day. The recommended donation for attending the event is $5. Hosted by the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, the event will be a family-friendly celebration of urban agriculture in the city of Chicago.
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Every year, thousands of spectators gather in Little Village and cheer “Viva Mexico” during the 26th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade. This year, amid separation of families at the border and deportations in the Latino community, another message underlied the event: that families should not be split up.
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In theory, legal possession and use of pot in Illinois could bring balance to the way it's policing disproportionately affects black and brown folks. But those communities stand to suffer the same systemic barriers in a recreational system that they already face within the medical one. With the city possibly on the brink of ending its prohibition on cannabis, Chicagoans on the South and West Sides are working to ensure that black and brown communities aren’t left out.
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In a small, dimly lit art gallery in Pilsen, a projected video montage of prior concerts, fashion shows, and gallery parties plays in a loop on the main room’s western wall, while a rotating cast of DJs spin a high-octane blend of contemporary hip-hop. Partygoers comfortably trade laughs and dance moves in equal measure, soaking in their last night at the influential AMFM art gallery.
On the early morning of Sept. 5, Jason Van Dyke entered the Leighton Criminal Courthouses surrounded by an entourage that included his fellow police officers. Jury selection began Wednesday for Van Dyke’s trial.
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Carolyn Vessel grew up poor in the West Side of Chicago as the oldest of five children. She was raised by a single mother, who worked hard to make sure that they had a place to live and food on the table. More than that, Vessel received support from her mother, especially when it came to getting a solid education, and viewed her as a role model.
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Ramiro Rodriguez, pastor of Amor de Dios church, got a call on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 26 informing him about the house fire in Little Village. The caller asked that his church pray for those who died and their families.
By the evening of Aug. 28, the basement of the church was filled with volunteers organizing donations for the families affected by the house fire, which claimed the lives of ten children.
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The Visibility Project was held July 26th by Girl/Friends of a Long Walk Home in Douglas Park on Chicago’s Westside. The events purpose was to uplift and encourage Black Girls to be their true selves and comfortable in their own skin regardless of society’s negative prejudgements.
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Dianna Long remembers what it was like to be a young artist and discover her own creativity for the very first time. She was drawn to the idea of creating something with her hands all while using her imagination as the tool, and she became even more thrilled when others began noticing her passion and talent.
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Less than a month after he kicked off the first #IncreaseThePeace campout of 2018, community organizer Cutberto ‘Berto’ Aguayo has announced he will be running for 15th Ward Alderman in the 2019 municipal election.
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On August 2, Jewish Voice for Peace organized a rally outside of the Chicago Sinai Congregation in opposition to both the Anti-Defamation League’s support for a rebranding effort for the state of Israel and the organization’s training programs for American police.
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