CPS plan to close top performing, majority black school is halted by courts, and later dropped altogether
Read More
In the early hours of the morning, hundreds of teachers and thousands of families finally got word that today would not be just another Tuesday. Unionized educators from 15 Acero charter schools walked picket lines instead of hallways today, after calling the first-ever charter school strike in American history over true sanctuary schools and better teaching conditions.
Read More
Earlier this month, teens from across the city of Chicago came out to St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in the Lincoln Park neighborhood for UCAN’s fourth annual Youth Peace Summit. The daylong event held four peer-led workshops, which paved the way for conversations on diversity, mental health and leadership.
Read More
The Bloc, a non-profit youth boxing club in North Lawndale, pairs mentorship with training in boxing for kids on the West Side of Chicago. Launched by Jamyle Cannon, the program offers a safe place for kids to go after school to do homework, learn discipline, and maximize their potential. Modeled after its success at DRW, the Bloc is now in the process of starting two new programs at Frazier Preparatory Academy and the KIPP One Academy.
Read More
According to Rev. Celeste Groff, gardening is good for the body. A pastor at North Lawndale’s Chicago First Church of Brethren and caretaker of New Horizons Community Garden, she knows firsthand that the key to growth involves care. Especially for Groff, gardening is not just about reaping the benefits of fruits and vegetables.
Read More
As hundreds of Bridgeport-area parishioners walked out of St. Barbara Parish, there was no choir singing and no priest standing by the exit to bless them goodbye. Many were upset after learning of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s plans to close and merge several churches and their respective schools in Bridgeport, Canaryville and Chinatown as part of an initiative to alleviate financial strains and priest shortages.
Read More
Advocates and community members from southwest Chicago gathered at the City Hall Nov. 14 to urge officials to support a $25 million budget amendment for long-term mental health services and push for the reopening of several public mental health clinics that were closed in 2012.
Read More
Most mental health facilities involve white rooms, kleenex boxes, and an overall “clinical” feel. Kanesha Walker Amaro, is the founder and CEO of consulting firm “Flipped Conscious. She is creating opportunities for mental health to be dissected in black and brown communities that feels more comfortable. Her tool of choice is improv, though the exact relationship between improv and mental health is still being discovered.
Read More
Winter is almost here, and the beekeepers of Chicago's West Side are stepping up to prepare their bees for the bitter cold. This is how they are keeping their bees warm, healthy, and well fed until the spring.
Read More
Facing constant battles with mental health, Angelica Lewis, a resident of North Lawndale, turned to her yoga mat to find inner peace and balance. She began visiting area yoga studios, but while there, she often found herself displaced. Lewis said she’s a curvier woman, and most classes or instructors weren’t considerate of her body’s needs.
Read More
Seven-year-old Kailyn McIntire twirled the brand new hair extensions that she tied into her braids. “I have pink hair!” She squealed. McIntire won the hair accessories just minutes before in one of the many raffles offered at the Safe and Peaceful Community Rally.
Read More
Fiona Bradley didn’t know what to do when she saw a passenger sprawled out on the train’s floor at two in the morning.
Read More
On Friday October 12th, Garfield Park Conservatory hosted their annual plant-based fashion show, FLEUROTICA. A visually stunning event, FLEUROTICA combined bio-degradable materials with the aesthetics of runway fashion. Here’s what the evening looked like.
Read More
City Limits is a series from The Real Chi profiling artists who are not only pushing the culture forward with their work but actively working in their communities to better the city of Chicago.
Read More
It’s not yet the holiday season but Damon Locks thought Chicago deserved a gift. On Nov. 15, Locks and the Black Monument Ensemble will present “Where Future Unfolds – Flowers for Chicago,” a sprawling 80-minute music-and-dance performance hosted at the Garfield Park Conservatory as part of the month-long Red Bull Music Festival.
Read More
Last month, the Garfield Park Conservatory hosted its annual FLEUROTICA runway show, where floral designers from across the Chicagoland were given the opportunity to showcase garments made entirely of plants, flowers, and organic materials.
Read More
First Defense Legal Aid is determined to de-escalate police-related violence and educate Westside community members about their rights when encountering police. The kickoff event for the 24 ward’s “Know Your Rights” campaign took place on Oct. 13 at the Austin Health Center.
Read More
It’s 3 p.m. on the West Side, and Marie Henderson has managed to dodge the biggest news of the day: Mayor Rahm Emanuel isn’t running for re-election. Even the broadcasters themselves were shocked by Emanuel’s announcement.
Read More
Despite similar marijuana usage across all racial groups, Chicago has seen incommensurately more arrests and tickets given in black and brown neighborhoods than in predominantly white ones, even since its possession was decriminalized in the city in 2012.
Read More