A Trump presidency is sobering for ex-offenders

By June Leffler A week before the presidential election, Lacey Stolzke was released from jail after serving 225 days. “I was never into politics, because I was so caught up in my drug use.” At 27 years old, she’s in treatment and living at Grace House, a halfway house for female ex-offenders who are recovering […]

Hillary Clinton wins the unofficial election among people who can’t legally vote

By Pat Nabong On the days leading up to the election, ex-offenders, permanent residents, tourists, disenfranchised voters, Mexicans and immigrants who couldn’t legally vote were able to cast their ballots in unofficial voting stations. And on the night that Donald Trump became president-elect, Hillary Clinton won the unofficial election. Official Unofficial Voting Station: Voting for […]

Like they say: Chicago businesswoman shows black lingo is valuable, bankable

Model wears BLK PROVERBS Black Lives Matter t-shirt

By Jordan Gaines For those in the know, sayings like “Can I live?” and “The Only Thing I Have 2 Do Is Stay Black and Die” sums up a lot about the black experience, one that is often overlooked in the words and images that describe the American lived experience. That’s why Chicago entrepreneur Dianna […]

One win for Illinois’ immigrant communities: mobilizing new citizens

By Alexa Mencia Immigrant advocates linked arms in solidarity Wednesday morning to “resist and lead” following the jarring Election Day results. Many tried to inspire a renewed call to action for those feeling defeated by Donald Trump’s victory. Although the election of a political figure notorious for anti-immigrant rhetoric may seem like a setback, immigrant […]

Become a Lego architect at Brick-by-Brick exhibition

By Catherine Chen The Brick-by-Brick exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry features more than a dozen giant, Lego-built engineering marvels and provides a stage for children to explore science and architecture. The Legos create a 60-foot-long Golden Gate Bridge, the International Space Station, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Hoover Dam, the Colosseum […]

Chicago Humanities Festival brings you literary luminaries and a whole lot more

Jonathan Lethem - CHF

By Grant Rindner You could be forgiven for thinking that the Chicago Cubs’ World Series cliffhanger and subsequent Game 7 victory marked the city’s  signature cultural event of the past few weeks. But in nooks of the city such as Francis W. Parker School in Lincoln Park or Northwestern University’s Cahn Auditorium, crowds of local […]

Play election phone banking Bingo

Phone banking event at University of Chicago targeting South Asians

By Jingzhe (Kelly) Wang Medill reporter Kelly Wang knows first hand what the frustrations and triumphs are in volunteering for an election phone bank. Play phone banking Bingo with her. [vimeo 190894817 w=474]

Illinois stands with her – and her, and her and her

washingtonpoll

By Maryam Saleh A tumultuous election year wound down in wild but appropriate fashion early Wednesday, with several critical races still too close to call. One thing’s for certain, though: Female candidates came out on top across the state. As results in the presidential contest rolled in, neither Republican Donald Trump nor Democrat Hillary Clinton […]