Chicago State grad defies the odds amid Illinois budget crisis
By Branden Hampton When Felix Mitchell started his first semester at Kennedy-King College in 2014, he suddenly lost his job as a sales representative at Comcast. He received some financial aid, but was concerned about how he was going to survive without a job to pay for school. It was his second try at college. […]
Students of color talk about lack of diversity on campuses–and how to make change for the better
By Branden Hampton Recent racial incidents on local college campuses have brought to light the dissatisfaction felt by black students on predominantly white campuses. Just this week, Northwestern University made news when two students were charged with vandalism and hate crime for spray-painting racist, anti-Islamic and homophobic messages inside the Alice Millar Chapel.
Chicago State’s WCSU radio station is school’s hidden treasure
By Branden Hampton Chicago State University student and campus radio personality Thomas Hibbler says the station plays a unique role in the radio broadcasting arena. “We’re not locked into a specific genre of music. We’re not stuck into the same rotation in the music that we play,” Hibbler said. “Here at WCSU radio, we also […]
Behind The Hit Sitcom ‘227’: Hollywood Living Legend Christine Houston
By Branden Hampton Before there was a Shonda Rhimes or “Scandal,” there was someone in Hollywood that paved the way. Christine Houston, a Chicago native, is the creator of the hit 1980s sitcom “227” that aired on NBC from 1985 until 1990. She is the first African-American woman to receive a “created by” credit in […]
Tracking black ancestry: lessons from genealogist Tony Burroughs
By Branden Hampton If you think that black lives matter, then ancestors’ lives matter as well: Without them, we wouldn’t be here today, says renowned African American genealogist Tony Burroughs. “Genealogy is important for many reasons. Once you start researching your family history and finding your ancestors, you might find that some of them were […]
Black women activists focus on prison pipeline, joining the fight for social justice
By Branden Hampton Eighty percent of prison inmates report that they were in foster care as youth, and the foster care-to-prison pipeline must be dismantled, according to social justice activist Charity Tolliver. “When we look at the boom of the prison system in the ’80s, one of the systems that also exploded at the same […]
State budget cuts leave college students in limbo, some tweet Kanye West for help
By Branden Hampton Students and faculty at public colleges are furious about being left without state funding as a result of an eight-month state budget standoff that could force layoffs and program cuts. “[Legislators] can’t continue to use the taxpayers’ money and then look at the taxpayer and say, ‘Well, we don’t have any money.’ […]
City Colleges, Chicago Public Schools teachers push for elected boards
By Branden Hampton Faculty at City Colleges of Chicago are banding together with their counterparts in Chicago Public Schools to push for legislation that would bring elected boards to both districts. Both groups want to curb Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s power by ending his ability to hand-pick board members, as well as the chief executive officer […]
New Malcolm X campus offers state-of-the-art healthcare training
By Branden Hampton The state-of-the-art healthcare simulation labs at the new $251 million Malcolm X College campus will help better prepare students for careers in high-demand health science fields. The simulation emergency room, ambulatory and trauma labs will allow faculty to replicate the vital signs and other physical responses of a critically ill patient, using […]
City Colleges plans to consolidate programs sparks complaints
By Branden Hampton After numerous complaints from students and faculty, the City Colleges of Chicago has postponed the consolidation of all of its child development programs at a single campus on the North Side. The consolidation will now take place in the fall of 2018 instead of fall 2016, according to Jennifer Alexander, the faculty […]
