Local band blends east and west to get people dancing and talking
By Nikita Mandhani FunkaDesi is a Chicago-based band that represents diverse ethnic communities through its members, music and fan base. The band is a six-time winner of the Chicago Music Awards and combines Indian music with western trends. [vimeo 162015929 w=474] A FunkaDesi performance uses music to enhance deeper conversations about unity and diversity. (Nikita […]
Chicago dancer and musician discovers her heritage one step at a time
By Elyse Samuels Lorena Iniguez started her artistic career in dance, carrying on her father’s love for Mexican folk dance. Iniguez now plays more than ten instruments and performs with the Grammy-nominated Mexican folk group, Sones de Mexico Ensemble. [vimeo 162582604 w=474]
Becoming Velicity: A journey into drag
By Kat Lonsdorf Matt Kyle moved to Chicago from South Dakota about a decade ago. Six years earlier he started performing in drag. “I was drawn to all the glam, the rhinestones, the sequins, the glitter,” said Kyle as he sat in a dressing room in the basement of Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville, one of his regular […]
Obama talks bipartisanship and empathy as he presses case for Supreme Court nominee
Text by Anna Boisseau and Enrica Nicoli Aldini Photo and video by Brendan Hickey Barack Obama’s homecoming at the University of Chicago on April 7, where he taught for 11 years, was more than just a return to his roots in constitutional law. The president’s remarks echoed early campaign promises to bring together both sides […]
Wrigley Field racing to add the finishing touches before opening day
By Caley Chelios It’s that time of the year again! Cubs opening day is right around the corner, but the big question is, will Wrigley Field be ready on time? Construction crews are working tirelessly inside and outside the stadium to make sure everything is ready to go for fans to enjoy the big game […]
How small short-term loans draw vulnerable borrowers into big long-term debt
By Siri Bulusu KANSAS CITY, Mo.– Elliott Clark was working a shift as a security guard when his daughter called to tell him his wife had broken her ankle in two places. She would need surgery to implant a metal plate and two screws in her foot. Over the following six months, his wife rehabilitated […]
Assyrians around the world ring in the new year with hope for a new spring
By Hannah Gebresilassie Assyrians in Chicago, and around the world, celebrate Kha b-Nisan, or the Assyrian new year. Milad Shaer, owner of Milo’s Pita, joined thousands in a Chicago-held parade to celebrate 7,000 years of Assyrian heritage. Their ancestry traces back to the ancient Assyrian empire in the prehistoric Middle East and present day Iraq, […]
Obama brings fight for Supreme Court nominee to Chicago
By Max Greenwood President Barack Obama returned to his old constitutional bastion of the University of Chicago Law School on Thursday to pitch his case for his Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland. “Merrick Garland is an extraordinary jurist who is indisputably qualified to serve on the highest court in the land, and no one […]
#WHERESTHEJUSTICE: Muslim students talk about social justice from an Islamic perspective
By Jasmine M. Ellis Students at Loyola University Chicago are learning more about the Muslim community through Islam Appreciation Week. Hosted by the Muslim Student Association, the organization is focusing on social justice from an Islamic perspective. Using #WHERESTHEJUSTICE students are contributing to the conversation by sharing what social justice issues matter most to them. […]
Clay masks to remember the kidnapped students of Ayotzinapa
By Iacopo Luzi The Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois Chicago held an art workshop to remember the 43 Mexican students who disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero on September 26, 2014. After 2 and a half years, the students are still missing. It’s not clear if they were kidnapped and killed by a Mexican […]