When Food Stamps Fall Short, Local Pantries Step In
By Anna Boisseau The well-stocked food pantry at St. Ignatius Church saw few visitors on Wednesday at the start of January. According to volunteer Anita Goldstein that is because, as patrons can only visit once a month, they generally come towards the end once Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and paychecks have run out. […]
Gallery founder aims to raise awareness of sexual abuse through art
By Carlos D. Williamson Jean Cozier didn’t know she’d be the owner of an art gallery at 61 – let alone one that showcased the works of survivors of sexual abuse and rape. Cozier still isn’t sure this is what she was meant to do. She just knows she can’t stop.
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 […]
Women Wrestlers Aim for Olympic Stage
By Carlos D. Williamson Most women simply aren’t encouraged to participate in male-dominated sports. Even the few who do won’t get the opportunity to represent their country in the Olympics. But Victoria Anthony may be the exception. The 24-year-old freestyle wrestler said she’s been competing for 10 years and has had her mind set on […]
Civil Rights Legend: Black Lives Mattered — Then and Now
By Jasmine M. Ellis In the age of Black Lives Matter and #SayHerName movements, America’s current racial climate eerily mirrors its past, according to renowned civil rights activist Diane Nash. “My contemporaries had you in mind when we reacted,” said Nash, keynote speaker for Northwestern University’s campus observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday […]
Liberation Library empowers youth in prison with books of their own (video)
By Xiao Lyu In a temporary place on the Near West Side, a small group of volunteers made bookmarks and wrote notes for a pack of books ready to be shipped to three juvenile detention centers in Illinois. Having struggled for a while about what to write, first-time volunteer Paul Dailing chose some simple personal […]
Food Insecurity Screenings to Expand to Chicago Suburbs
By Anna Boisseau Cook County will expand a pilot nutrition program into a second health clinic in the Chicago suburbs in early February. Doctors first began the process of questioning pediatric patients about their access to food at the Logan Square Health Center in September. After the success of the initial program, the Greater Chicago […]
Chicago festival celebrates hip-hop arts’ positive impact
By Marisa Endicott Some might claim that “hip-hop is dead,” but the 7th Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip Hop Arts this Saturday suggested otherwise. “If you go to the spaces, if you go to the open mics, it is alive and well,” said Damon Williams, a performer and activist emceeing for the event. […]
Survivors of Human Trafficking Heal Through Art
By Carlos D. Williamson An art gallery on Chicago’s Northwest Side that typically showcases the work of survivors of sexual abuse and rape is helping support a new cause. The Awakenings Foundation Center and Gallery is featuring an exhibit that shows the artwork of survivors of human trafficking. While most survivors of trafficking have been […]
Chicagoland nonprofit saves dogs, helps veterans
By Brendan Hickey Jonathan Cooper returned to his home in Chicago after two military tours in the Middle East alive but injured. His back was broken and his mobility severely limited. With the help of a cane he was able to walk but fell constantly, injuring himself further. His disability ruled his life until he […]
