• At Shane Campbell, another great Japanese art exhibit to see this summer

    Painter Yui Yaegashi is the subject of a solo show, and she also curates a charming supplement.Between "Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg" at the Museum of Contemporary Art and "Then They Came for Me" at Alphawood Gallery, local residents can encounter a major contemporary Japanese artist and learn about some of the history of Japanese life in America. Yet over at Shane Campbell Gallery in the South Loop there's a show with a Japanese painter as its focus that has received less atte
  • Former CPS Student Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith Talks Chicago School Board Run

    Che Rhymefest Smith (Photo Provided).
    Writer, rapper, artist, activist, entrepreneur, teacher and leader—these words aptly describe Che “Rhymefest” Smith. 
    Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Rhymefest’s life is deeply intertwined with the city’s rich culture. Having attended Bryn Mawr Elementary School (later renamed Bouchet Academy) and graduating from South Shore High School, Rhymefest’s educational journey provided firsthand insight into the
  • Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, and screening could save many lives − if more people could access it

    Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, and screening could save many lives − if more people could access it
    Lung cancer screening typically involves a low-dose CT scan. Adobe Stock Photoby Nina Thomas, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
    Many medical organizations have been recommending lung cancer screening for decades for those at high risk of developing the disease.
    But in 2022, less than 6% of people in the U.S. eligible for screening actually got screened. Compared with other common cancer screenings, lung cancer screening rates fall terribly behind. For comparison, the screening rate
  • Man Pulls Gun On Pastor Mid-Sermon, Police Later Find Dead Body in Home

    Man Pulls Gun On Pastor Mid-Sermon, Police Later Find Dead Body in Home
    Photo: Getty Images
    A Pennsylvania pastor had a gun pulled on him by a man who police later discovered had a dead body in his home.
    On Sunday (May 5), Glenn Germany was delivering a sermon at Jesus’ Dwelling Place Church in North Braddock when suspected gunman Bernard Junior Polite attempted to shoot him, per PEOPLE.
    Polite’s gun “failed to discharge,” allowing a congregation member and Germany to “subdue and disarm” him before anyone was injured.
    Polite is fa
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  • This Week In Black History May 8-14, 2024

    This Week In Black History May 8-14, 2024
    MAY 8
    1858—The first play by an Afri­can-American writer is published. The play was titled “The Escape” and the author was William Wells Brown.1925—The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was found­ed. It would become the leading Black-led trade union organization in America. In addition to intro­ducing unionism to African Amer­icans, the ability to travel to cities throughout the country enabled the porters to become a major ve­hicle of communications
  • Rev. Jesse Jackson To Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor At 2024 Men Of Excellence Ceremony

    Rev. Jesse Jackson To Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor At 2024 Men Of Excellence Ceremony
    This year’s Induction Ceremony Honors Exemplary Black Men in the Chicagoland Community at the Tinley Park Convention Center on June 14, 2024.
    Chicago, Illinois – Rev. Jesse Jackson, the revered Civil Rights icon, will receive the lifetime achievement honor at The Chicago Defender’s 17th Annual Men of Excellence ceremony.
    Few have accomplished what Rev. Jackson has. From his work with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Operation Breadbasket to launching two civil rights organizations a
  • For the late Christina Ramberg, collecting was part of her practice

    For the late Christina Ramberg, collecting was part of her practice
    The late Christina Ramberg’s paintings, drawings, and quilts are showcased in a gorgeous and long-overdue retrospective at the Art Institute, on view until August 11. Rather than explore Ramberg’s trenchant themes of gender and the body, I’d like to focus on her personal archive, pieces of which are displayed here. As an artist who also […]
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  • Navigating FAFSA Delays: Students Talk Scholarships, Embrace Resilience

    Navigating FAFSA Delays: Students Talk Scholarships, Embrace Resilience
    Credit: OneGoal
    For years, students nationwide have relied on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as a gateway to their educational dreams. 
    Whether submitted physically or online, this vital form stands as a beacon of hope for current and prospective college students, opening doors to essential financial assistance. FAFSA isn’t just a form; it’s a lifeline, offering avenues to affordable or even free college education through scholarships, grants and student lo
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  • Mothering the Movement connects past and future

    Mothering the Movement connects past and future
    In the first scene of Mothering the Movement, seven members of Free Street Theater’s youth ensemble riff on what mothers mean to them. On opening night, it was clear that some had their own mothers in the audience, giving special meaning to their tributes. It’s a touching, personal way to begin a play about Hazel […]
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  • Prelude to a Kiss highlights old souls in a fresh package

    Prelude to a Kiss highlights old souls in a fresh package
    It’s amazing that this play about old souls moves along at such a brisk pace.  Theatre Above the Law’s new production of Craig Lucas’s romantic comedy/drama Prelude to a Kiss is intentionally staged with no props or scenery. Director Tony Lawry’s notes say that’s to let the audience “dine on the sustenance inside this story.” […]
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  • Judgment Day is amusing but slight

    Judgment Day is amusing but slight
    “Jerry, just remember, it’s not a lie, if you believe it.” Jason Alexander doesn’t repeat this famous George Costanza line from Seinfeld in Rob Ulin’s morality comedy, Judgment Day, now in a world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. But he may as well. So much else in this play (directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel), which […]
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  • Panther in the Sky tackles gun violence

    Panther in the Sky tackles gun violence
    Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble and CIRCA-Pintig’s collaborative piece, Panther in the Sky, written by Lani T. Montreal and directed by Mignon McPherson Stewart, tackles difficult subject matter. Through its one-hour production, Panther grapples with gun violence, its victims, and the families (specifically the mothers) they leave behind, from the perspective of BIPOC moms and their sons. […]
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  • Prospective Student Shot & Killed By Stray Bullet While Visiting HBCU

    Prospective Student Shot & Killed By Stray Bullet While Visiting HBCU
    Photo: GoFundMe
    A prospective student was shot and killed by a stray bullet at Delaware State University
    Camay Mitchell De Silva, 18, was fatally shot on April 21 while staying with a friend who attended Delaware State University, per PEOPLE. According to a GoFundMe page set up by De Silva’s family, the teen, who had previously attended Morgan State University, was considering enrollment at Delaware State to pursue cybersecurity.
    Gunshots rang out at roughly 1:40 a.m. on April 21. Officers
  • Black Man Pushed In Lake By Friend, Left Underwater For 10 Minutes: Lawyer

    Black Man Pushed In Lake By Friend, Left Underwater For 10 Minutes: Lawyer
    Photo: Facebook
    A Louisiana family is seeking answers after their son nearly drowned in Lake D’Arbonne, KSLA reports.
    Christopher “Chris” Gilbert was at a lakefront restaurant in Farmerville with a group of friends when the near-death experience occurred.
    Gilbert’s family and their lawyer, Claudia Payne, claim he was pushed into the lake and left underwater for nearly 10 minutes.
    Payne said the friend group had initially told police and Gilbert’s mom that he had fal
  • MR. SONNY KNOWS for May 8, 2024

    MR. SONNY KNOWS for May 8, 2024
    The post MR. SONNY KNOWS for May 8, 2024 appeared first on Chicago Defender.
  • ‘Straight Words’: 4 Differences Between Trump and Cousin Ray Ray in Court

    By Naba’a Muhammad, Contributing Columnist
    The judge in the Trump hush-money case in New York, which revolves around charges the GOP boss paid off a porn star to keep an affair quiet and lied about it to flim-flam voters, has gotten a ton of media coverage. Judge Juan M. Merchan told the presidential hopeful that “…violations of a gag order barring Trump from inflammatory out-of-court comments about witnesses, jurors, and others closely connected to the case could result in ja
  • Bally’s Chicago Outpaces the Market for the Month of April

    Bally’s Chicago Outpaces the Market for the Month of April
    Bally’s Chicago Casino outpaced the market for the month of April with gross gaming revenue of $12.2M. Additionally, admissions were strong, and rewards enrollment continued to increase during this period. Exciting new amenities are also on the horizon for Bally’s Chicago, such as valet parking operated by Bally’s staff starting this summer, expanded restaurant seating at Kitchen 888, and the upcoming introduction of a new VIP Lounge on the third floor of the Medinah Temple.
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  • Lawrence Agyei pays homage with ‘DRILL’

    When photographer Lawrence Agyei saw the South Shore Drill Team for the first time over a decade ago, he was enamored by the entire group—but knew he wasn’t yet ready to capture their electrifying energy. It was early in his photography career and capturing the team and what it represents for Chicago would be a […]
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  • CalicoLoco finally sound as big as their shows on their debut album

    CalicoLoco finally sound as big as their shows on their debut album
    On May 10, CalicoLoco’s debut album, I Love Myself, finally makes its way from their downloads folder into the world. Over the past two months, these indie rockers have released three singles in anticipation of the album, dropping hints about the territory they’ll be covering—poppy emo grounded in heavy guitar tones.  Dani Robles and Zeke […]
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  • Chicago mayor, alders propose missing women task force as CPD continues to sideline families

    Chicago mayor, alders propose missing women task force as CPD continues to sideline families
    Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, in conjunction with a group of majority Black women alders, is calling for the creation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Missing Women. A resolution, filed with the City Council in late April, recognizes the disproportionate impact the issue of missing persons has had on Black women in Chicago. The resolution […]
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  • Goodman Theatre’s English reminds us that we’re more than our words

    Goodman Theatre’s English reminds us that we’re more than our words
    Hamid Dehghani remembers when he took the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). “After the exam, I just walked for miles,” the Iranian director says. “I felt so light, like I lost 20 pounds. I was so happy.”  English, now in a local premiere at the Goodman Theatre (in a coproduction with Minneapolis’s […]
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  • Charlie Schmidt keeps John Fahey’s flame burning

    Charlie Schmidt keeps John Fahey’s flame burning
    Few Chicagoans know that a living guitar legend is hidden away in the wilds of Skokie. Charlie Schmidt isn’t a blues firebrand or a metal shredder, but everyone who loves fingerstyle guitar should know his name.  Schmidt was a friend and sometime student of the late John Fahey, pioneer of the “American primitive” steel-string acoustic […]
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  • United Black Male Educators Hosted ‘Educate, Empower, Elevate’ Conference

    United Black Male Educators Hosted ‘Educate, Empower, Elevate’ Conference
    CPS students in attendance at the United Black Male Educators’ “Educate, Empower, Elevate” student empowerment conference (Credit: Chicago Public Schools).
    On Monday, the United Black Male Educators of Chicago Public Schools hosted its inaugural “Educate, Empower, Elevate” student empowerment conference at Olive Harvey Community College. This landmark event aims to bolster outcomes among Black male students in grades 7-12 from across the District and the city.
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  • Fani Willis Refuses To Testify Before Republican-Led Senate Committee Over Misconduct Claims

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will not cooperate with Georgia’s Republican-led special Senate committee. On May 6, Willis revealed that she will not testify before the committee which is investigating her for possible misconduct. 
    Willis appeared at the historic Big Bethel AME Church on Auburn Ave where she received endorsement by several religious leaders who are supporting her for re-election. During a press conference held outside of the church, Willis revealed that s
  • J. Pharoah Doss: When the Black left treats you like an n-word in the street

    J. Pharoah Doss: When the Black left treats you like an n-word in the street
    STEPHEN A. SMITH
    In 2002, the Arkansas Hall of Fame inducted former Democratic President Bill Clinton as an honorary member. The hall acknowledged Clinton as the first non-Black individual.
    Toni Morrison, a famous novelist, may have given Clinton an extra stamp of approval with a prior honorary title. Morrison referred to Clinton as the country’s “first Black president” in The New Yorker in 1998.
    Morrison claimed that she first heard the idea in chats among Black men during the
  • South Side Newsroom Wins Two Pulitzers For ‘You Didn’t See Nothin’ Podcast And ‘Missing In Chicago’ Investigation

    South Side Newsroom Wins Two Pulitzers For ‘You Didn’t See Nothin’ Podcast And ‘Missing In Chicago’ Investigation
    South Side nonprofit newsroom Invisible Institute was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prizes for Audio Reporting and Local Reporting. Today’s announcement follows the 12-person newsroom’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. The team was a finalist for Audio Reporting for our Somebody podcast the same year. The central Invisible Institute reporters of both stories, Yohance Lacour and trina reynolds-tyler, began their work towards these investigations at the organization more than si
  • ‘Braiding Histories’ combines the past, present, and future

    ‘Braiding Histories’ combines the past, present, and future
    Chicago is filled with architecture and design, from the iconic skyline to the art installations of the CTA. Victoria Martinez incorporates these elements and influences in her solo exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center, “Braiding Histories,” part of the Terra Foundation for American Art’s Art Design Chicago initiative, which supports events highlighting the city’s creative […]
    The post ‘Braiding Histories’ combines the past, present, and future ap
  • ShotSpotter’s reverberations

    ShotSpotter’s reverberations
    In June 2022, the Illinois State Police inked a $362,000 contract with ShotSpotter. The agency planned to pilot the controversial gunshot detection system along eight miles of the Dan Ryan Expressway, beginning at Canalport, just north of Cermak, in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, and stretching south.  The prior year had been a particularly violent one—for the […]
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  • “Missing in Chicago” wins the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting

    “Missing in Chicago” wins the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting
    On May 6,  the Pulitzer Prize board announced the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners in various categories of journalism and reporting.  Reporters Trina Reynolds-Tyler of Invisible Institute and Sarah Conway of City Bureau, who penned the story “What happens when your loved one goes missing?”, were awarded with the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting.  The […]
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  • Review: The Idea of You

    Review: The Idea of You
    As I settled in to watch the third installment of post-2020 B-tier rom-coms starring Anne Hathaway, The Idea of You (following She Came to Me and Locked Down), a nagging sense of familiarity began to stir within me. This story is tethered to August Moon, a boy band only microscopically dissimilar from One Direction. Hayes […]
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