Illinois news

• Meet Opal Lee — The Woman Who Fought To Make Juneteenth A US Holiday

  16-06-2023 22:01
  
  Photo: Getty Images
  On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The push to get the historic day recognized at the federal level had been decades in the making, and 94-year-old Opal Lee, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” had championed efforts for years.
  Lee told NPR that the wait for Juneteenth being a US holiday has been 155 years 11 months and 28 days in the making. “And now we can all finally cele
  
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• Remembering Lia Mortensen 1965-2023

  16-06-2023 21:40 via chicagoreader.com
  
  Lia Mortensen was a great actor. If you saw her in any of the many roles she played at theaters large and small over the past three decades in Chicago, you couldn’t help but be struck by the honesty and intensity of her performances, as well as her luminous physical presence. From the acerbic Joanne […]
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• Water From Your Eyes’ buzzy Matador debut feels like a Chicago DIY record

  16-06-2023 19:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  Is it bad form to claim Water From Your Eyes for Chicago? The duo of vocalist Rachel Brown and multi-instrumentalist Nate Amos, who released the buzzy album Everyone’s Crushed last month on Matador, live in New York City—but they met and formed Water From Your Eyes in Chicago in 2016 and issued their first full-length […]
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• Meet Joseph Williams: Father, Councilman and Village Keeper

  16-06-2023 16:00
  
  For Father’s Day weekend, the Chicago Defender highlights distinguished Black men in our community who are outstanding dads.When searching for a Father’s Day feature, I needed to choose a man who embodied the heart of the city. A man who serves as a culture carrier, community resource, and conversation starter. 
  Please understand that many men have these characteristics in Chicago, which made the search even harder. However, one man rose to the top of every phenomenal father dia
  
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• From Balls to Block Parties, 17 Things to Do for Juneteenth in Chicago

  16-06-2023 15:00
  
  There are myriad ways to celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the day the last enslaved Blacks learned they were free.
  Using this blessed holiday as a day to engage in activism, volunteering or education is perfectly fine. The same applies if you choose to attend a parade or barbecue.
  For some, Juneteenth means watching their favorite Black film at home or turning up at a music festival. 
  Whatever your flavor, there are a plethora of events in the city this weekend. With that s
  
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• From Balls to Block Parties, 16 Things to Do for Juneteenth in Chicago

  16-06-2023 15:00
  
  There are myriad ways to celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the day the last enslaved Blacks learned they were free.
  Using this blessed holiday as a day to engage in activism, volunteering or education is perfectly fine. The same applies if you choose to attend a parade or barbecue.
  For some, Juneteenth means watching their favorite Black film at home or turning up at a music festival. 
  Whatever your flavor, there are a plethora of events in the city this weekend. With that s
  
  Read more

• A tentative procurement

  16-06-2023 15:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  A philosophical quandary. That is the space being conjured at José Taymani’s exhibition, “Ápside,” at Prairie. Presented are cast objects, with either their positive or negative space highlighted. The show is minimal in its presentation but weighted in a process that attempts to make sense of past and present lived experiences. The objects ask a […]
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• The Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation Announce 2023 Leaders for a New Chicago

  16-06-2023 14:00
  
  The Field Foundation and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation have announced the 2023 Leaders for a New Chicago cohort. These 10 exceptional leaders are driving the racial and social justice movement in Chicago, exemplifying transformative change at the community level.
  The Leaders for a New Chicago program recognizes their past achievements and aims to foster a more inclusive city by highlighting leaders who are reshaping civic discourse and action. Each awardee will receive a $25,
  
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• Space race

  16-06-2023 14:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  The Kepler Mission was NASA’s first attempt at finding planets with the potential to support life in our galaxy. Scientific maps, governmental documents, and business (yes, business) contracts commonly present data from the mission in the form of a cross; this cross is the space we know the best within the Milky Way. Such knowledge […]
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• Muti and the CSO soar in Contemporary American Composers, a surprising swan song

  16-06-2023 13:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  Italian maestro Riccardo Muti has served as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director since 2010, but he’s never quite managed to outrun his detractors’ most stubborn criticisms, even when they’re exaggerated or unfair: He doesn’t do enough contemporary music. He’s too much of a traditionalist. During his tenure, he embraced the orchestra but never Chicago. […]
  The post Muti and the CSO soar in <i>Contemporary American Composers</i>,
  
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• YK Osiris Assault On Sukihana Reveals Deeper Issues Of Sex And Violence In Black Music

  16-06-2023 01:19
  YK Osiris continues to face backlash following an incident that took place at The Crew League game in Atlanta. During the game, Sukihana was commentating along with comedians Lil Duval and Funny Marco when YK Osiris walked behind the press table.
  In what initially appeared to be a light-hearted exchange, Sukihana told YK Osiris, “I will turn your young [expletive] out.” YK Osiris then rubs Sukihana’s neck before grabbing her face and forcibly kissing her on the mouth. Sukihana
  
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