• Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff dons an outlaw cowboy hat on The Past Is Still Alive

    Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff dons an outlaw cowboy hat on The Past Is Still Alive
    I teared up a bit watching the video for “Hawkmoon,” off Hurray for the Riff Raff’s new album, The Past Is Still Alive (Nonesuch). The Americana band is led by genius singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra, who ran away from home at age 17 and spent time hopping freight trains before establishing their musical career. On “Hawkmoon,” […]
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  • Trinity Irish Dance comes back to town with the world premiere of Taking the Mick

    Trinity Irish Dance comes back to town with the world premiere of Taking the Mick
    In British slang, “taking the mickey” means to make fun of someone. And “mick” has long been used as a slur for people of Irish descent. So the title of Trinity Irish Dance Company’s new piece, Taking the Mick, is both a bold reclamation of that slur and a sly nod to the inspiration behind […]
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  • Horse Lords ride into Chicago for the first time since the pandemic

    Horse Lords ride into Chicago for the first time since the pandemic
    Exactly four years ago, Horse Lords were set to celebrate the release of their 2020 album, The Common Task (Northern Spy), with a tour that would have ended with two nights in Chicago. Instead COVID-19 compelled the quartet, then based in Baltimore, to cancel all dates. Most of the band’s members have since moved to […]
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  • 3 HBCUs Could Be Shut Down Under Proposed Mississippi Bill

    3 HBCUs Could Be Shut Down Under Proposed Mississippi Bill
    Photo: Facebook
    Three historically Black colleges and universities in Mississippi could permanently close if a proposed Republican-sponsored bill is passed by state lawmakers.
    Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, and Mississippi Valley State University would be on the chopping block under Mississippi Senate Bill 2726, which aims to shut down three of the state’s eight public colleges and universities by June 30, 2028, according to WJTV.
    Republican State Senator John Polk, who
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  • Public Narrative to assume Stewardship of Chicago Independent Media Alliance from RICJ

    Public Narrative to assume Stewardship of Chicago Independent Media Alliance from RICJ
    CHICAGO, IL, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 – Since launching the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) in 2019, the Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ), Inc. has been proud to convene a coalition of over 60 independent, local, and community-driven media entities covering communities throughout the Chicago area, representing more than 80 outlets. RICJ collaborated closely with […]
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  • Public Narrative to assume Stewardship of Chicago Independent Media Allaiance from RICJ

    Public Narrative to assume Stewardship of Chicago Independent Media Allaiance from RICJ
    CHICAGO, IL, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 – Since launching the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) in 2019, the Reader Institute for Community Journalism (RICJ), Inc. has been proud to convene a coalition of over 60 independent, local, and community-driven media entities covering communities throughout the Chicago area, representing more than 80 outlets. RICJ collaborated closely with […]
    The post Public Narrative to assume Stewardship of Chicago Independent Media Allaiance from RICJ a
  • Bring Chicago Home, CPD misconduct, race for Cook County State’s Attorney, ShotSpotter

    Bring Chicago Home, CPD misconduct, race for Cook County State’s Attorney, ShotSpotter
    Bring Chicago Home hits a road bump Powerful, well-funded real estate interests scored a preliminary victory late last week in their fight to boot the Bring Chicago Home campaign from the March ballot. The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago, Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance, Chicagoland Apartment Association, among other groups, filed suit in January […]
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  • City Council talks transit accountability

    City Council talks transit accountability
    Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter defended his record in the first of City Council’s newly required hearings to discuss the state of public transit. Since the pandemic, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has faced significant service cuts systemwide. The amount of service that the CTA ran in 2023 was down roughly 9 percent on […]
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  • From the West Side to the World: The Inspirational Journey of Pastor John F. Hannah

    From the West Side to the World: The Inspirational Journey of Pastor John F. Hannah
    Born and raised on the West Side of Chicago and living in the projects, Pastor John Hannah encountered the typical struggles that many of his peers faced. Yet, his mother, recognizing his potential, changed his educational and social environments so that he had access to opportunities beyond their neighborhood.
    This decision later paved the way for Pastor Hannah to attend Alabama State University, where his leadership abilities flourished. After graduating, he embarked on a dual path, working in
  • State Sen. Kimberly Lightford: From Childhood Trauma to Pioneering Leadership

    State Sen. Kimberly Lightford: From Childhood Trauma to Pioneering Leadership
    Before State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) became the first Black woman to serve as Majority Leader for the Illinois Senate, she would build her 26-year political career on some motherly advice.
    “When I first suggested to my mom there was an opportunity for me to run for office, she was totally against it. She said, ‘Politics was dirty. It was nasty.’ And I wasn’t that type of person. She didn’t think it would be a good fit for me,” Lightford said in a r
  • Exclusive: Da’Vinchi Talks New Season Of ‘BMF,’ Working With 50 Cent, And Mental Health Awareness

    Da’Vinchi understands the complexity of portraying one of the most notorious figures of this generation. Tasked with the role of Terry “Southwest T” Flenory in the Starz hit series “BMF,” Da’Vinchi brings depth to the drama which sheds light on the real-life story of the Black Mafia Family. 
    During a recent visit to Atlanta, Da’Vinchi sat down with ADW/Real Times Media at iHeart Studios to discuss the new season of the series and how the role has im
  • BOOK REVIEW: White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History

    BOOK REVIEW:  White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History
    “White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems about Black History” by Philip C. Kolin / Third World Press, 2023 
    Review by By Rev. Dr. Brenda Eatman Aghahowa
    During a season of U.S. national life when many conservatives are seeking to ban the comprehensive, full-throated teaching of African American history comes another searing collection of poetry by Philip C. Kolin, Distinguished Professor Emerita of English at the University of Southern Mississippi.  
    It is a must-
  • Lyz Lenz preaches the gospel of divorce

    Lyz Lenz preaches the gospel of divorce
    Lyz Lenz is a midwestern mom on a mission to liberate women from the inequality inherent in marriage. In 2018, the Iowa-based journalist and author penned an essay for Glamour titled, “I’m a Great Cook. Now That I’m Divorced, I’m Never Making Dinner for a Man Again.” The article went viral, and countless women reached […]
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  • Donald Trump Jr. Said Several Black Men Called Him Their ‘Hero’

    Donald Trump Jr. Said Several Black Men Called Him Their ‘Hero’
    Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News / Getty Images
    Donald Trump Jr. said several Black men consider him a “hero” while discussing his father Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. During a recent episode of his show “Triggered,” the former president’s son was talking to guest Scott Presler about the GOP frontrunner expanding his reach to Black voters.
    While Trump Jr. remarked that Republicans usually avoid canvassing in “urban environments,”
  • This Week In Black History February 28-March 5, 2024

    This Week In Black History February 28-March 5, 2024
    GARRETT A. MORGAN
    FEBRUARY 28
    1708—One of the first recorded slave revolts in American history takes place on Newton, Long Island (New York). Seven Whites are killed. In retaliation, two Black male slaves and one Indian male slave were hung, while one Black female slave was burned alive.1879—A date considered by many to mark the beginning of the great “Exodus of 1879,” when thousands of Blacks begin fleeing racism, violence and economic exploitation in the South for new l

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