Illinois news

• Lizzo, H.E.R and More To Headline iHeartRadio’s ‘Living Black!’ Celebration

  25-01-2022 15:06 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Photo: Getty Images
  iHeartRadio’s Living Black Celebration is back for the second year, celebrating Black History Month in a major way. The month-long event, empowered by AT&T, will be headlined by Lizzo, who will celebrate with a special performance at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles. This year’s celebration will also feature performances by Big Sean, H.E.R., Moneybagg Yo and Ari Lennox. Stars like J. Cole, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Saweetie and Bas are all scheduled to m
  
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• Lawrence Agyei pays homage with ‘DRILL’

  07-05-2024 21:01 via chicagoreader.com
  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

  07-05-2024 20:44 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  07-05-2024 19:32 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  07-05-2024 17:49 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  07-05-2024 17:35 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  07-05-2024 16:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  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

  07-05-2024 15:36 via chicagodefender.com
  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
  
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• J. Pharoah Doss: When the Black left treats you like an n-word in the street

  07-05-2024 15:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  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
  
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• South Side Newsroom Wins Two Pulitzers For ‘You Didn’t See Nothin’ Podcast And ‘Missing In Chicago’ Investigation

  07-05-2024 14:30 via chicagodefender.com
  
  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
  
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• ‘Braiding Histories’ combines the past, present, and future

  07-05-2024 14:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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 […]
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• ShotSpotter’s reverberations

  07-05-2024 13:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  06-05-2024 23:38 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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

  06-05-2024 23:21 via chicagoreader.com
  
  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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• PUBLIC NOTICE: To Patrons of Commonwealth Edison Company

  06-05-2024 15:19 via chicagodefender.com
  
  The post PUBLIC NOTICE: To Patrons of Commonwealth Edison Company appeared first on Chicago Defender.
  
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• What College Protests Say About America

  06-05-2024 15:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Credit: emyerson, Getty Images Signature
  This article was originally published on Word In Black.By Keith Boykin
  “Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black, examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
  ​​The past two weeks of campus protests have exposed the hypocrisy of Republicans who claim to stand for “law and order” and free speech.
  As NY
  
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• Ole Miss Israeli-Palestinian Protests Turns Horribly Racist – Video

  06-05-2024 14:46 via chicagodefender.com
  University of Mississippi Chancellor Chancellor Glen Boyce, has promised to launch a vigorous investigation into the behavior of students during a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus.
  During the protest at Ole Miss, a Black woman could be seen suffering vitriolic verbal attacks from White college students who mockingly called her “Lizzo” and “fat a–” and chanted lock her up urging police officers on the scene to arrest the peaceful counter protestor. As she approa
  
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• Youth Apprenticeship Week Spotlights Opportunities

  06-05-2024 14:45 via chicagodefender.com
  
  (NewsUSA) – Youth Apprenticeship Week, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor, features a range of events and speakers at venues across the United States to showcase the many benefits of Registered Apprenticeship programs for youth and young adults ages 16-24.
  The nationwide initiative takes place from May 5 – 11, 2024, and includes more than 300 events and over 70 proclamations intended to celebrate and educate the public about Registered Apprenticeships. Current apprentices
  
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• Kathleen Dorothy Blackburn examines the limits of faith

  06-05-2024 14:00 via chicagoreader.com
  
  At the Christian high school I attended—which was affiliated with a local church of the “health and wealth gospel” flavor—plenty of people took literally the Bible verse that reads, “By his stripes, we are healed.” If you prayed hard enough, the thinking went, God would heal you of physical ailments. If you weren’t healed, you […]
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• COMMENTARY: As Haiti’s Crisis Lingers, Urgent Calls for Action Ignored

  06-05-2024 02:48 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Credit: US Marine Corps Public Domain
  By Ashleigh Fields 
  “It is the destiny of the Haitian people to suffer.” 
  Words once spoken by former leader Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier find themselves perpetually re-enforced by the world. 
  After successfully overturning slavery through a massive revolt in 1803, global entities turned their back on a resilient and self-determined nation plagued with extreme violence and political impropriety.
  Gangs have overtaken
  
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• Turner Drew Language Academy Teacher Wins Prestigious ‘Golden Apple’

  05-05-2024 16:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Turner Drew Language Academy students celebrates teacher Alicia Carlisle’s Golden Apple Award (Credit: Tacuma Roeback). 
  Grade school children at the Turner Drew Language Academy on the South Side held pom poms or signs that read “#TeachGolden” but barely held onto their excitement over what would transpire at the school gym. 
  As soon as the door flipped open and first-grade teacher Alicia Carlisle stepped into the room, it all came to a glorious head. They and staff
  
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• FDA misses deadline to ban cancerous ingredients in hair relaxers commonly used by Black women

  05-05-2024 15:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to meet its own deadline for banning formaldehyde in hair-straightening products, raising concerns about the agency’s commitment to protecting public health. The proposed ban, which was slated to take effect in April, has yet to be implemented, leaving many questioning the FDA’s inaction.
  According to NBC News, the FDA has not provided any explanation for the delay in enforcing the ban, despite previously announcing plans for action in Ap
  
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• Trump Says Police Should Have ‘Immunity From Prosecution’ Amid Deportations

  05-05-2024 14:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Photo: Getty Images
  Former President Donald Trump pledged to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants through the use of local law enforcement, the National Guard, and potentially the U.S. military if he’s reelected.
  “We will be using local law enforcement,” Trump said of the deportations in an interview with Time Magazine.
  The former president noted that he wants to give police special immunity from prosecution.
  “And we have to give the police back the powe
  
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• 4-Year-Old Boy Who Was Missing For Months Found Dead In Duffle Bag

  05-05-2024 13:30 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Photo: Getty Images
  A body found in a duffle bag in Pennsylvania has been identified as a four-year-old boy who was missing for months.
  According to the Philadelphia Police Department, DNA evidence recently matched 4-year-old Damari to a body that was discovered in a duffle bag on March 18 in a West Philadephia neighborhood, per PEOPLE.
  The Puma-branded bag was found by a maintenance worker in an alleyway less than a mile away from where Damari lived with his mother, Dominique Bailey. The body i
  
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• NASCAR STEAM Fest Engages 550 CPS Students in Motorsports Careers

  04-05-2024 16:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  The 2nd Annual STEAM FEST took place at the Field Museum (Photo courtesy of NASCAR).
  Students from nearly 50 Chicago Public Schools gathered for the Second Annual STEAM Fest at The Field Museum. 
  The event, which aims to engage and inspire students while highlighting career opportunities in motorsports, was hosted by NASCAR IMPACT, The Chicago Street Race and CPS. In all, about 550 students from 46 STEM and STEAM CPS schools took part. 
  “The goal of STEAM Fest is to engage and in
  
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• Single Mom Who Was Formerly Incarcerated Goes Viral After Passing Bar Exam

  04-05-2024 15:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Photo: Facebook
  A single mom who was formerly incarcerated is going viral after she passed the bar exam.
  In a now-viral TikTok, Afrika Owes, 30, shared her reaction to finding out she passed the bar after her first attempt. Video shows Owes, a third-year Fordham University School of Law student, shouting “I passed, passed!”
  Owes broke down in tears and jumped around after finding out the exciting news. She thanked her mother, grandmother, and son, Kairos, holding up pictures of each
  
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• Black Teen Dies After Being Chased By White Friends Who Made Racist Remark

  04-05-2024 14:00 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Photo: Getty Images
  A family is seeking answers after a Black teenager died in Pennsylvania following an alleged game of tag with his white friends, per the Atlanta Black Star.
  Justin Johnson, 16, died on April 26 after telling his father that he was going outside to “play tag” with his friends near his home in Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania.
  Home surveillance footage shows Johnson heading outside after a white teenager rang his doorbell. Another white teen joined the group from
  
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• Mayor Brandon Johnson Re-Launches Guaranteed Income Advisory Group, Joins Mayors For A Guaranteed Income Coalition

  04-05-2024 13:30 via chicagodefender.com
  
  Mayor Brandon Johnson recently announced the launch of an advisory group of City of Chicago officials, Chicago City Council members, and community advocates to advise on his Chicago Empowerment Fund, a guaranteed income pilot using federal dollars through the American Recovery Plan Act. The advisory group will be tasked with providing guidance on the eligibility and outreach strategies for the guaranteed income pilot.
  The release highlights the work of the Mayor’s Office policy team and is
  
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• Publisher’s note: why the Reader is returning to weekly publishing

  04-05-2024 12:30 via chicagoreader.com
  
  Soon, late in the evening on the fifth of June, a delivery driver will drop a fresh bundle of our beautiful newspapers at one of 1,100 locations across the city. This will mark our return, after a long four years, to publishing the Chicago Reader on a weekly basis. Hell, yes.  We are returning to […]
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• Settler’s Prayer to La Linda Nasca

  03-05-2024 19:29 via chicagoreader.com
  
  By Amina Kayani
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