Snapshots of 2016

The year 2016 had its highs and lows while events ebbed and flowed revealing some news stories that rocked while others proved to be shockers. Through it all, the Citizen was there covering everything
The Newspaper Industry Mourns The Lost of fellow Publisher. In September, the loss of William “Bill” Garth saddened the community. Garth served as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. He was 79. Since it’s inception, Garth’s QBG Foundation has donated a million dollars to more than 40 college students.
The Newspaper Industry Mourns The Lost of fellow Publisher. In September, the loss of William “Bill” Garth saddened the community. Garth served as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. He was 79. Since it’s inception, Garth’s QBG Foundation has donated a million dollars to more than 40 college students.

Snapshots of 2016

The year started out with an

unforgettable photo spread

featuring America’s First Lady

Michelle Obama who rocked on

the Citizen’s fashion pages. The

First Lady has graced the covers of other

publications including appearances in Vogue

and Better Homes and Gardens. Turning

to local events, the Citizen brought readers

news about the Barack Obama School of

Leadership and STEM’s PTO which hosted a

fundraiser, “Steppin’ For Success,” in Chicago

Heights while the Black Ensemble Theater

in 2016 presented “Don’t Make Me Over,” a

play about Dionne’s Warwick’s success. The

Citizen’s coverage spanned the south suburbs

in 2016 and depicted Calumet City residents

who received yard waste pick-up services

sponsored by Republic Services. Girls on the

Run-Chicago held its 7th Annual Spring

“Give for Girls Dinner” in Chicago. Towards

the end of April, the Monroe Foundation

hosted the Money Smart Workshop Week

which taught children how to save money

and the city of Dolton participated in ‘Clean

Sweep Dolton’ a community clean-up effort

for the village. Prince Roger Nelson known

for his eclectic lyrics and sounds, died at

age 57 while news about the death of Doug

Banks, a famous Chicago radio disc jockey,

broke in May. Shortly before Mother’s day,

Author L.K. Alexander-Bedford released her

book, “Straight from the Heart and Spirit

of Mother,” a book that brings comfort to

motherless women. As the month moved

on, the Smith Center Family Health Expo

2016 held a community health event which

included health screenings, free HIV/AIDS

testing, mental health awareness, healthcare

and more.

Radio Shack made news when it

surrendered $140,000 in un-cashed rebates

belonging to more than 5,000 Illinois

residents. State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins

(D-Chicago 16th) introduced legislation that

would ban auto insurance companies from

basing their prices on a person’s credit rating

while State Representative Arthur Turner

(D-Chicago), hosted a free Career Boot

Camp in conjunction with DeVry University.

Kicking off the summer, Chicago Gospel

fans met Michelle Williams of Destiny’s

Child at the Chicago Cultural Center and

Tribeca Flashpoint College’s “Band Together:

Spring 2016 Production in Action” raised

$20,000 during their Battle-of-the-Bands

event. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Tenants

Organization presented, “Fifty Years After

Freedom Summer and the Fight Goes On,” in

recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s.

50th Anniversary of Freedom Summer.

Shirley Caesar known as the Queen of

Gospel and Hezekiah Walker and his Love

Fellowship Crusade Choir headlined the 31st

Chicago Gospel Music Festival in Millennium

Park. This year, the Chicago Citizen featured

My Brother’s Keeper, a mentoring initiative

implemented by President Barack Obama

and in June, the world mourned the loss of

Muhammad Ali, one of the most significant

and celebrated sports figures of the 20th

century. He was 74. Also in June, the Illinois

Department of Public Health reported the

first case of West Nile virus while the Chicago

Citizen featured information about Mercy

Hospital and Medical Center receiving the

American Heart Association/American

Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement

Award. Elijah Dabney and his grandmother,

Eula Davis gave south suburban Glenwood

Academy credit for saving his life while Dr.

Ronald Holou published the book, “The Most

Influential Contemporary African Diaspora

Leaders.” In business news, Twitter appointed

Debra Lee, chairman and Chief Executive

Officer of BET Networks to serve as a board

member.

The Citizen interviewed the Reverend

Dr. Derrick B. Wells, Pastor and Senior

Minister at Christ Universal Temple.

Wells discussed the church’s foundation,

faith, and future. During the month of

July in the Citizen, community leaders

commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King’s

50th anniversary of the 1966 Marquette

Park March. The July heat didn’t stop the

North Lawndale Community Coordinating

Council and the Chicago Metropolitan

Agency Planning from hosting a conference

to determine community development,

which included housing, transportation

and land use. Understanding the need for

change, Alderman Leslie Hairston, 5th

Ward Alderwoman and Jason Ervin, 28th

Ward Alderman worked together on a police

accountability ordinance to strengthen their

Independent Citizen Police Monitor and

FAIR COPS ordinances. As July moved

forward, Wal-Mart announced that Chicago

residents had generated more than $109,200

for the Greater Chicago Food Depository in

its “Spark Change” campaign to fight hunger

in Cook County. As the back-to-school

season continued to draw closer, One Million

Degrees searched for 500 professionals

to assist community college students with

their academics. Meanwhile, Mary Kay’

Independent Elite Executive National Sales

Director Gloria Mayfield Banks became

the first African American woman to hold

this position with Mary Kay Cosmetics. The

Citizen featured NFL Veteran Christopher

Houston on his style secrets while Melba

Moore discussed her plans to perform at the

Kroc Center Theater in Chicago.

In August, the Chicago Citizen hosted

a panel discussion on “Violence and Race

Relations in America: Where Do We Go

From Here?” while former presidential

candidate, Dr. Ben Carson spoke in Elgin.

In other news, the Congressional Black

Caucus honored Cicely Tyson and Dionne

Warwick for their lifetime achievements. In

September, the loss of William “Bill” Garth

saddened the community. Garth served

as Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago

Citizen Newspaper Group Inc. He was 79.

Since it’s inception, Garth’s QBG Foundation

has donated a million dollars to more than

40 college students. Meanwhile, the United

Fidelity Bank partnered with Langston

Hughes Elementary School in Roseland to

implement Positive Behavior Intervention

Support (PBIS) that rewards students for

good behavior. During mid-October, the

Greater Auburn-Gresham community rolled

out their Quality of Life Plan to increase the

quality of living conditions for residents. The

Citizen interviewed Paula Thornton-Greear,

Senior Vice President of External Affairs for

the Chicago Urban League who discussed

poverty, gun violence, Black unemployment

and the election.

Before the presidential election, Chicago

mourned the loss of Herb Kent. Kent was

known as the “Cool Gent” and “King of

Dusties.” He was 88. In November, Donald

Trump shocked the world by winning the

2016 Presidential Election which will go

down in history as one of the most divisive

elections ever. Tammy Duckworth unseated

Mark Kirk. Bobby Rush, Robbin Kelly, and

Danny Davis reclaimed their congressional

seats. Kim Foxx won the State’s Attorney

race. In mid-November, 15 year-old Javon

Wilson, the grandson of Congressman Danny

Davis was shot to death in his Englewood

home. By December 2016, Chicago exceeded

700 homicides for the first time in nearly

two decades, according to official Police

Department records. The Citizen covered the

Chicago Public School’s “Cooking Up Change”

initiative which makes school lunches more

enjoyable. The Roosevelt South Side Alumni

Chicago Chapter named a student lounge

at Roosevelt University after the late Mayor

Harold Washington.

As President Obama’s second term

comes to a close, Chicagoans shared their

memories about the First Family in the

Citizen. Transitioning from the White House,

President Obama will be remembered most

for signing the Affordable Care Act, navigating

the country through one of the worst

recessions in history among other notable

accomplishments. Ushering in a new era of

politics will be business tycoon Donald Trump

who takes office on January 20, 2017.

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