NAMI Honors Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
This July, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) honors the legacy of Bebe Moore Campbell, a trailblazer who tore down barriers to mental health care in underserved communities. Her work crossed boundaries of race, ethnicity and identity, helping to destigmatize people who seek mental health care.
Youth of Color Grapple with Online Bullying and Lack of Representation: The AAKOMA Project Sheds Light Recognizing National PoC Mental Health Awareness Month and U.S. Surgeon General calls for Youth S
Amplifying the unique mental health experiences of Youth of Color during the month of July, The AAKOMA Project has just released a trailblazing, culturally responsive, data-driven brief on social media use, Youth and Young Adults of Color and mental health. The report entitled Representation Matters: Exploring Social Media Experiences and Mental Health of Youth and Young Adults of Color is a follow up delving further into the 2022 State of Mental Health of Youth of Color Full Report released in May 2023. Building upon their previous success with an all-encompassing analysis of mental health in this demographic, the latest findings encompass a diverse and equitable sample of nearly 3000 young individuals ages 13-25. This timely release aligns with the U.S. Surgeon General's appeal to parents, caregivers, mentors, educators, policymakers, and social media companies to scrutinize the detrimental effects of social media on the mental health and well-being of developing minds. An essential resource, the brief serves as a catalyst for change and progress in addressing the unique mental health needs of Youth and Young Adults of Color with an intersectional lens.
Novae Becomes First Fintech Company to Offer Debt Help to Struggling Americans
Over the last decade, Black-owned fintech company Novae has won numerous awards for customer experience, rapid growth, and innovation in the direct sales and finance space. Now they have a new offering: a program to help consumers get out of debt by obtaining partial debt forgiveness and more favorable repayment terms.
REPLAY LINCOLN PARK INVITES LOLLA LOVERS TO REPLAYPALOOZA
Festival season is in full gear, and Chicago’s favorite pop-up bar Replay Lincoln Park, 2833 N. Sheffield Ave., is making sure to bring the vibes with its latest Lollapalooza inspired pop-up: Replaypalooza. Running through Sunday, August 6, this pop-up will bring to life the incredible artists and bands that make up today’s diverse music scene, with live DJ sets throughout the month, along with festival-inspired photo-ops throughout the entire bar and music-themed cocktails. Each of the weeks have an exciting, new theme, allowing for an experience where everyone’s taste in music is satisfied.
STEM NOLA’S ROCKET DAY ENGAGES OVER 450 PEOPLE FOR ANNUAL EVENT
a leading nonprofit organization focused on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, recently hosted its annual Rocket Day event. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD STEM) and The Boeing Company sponsored the event last Saturday at the UNO Lakefront Arena. The free three-hour event engaged over 450 K-12 students and caregivers, college and professional volunteers, and elected officials. STEM NOLA is the flagship affiliate of STEM Global Action (SGA). Together with other affiliates around the U.S. and in five countries SGA has engaged more than 125,000 students, 20,000 families, and 5,000 schools.
FOUNDERS FORWARD PROGRAM HELPS MINORITY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
The Founders Forward Small Business Mentoring Program was launched in 2018 to support minority small businesses by way of its Global Philanthropy Portfolio. It brings together teams of J.P. Morgan Chase volunteers to support small businesses by spending six to eight weeks with them and addressing strategic challenges.
TWO HIT BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS COMING TO CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce two limited engagements coming to Chicago next year as part of its season line-up. The critically acclaimed new musical, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, nominated for seven Tony Awards® including Best Musical, will make its Chicago debut at the CIBC Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.) from February 13-February 25. The spectacular new version of the Tony Award®-winning musical, PETER PAN soars into the Nederlander Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) on March 26 and runs until April 7.
WRESTLING PROGRAM EMPOWERS YOUNG PEOPLE
Inside a facility with the words Grit, Integrity, Accountability and Gratitude written on the walls, children and young people ages 9 and older are going through wrestling drills. In another room, a smaller group of young people are grappling.
Giannoulias Launches Enhanced Secretary of State Website
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office launched a redesign of its website, making it easier to navigate and adding new functions for services that users can access remotely, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced.
Great Lakes Credit Union Leads Charge in School Supply Drive to Benefit Local Schools
Illinois-based Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU) is thrilled to announce the launch of a community-wide school supply drive, running through August 4, at each of their branches across the region. The credit union aims to use this initiative to provide essential school supplies to local elementary schools and help put big smiles on the faces of young students starting the new school year.
VANESSA HARRIS RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER FOR A NEW CHICAGO
Vanessa Harris founded The Strategy for Access Foundation, also known as Fun 4 the Disabled, in 2017. An engineer by training, she has multiple disabilities and wanted to do documentaries. She took a class at the Hyde Park Arts Center and discovered it was something she really liked to do.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago and Professor Romi Crawford Announce Inaugural New Art School Modality Program
MCA Chicago, in partnership with SAIC Professor Romi Crawford, announced the New Art School Modality. The educational institution, founded by Crawford, is aimed at democratizing art schooling systems for active problem-solvers and visionary doers.
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION BENEFIT FROM CONSORTIUM
Sharika Harris works as a plumber on the Obama President Center project. She became interested in plumbing when she was introduced to it during her pre-apprenticeship program at Chicago Women in Trades. Out of all the trades, plumbing was the one that stood out to her, it was the one that was the most interesting to her.
Gov. Pritzker Announces Largest-Ever Construction Program in State History
Governor JB Pritzker joined state and local officials at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) headquarters today to announce the largest multi-year program to fix and repair infrastructure in state history: $40.99 billion over six years, showcasing the reach and impact of the governor’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. The new multi-year program is the first time in more than a decade that IDOT is releasing a comprehensive approach to invest in all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, aviation, transit, freight and passenger rail, waterways, as well as bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL ENCOURAGES EPA TO STRENGTHEN PROPOSED POLLUTION STANDARDS FOR LIGHT- AND MEDIUM-DUTY VEHICLES
Attorney General Kwame Raoul called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutant standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles from model years 2027 through 2032.
Las Vegas Sands and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Announce the Inaugural Sands Hospitality Immersion Program
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) today announced 12 college students will participate in the inaugural Sands Hospitality Immersion Program, July 24-28 in Las Vegas. The intensive experience is designed to encourage interest in travel, tourism and leisure by exposing students to the inner workings of the Las Vegas hospitality industry.
Orange Blossom Classic Announces SNICKERS® as Official Candy Bar of the Celebrated College Football Event
The Orange Blossom Classic Committee is excited to announce its partnership with Mars Wrigley, by naming SNICKERS®, an official sponsor of the Orange Blossom Classic.
National Black Network NubianTV Offers New Vision, Fresh Imagery and Strong Sense of Identity for African American Viewers
Next-level programming options, cutting-edge content, accurate Black images and information, adventure-filled lifestyles and more are the order of the day as NubianTV (Nubian Black Television), is continuing its rapid growth and resonating favorably with Black audiences. The novel network is making major strides as it stakes out its niche in the increasingly crowded-yet-stale broadcast marketplace. Currently available for streaming and/or app download via Roku, Amazon FireTV, Vizio smart TV's and live on Vuit, Dingo and the Internet, NubianTV is a distinctly different, multi-medium broadcast property, laser-focused on truly representative African American and multicultural lifestyles. Its uniquely presented array of offerings is broad based, including news and information, lifestyle and reality, health & wellness, history and documentaries, arts and culture, fashion and beauty, travel, food and entertaining and more.
CALUMET CITY MAYOR THADDEUS JONES IMPLEMENTS MASSIVE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM TO ADDRESS MULTI-DECADE WATER AND FLOODING ISSUES
Thaddeus Jones- Mayor of Calumet City, Illinois) is announcing a massive infrastructure improvement program designed to address and bring relief to Calumet City residents who have been challenged for decades by the current deteriorating sewer system.
