Mellon Foundation Awards $3.3 Million to American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has been awarded a $3.3 million grant by the Mellon Foundation to continue its Digital Justice Grant Program. The extension grant will support the program for an additional three competition cycles, beginning with the next competition which will start accepting applications in September 2023.
THE JOFFREY BALLET’S JOFFREY FOR ALL CELEBRATION FEATURES FAN-FAVORITE PERFORMANCES FROM PAST PRODUCTIONS
The Joffrey Ballet announces the programming for the first-of-its-kind Joffrey for All Celebration, which will feature performances by Joffrey Company Artists, the Joffrey Academy of Dance, and students from the Joffrey Community Engagement programs. The mixed rep program features a series of fan-favorite dances drawn from past performances, including the show-stopping pas de deux from Anna Karenina, original works from Joffrey choreographers, and the American masterwork Suite Saint-Saëns in honor of the late Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino’s centennial celebration. The Joffrey Ballet’s Joffrey for All Celebration takes place rain or shine in the heart of downtown Chicago in Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park starting at 5:30 pm on Sunday, June 25.
UNCF Launches Expansion of Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to Help HBCU Students Pursue Business Ownership
Entrepreneurship and innovation are the ways forward to growing wealth in the Black and other communities of color and to advance the progress of the nation.
Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Teachers Union Celebrate National Board Certified Teachers
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates joined Illinois State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards President and CEO Peggy Brookins, educators, school leaders and families at Amundsen High School for a District wide celebration of educator excellence. The celebration of National Board Certification, the country’s highest teacher certification, honored 532 CPS educators who earned or renewed their National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) credential during the height of the pandemic. This was the first NBCT certification celebration since 2019 and honors teachers, counselors and librarians who earned this credential during the past four years.
3rd Annual Cook County Juneteenth Illinois Celebration to Be Held June 16th & 17th
A celebration and community recognition event is planned for Cook County’s Juneteenth IL 2023, which takes place Friday and Saturday, June 16 & 17, as a part of “Juneteenth Illinois,” an initiative commemorating the official June 19 date. This year marks the 3rd annual celebration of the day by the county since it became an official holiday in December of 2020.
Chicago Public Schools Hosts Medicaid Benefits Renewal Event for CPS Families
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) hosted a Medicaid benefits renewal event at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy to help District families update their healthcare coverage. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, families receiving Medicaid were automatically re-enrolled in the program. Beginning this spring, families now need to take action to renew their Medicaid benefits. To ensure students and families maintain these necessary services, CPS hosted the school-based enrollment event to help families navigate the Medicaid enrollment process.
CAREER CONFERENCE AND BUSINESS EXPO SET FOR JUNETEENTH
In an effort to be more thoughtful and focus on the employment pillar of its three pillars, Good Green decided to sponsor a career conference and business expo on Juneteenth. The 40 Tons Level Up Career Conference & Business Expo presented by Good Green will take place from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 19th, at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd.
U.S. Department of Education Announces Additional Project SERV Grants to HBCUs
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) grants to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that were disrupted by bomb threats last year: Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas was awarded $191,962; Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware was awarded $217,000; Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina was awarded $440,000 and Howard University in Washington, D.C. was awarded $203,000.
“You Remember Frank London Brown” Exhibition Opening Friday June 9th
Novelist, journalist, educator. Community leader, public housing activist, union organizer. Father, friend, jazz enthusiast. To Gwendolyn Brooks, he was “a tenant of the world.” To Langston Hughes, Brown was “a talented writer with something important to say.” In his brief, shining life, Frank London Brown played many roles within the vibrant cultural and political landscape of Black Chicago, and beyond. Brown’s path breaking 1959 novel Trumbull Park tells the story of his time in the public housing residence of the same name, which was assaulted by a riotous racist mob when the Chicago Housing Authority attempted to desegregate it. As an educator, Brown co-led what we believe to be the first Black history course in the Midwest, hosted through the Union Research Center at the University of Chicago, where he was also enrolled as a PhD candidate in the Committee on Social Thought.
ORDINANCE AMENDMENT PROHIBITING SALE OF FLAVORED LIQUID NICOTINE PRODUCTS IN COOK COUNTY PASSED BY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
The Cook County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance amendment introduced by Commissioner Donna Miller banning the sale of flavored liquid nicotine products in unincorporated Cook County. The legislation, supported by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and the Cook County Department of Public Health prohibits the sale of the types of products that studies find are hooking a new generation on nicotine, putting children at risk and threatening decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use. Flavored products, especially e-cigarettes, are driving youth use and also increasing instances of severe respiratory illnesses and hospitalizations amongst youth and adults.
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE BOASTS BIG NAMES
At a time when librarians are facing threats and books are being challenged, the American Library Association believes now is an important time to gather and try to figure out a path forward.
Dolton 149 School Board Elects New President, VP, Spotlighting Both “Fresh and Experienced Leadership”
South Suburban Dolton School District 149 on May 4th chose a “fresh and experienced leadership” team as the seven-member board unanimously elected a new Board President, Lolita Crisler-Liggons, Board Vice President, Teresa Jemine, and reelected Board Secretary Bertha Jolly.
TRUTH BE TOLD LAUNCHES POP-UP SERIES
Andrea Polk launched Zen Soul Apothecary as a labor of health and wellness. When she started to develop extreme eczema, she looked to books about healing and herbology. She went to a shaman and learned about reiki.
CRUISE INTO WARM WEATHER WITH SUMMER OFFERINGS BY CITY CRUISES CHICAGO
Welcome summer with dining, dancing, and city skyline views. City Cruises, operator of Chicago’s premier water experience, today announced their summer cruises for Father’s Day, Fourth of July, as well as the return of firework dinners and other seasonal favorites such as Seadog thrill rides, river tours and moonlight dance cruises – all available to book now.
REVERSE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM PILOT TO TAKE PLACE THIS SUMMER
PepsiCo has developed a reverse mentorship program pilot with the goal to build a more equitable workforce, with Black and Hispanic young people from the South and West sides.
Reps. Davis, Moore, Moore, Feenstra, Bacon, and Kamlager-Dove Honor National Foster Care Month with Bipartisan Legislation to Help Foster Youth Find Permanent Families via Adoption
On Thursday, May 25, 2023, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) joined with Representative Blake Moore (R-UT), Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI), Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), and Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) to introduce the bipartisan H.R. 3662, Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2023. The legislation would make the current Adoption Tax Credit fully refundable, removing income as a barrier to adoption.
Chicago Public Schools Celebrates the Class of 2023
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high school graduates began moving tassels to the left and tossing mortarboards in the air this past weekend amid the bittersweet sound of Pomp and Circumstance in auditoriums and other local venues across the city. The Class of 2023 - who were all freshmen during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic - have earned nearly $1 billion in college scholarships and garnered thousands of state and national honors and academic distinctions. The ceremonies and celebrations will continue through mid-June for thousands of CPS graduates with a final tally to be available in the fall. Last year, 21,205 students graduated from CPS, with the District graduation rate increasing 2.7 percentage points to 82.9 percent.
Harper Passes Bill to Address SNAP Benefit Theft
A bill by state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, aimed at addressing the theft of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, is headed to the governor’s desk after unanimously passing both houses of the General Assembly.
NONPROFIT FOUNDER’S ONE STOP RESOURCE SHOP HELPS THOSE IN NEED
Nykoa Farmer founded In His Hands Resource Center out of grief. She lost someone she loved right before the pandemic. She turned that grief into a nonprofit organization that provides resources to individuals, entrepreneurs and community organizations.
