Alarming revelations regarding Blacks’ dismal record at creating a will and developing an estate plan prompted AKArama Foundation President Veletta L. Bell to act. Bell, who presides over the Foundation – the charitable arm of Theta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority -- said this record of neglect impacts wealth building and is a trend that must be reversed.
Robot dance parties and hydraulic claws. Computer spy games. Designs for remote controls you can’t lose and tables that swing into place from the back of your couch. These are some of the projects that high school students made as part of Peoples Gas After School Matters summer apprenticeships, developed with Project SYNCERE. This year’s summer projects had an unexpected, high-tech twist: they were all created by teams of students working virtually to keep themselves and their educators safe from COVID-19.
The artistic expression that was born out of the racial and civil unrest as a result of the death of George Floyd is the focus of the coffee table book, “Board Up Chicago: Storefront Images Days After the George Floyd Riots.”
Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, in partnership with the Chicago Department of Assets, Information and Services (AIS), recently announced a new Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a renewable energy supply contract for city-owned buildings.
Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi is taking on property tax reform in Illinois. Kaegi said the way property has been assessed in previous administrations has led to inequities in the process and it’s put a burden on people who have less money.
Founder, Gary Charles, has fostered a partnership with high profile individuals to launch Advancement of Blacks in Sports, Inc. (ABIS), a newly established non-profit organization with a mission to connect and inspire people to boldly advocate for racial, social, and economic justice for Blacks in sports. ABIS works to foster a culture of equity and inclusion in all aspects of sports that lead to racial, economic and social justice.
Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group recently announced the elevation of Melody Smalls to the new position of Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources. Smalls previously held the position of Chief Human Resources and Compliance Officer & Vice President/Head of Human Resources at The Weather Channel/Weather Group since 2016.
Illinois State Representative Marcus Evans’ office, located at 8500 S. Stony Island, is now a place where visitors and passersby can enjoy public art. Artist Quentin Crockett created a mural in the entry area of the office.
Since Spring 2020, homes have been working overtime. Kitchen tables turned conference rooms, garages turned gyms and bathrooms turned spas. As many parents and caregivers prepare to welcome the upcoming school year, they’re also looking to update their homes to become places for young minds to grow. What may have felt temporary earlier this year, has become to feel a bit more permanent; that makeshift desk on a card table or kids taking Zoom calls from the couch, may not cut it when you are staring down another virtual school year.
In the wake of outcries against racial injustice, inequality and civil unrest in the United States, Ice Cube and American artist, Shepard Fairey, have revealed the ‘A Contract with Black America’ logo.
Hyundai Hope On Wheels grants are awarded through a competitive peer-reviewed process. Th e Scholar Hope Grant and Th e Young Investigator grants are awarded during the month of September, exclusively to COG member institutions. Th is year, the organization awarded COVID-19 drive-thru testing grants to 23 sites throughout the nation. More than one-million COVID-19 tests have been completed at sites supported by the Hyundai grant. To learn more about Hyundai Hope on Wheels at: http://www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Great Lakes Region recently launched a COVID-19 relief effort on August 25 to aid the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter (NAPRPP) Museum. The Chicago institution is the only museum in the nation that honors Sigma Frat Brother A. Philip Randolph.
Online children’s education company Age of Learning, Inc., which operates ABCmouse, will pay $10 million and change its negative option marketing and billing practices to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it made misrepresentations about cancellations and failed to disclose important information to consumers, leading tens of thousands of people to be renewed and charged for memberships without proper consent.
Bamani Obadele has been involved with community organizing, public policy and advocacy for more than 20 years. Now, he is bringing his experience to Acclivus, Inc. as a community engagement director.
When Dr. Lycurgus L. Muldrow went to college, he was reading at a 7th-grade level. He’d dealt with health issues as a kid, and like many Black students, he found himself underserved by his school system, despite both of his parents serving as faculty members at historically Black colleges and universities.
Before there was President Barack Obama, before National Football League Star Quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem, before there was a Black Lives Matter protest, before CEOs voiced their conscience before their brands, Pamela McElvane was on the frontline of the diversity and inclusion movement advocating to increase the number of people of color working at all levels of corporate America, including securing them seats on the boards of the world’s largest companies.
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has announced that the expiration date for valid driver’s licenses held by Illinois drivers who are 75 years of age or older has been extended for a period of one year past the licenses’ current 2020 expiration date.
Community organizations and elected officials are continuing to get the word out about filling out the U.S. Census form. At a recent event at the DuSable Museum, radio personality Bonnie DeShong hosted a town hall conversation with leaders of community organizations, which included Sheryl Holman, CEO of Community Assistance Programs and elected officials, including Illinois State Senator Robert Peters and 20th Ward Alderwoman Jeanette B. Taylor.
Walker said he learned he could use his resources to be a blessing to others when he saw a young lady stuck on the side of the road. He offered to tow her home and she started crying because she didn’t have a tree or toys for her kids for Christmas. He came back with toys and a tree so the family could celebrate Christmas. “Just the look on the kids’ faces was priceless. From then on, I said, ‘Okay, this is my calling,’” he said. “I do come from a giving background. My parents were givers,” he said.