Conrad Worrill is a highly regarded African American writer, educator, and activist from Chicago. Worrill was also a friend of the late Chicago Mayor, Harold Washington who died in office 31 years ago. In honor of the anniversary of Mayor Washington’s death, Worrill took the time to recall some of his memories and spoke on how the political climate has changed from then to now.
In his Bronzeville neighborhood, he is known as Baba, Griot. Teller of tales, fighter of the good fight, protector of our history. He is a cultural icon, a larger than life figure whose legacy encompasses more than 80 decades. His life’s journey has been one of serving country, building family, securing civil rights and supporting community. On December 8-9, 2018, Chicago will celebrate the 100th Birthday of Timuel D. Black, Jr. with events in Chicago at Logan Center and at the South Shore Cultural Center.
Thornton Township was recently honored with four awards by the Township Officials of Illinois. The awards included, Best Township Social Media, Best Township
Communication Messenger of the Year; Ernst Lamothe Jr., Most Innovative Township Program Award, and Best General Assistance Caseworker of the Year;
Lakeela Jennings.
In the spirit of the coming new year, the U.S. Postal Service recently revealed several of the new Forever stamps and other stamps to be issued in 2019.
A new movement is brewing up in Chicago-area schools to tackle the social and emotional disconnect of youth that’s triggered by the increasing domination of social media and cell phone usage in society. And Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 in Markham, Ill. is leading the way.
Students from Chicago Public High Schools recently competed in the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change contest. Students were asked to create
healthy and delicious school meals that their peers would enjoy while meeting strict nutritional standards and a tight budget.
My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation, recently announced the winners of its inaugural MBK Community Challenge Competition. Of the 19 organizations that were selected as winners, 5 were from Chicago and will become a unique cohort within the initiative.
Citi Retail Services (CRS) recently announced the results of its third-annual nationwide study on evolving consumer shopping trends during the holiday season. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that this holiday season, in addition to rushing to the mall, consumers are increasingly powering up their computers and mobile devices or simply interacting with their virtual assistant. While nearly three-fourths (73%) still plan on visiting a brick and- mortar store to purchase holiday gifts, a sizable 57% additionally plan on turning to their computer to shop, 42% to their mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, and 13% to their virtual assistant, such as Alexa or Siri, to facilitate their holiday shopping needs.
Acclaimed Chicago director Amber Mak dazzled audiences with Paramount’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. She made kids of all ages believe in Santa again with Elf The Musical. Now she’s taking audiences over the rainbow and into another fantastical world with The Wizard of Oz, playing now through January 6, 2019 at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.
The Bloom High School Drama Club is preparing for their fall production of Elf The Musical Jr. which will open at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 29. There will be another 7 p.m. show on Friday, Nov. 30 and a performance at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 at Bloom High School, 101 W 10th St, in Chicago Heights. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $5 for students, $5 for senior citizens, and kids 5 and under are free.
A new food hall is scheduled to open in the historic Pullman neighborhood in late January. One Eleven Food Hall will house three South Side restaurateurs and will be located in the 111th Street Gateway Retail Center that was developed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.
Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios announced today that his office has certified the 2018 City of Chicago Triennial Reassessment earlier than last year’s triennial reassessment and will again publish all assessed values ahead of the anticipated schedule.
—UNCF Chicago joins #GivingTuesday to encourage
philanthropy through education. Benefiting historically black colleges and universities, UNCF
Chicago aims to change the narrative of HBCUs across the nation by equipping minority
students with the resources necessary to transition into college and ultimately the workforce.
With the recent release of UNCF’s new publication, HBCUs Make America Strong: The
Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the value can be
seen in how HBCUs perform in annual job creation and economic development: 134,000
jobs nationwide and almost $15 billion in total national economic impact. In Chicago alone,
UNCF Chicago awarded 784 scholarships to IL students.
Armed with a blue, folding lawn chair, Englewood resident Jacqueline Hendricks arrived early at a South Side McDonald’s to be first in line for the 19th Annual Food for the Body & Spirit turkey giveaway sponsored by the Black McDonald’s Operators Association of Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
Denise Jordan Walker is the founder of Candid Public Relations and a well-known former smooth jazz radio host in Chicago. Over the last few decades, Walker has built a long list of celebrity clients and developed an impeccable ear for jazz music.
Illinois Representative La Shawn Ford (8th District) recently held a press conference at the Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center,5820 W. Chicago Ave.,
to announce that he is running for Mayor of Chicago.
The Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau (CSCVB), the regional destination management organization for Chicago’s 63 south and southwest suburbs, recognized its members, municipalities and organizations for their outstanding service in the hospitality and tourism industry during Fiscal Year 2018.
The Grassroots Collaborative recently organized a city-wide bus tour with stops on the north side, west side, and south side to share stories and discuss the most pressing issues that they see with the current state of affairs in Chicago.
Contexture Media Network is currently in the midst of hosting their first session of Movie Maker Mondays, a six-week workshop series that provides useful information about film production. The workshops are being held every Monday from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Movie Studio Grill, 210 W. 87th St., in Chatham and the cost is $60 per session.
As unemployment rates remain low across the country, strong employee benefits packages are a key driver of both recruitment and retention. According to Nationwide’s fourth annual survey of U.S. business owners with 1-499 employees, 85 percent of African-American business owners say they offer some form of an employee benefits package — well exceeding the broader business owner market (64 percent).
Across every benefit category included in Nationwide’s survey, more African-American business owners indicate they provide more benefits to their employees than the general population of business owners.