Community Focus
STAY WELL COMMUNITY VACCINE EVENTS OFFER LIFELINE
Vaccines have provided a lifeline for the Black community in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay Well Community Health Fairs and Vaccine Events have given Black people across the country an opportunity to get vaccinated and boosted.
Hyde Park Academy High School partners with The People’s Music School
The People’s Music School provides free music instruction at four different sites in Chicago. The main site is located in the Uptown area. The program reaches about 750 young people, in grades K-12, mostly in after school programs, but it also has programs that supports teachers in the Chicago Public Schools to enhance music education.
Chicago State University joins the Discover College Commitment
Discover Financial Services is partnering with Chicago State University to expand its Discover College Commitment program. Full-time Discover employees in Chicago, who are enrolled at Chicago State University or want to enroll at the university, are eligible to have their education financed by the company.
BRONZEVILLE TRAIL TASK FORCE PUSHING FOR ELEVATED PARK TRAIL
Within Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recently announced vision for a connected city-wide network of trails and corridors is a plan to include the Kenwood embankment in Bronzeville, the site of an abandoned railway and “L” line. The sizable parcel of land, roughly two miles long, would be an impressive addition as an outdoor linear park trail for walking, biking, and jogging.
Woman-owned business benefits from CTA program
Adrian Mobley started Air & Wellness Safety Training in 2014 to provide safety training services. Along the way, she learned there was a need for other services that she could provide in addition to safety training. She also wanted to hire people in her community of Englewood and get them into unionized jobs.
Title and Brokerage Company Owner wants to make impact in community
Tuwanna Dennis is continuing the legacy of providing residential services in the building that was once the home to Dempsey Travis Realty. Dennis will house her Dior Realty Group, along with her other endeavors at 840 Impact, located at 840 E. 87th St.
Musician creates opportunities for Black jazz musicians
Ernest Dawkins was always drawn to music. He considers himself a Scientist of Sound. Dawkins can recall a time when 63rd, 47th and 43rd Streets were filled with night clubs. He would go to the Regal and see the Motown Revue. The music was accessible. It was being played in the community and had a communal feel.
REPRESENTATIVE BOB RITA SCORES A MAJOR WIN CREATING LAW THAT WOULD SAVE LIVES ALONG DEADLY STRETCH OF 127TH STREET
Robert “Bob” Rita- Illinois State Representative of the 28th Legislative District- scored a significant victory this week in his fight to combat a dangerous, deadly section of roadway near a popular park in the south suburban community of Blue Island. But under his proposed legislation, other alike communities will become safer as well.
A Local Chicago Couple creates a plant-based detergent
Sylvia Emuwa noticed her daughter was having an allergic reaction to the diaper, so she decided to cloth diaper. To successfully cloth diaper, a specific detergent suitable for the cloth is needed. Emuwa also wanted to be earth-friendly, but she found those products didn’t clean the cloth diapers well enough.
Black men find a safe space with The Healing Organization
Tristan Lewis and Andrew Smith created the Healing, a non-profit organization with the mission to normalize wellness and mental health for Black men. It was created as a response to 2020, with the global pandemic, racial injustice and civil unrest.
An Englewood Organization founder wants to keep kids on right track
Latanya Johnson has been a one-woman army for the last nine years. As the founder of Latanya and the Youth of Englewood, Johnson has provided for young people in Englewood by hosting recreational, educational, mentorship and entrepreneurship programs, as well as community and holiday events.
PRINCIPALS REPRESENT BLACK EDUCATORS IN SCHOOL SYSTEM
A group of Chicago Public School principals have come together to provide for their students and each other. Takeshi White James is the principal of the Avalon Park Elementary School, Kelly Thigpen is the principal of the Burnside Scholastic Academy and Michael Hinton is the principal of the Thomas Hoyne Elementary School.
The Chicago Eco House Founder creates agrarian society from vacant lots
Quilen Blackwell’s journey took him from Madison, Wis. to Thailand to Milwaukee and finally to Chicago, where he founded an organization that takes vacant lots and turns them into solar farms that grow flowers. The flowers Chicago Eco House grows provide an economic solution for poverty where the farms are located.
Business leader wants book to inspire people
Steve White credits his success to God. He believes God sets a plan for everyone. He had a strong mother who sacrificed tremendously. He also received a hand up from people in the way of opportunities. It is why he wrote the book, “Uncompromised.” It is a love letter to all the people who gave him a hand up. He wants to share the book with as many people as he can. It is his hope that those people who read the book can lead a life of impact and legacy.
