Community Focus
GRADUATION STORIES SHOWING GRIT AND DETERMINATION
“I grew up on the south side of Chicago,” said Joya. “Chicago State has always been a place known for its nurturing faculty and I wanted to attend a university where I knew I would be known by name and not by number. I encouraged my daughter to apply to Chicago State as well. I was confident that CSU would give her the positive experience she needed.”
THIS YEAR’S PRAYER ON THE 9 WILL FOCUS ON YOUNG VOICES
Pastor John Hannah and the New Life Covenant Southend Church are preparing for this year’s annual Prayer on the 9 initiative. This year Hannah is calling for the congregation and the entire Chicago community to March and Pray For Our Lives starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19 at the corner of 79th St. and Greenwood Ave.
Former Robert Taylor Homes Resident Releases Book About Experiences
Over the weekend, Crystal Lampkins-Banks released a new book, Hi’Yella: Life in the Projects, that details her experiences growing up in the Robert Taylor Homes, a low-income high-rise housing development in Bronzeville that has since been demolished.
SSC’s 10th Anniversary Women’s Conference a Huge Success
Women’s History Month may have come and gone, the event chairpersons (Alexandra Glumac and Rebecca Garcia-Westburg) of South Suburban College’s 10th Anniversary Women’s Conference now know what others have suspected all along—this year’s Women’s Conference was a huge success!
MOVING IDEAS INTO ACTION WITH THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST’S ACTING UP AWARDS
Over the past two years, Acting Up awards totaling nearly $200,000 have been given to 135 diverse projects discussed during On the Table. This year, the Trust will be giving away more than $150,000 – in $1,500, $2,500 and $5,000 increments – to help encourage people to work together and take action for the public good.
NEW LIFE COVENANT CHURCH SE WILL TAKE TO STREETS OF SOUTH SIDE CHICAGO WITH “PRAYER ON THE 9” DEMONSTRATION
Pastor Hannah was inspired by the survivors of the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who organized the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence and rallied the nation in Washington, DC. Thousands are expected to join the city-wide march in a show of solidarity- A Call for all Youth!
EIGHTH WARD RESIDENTS PROTEST ALDERMAN BACKED HOUSING PROJECT
Residents of Chicago’s Eighth Ward recently gathered outside the office of their alderman, Michelle Harris, to protest a new senior housing development, the Montclare Senior Residences of Calumet Heights, that she is pushing for at the corner of 94th St. and Stony Island Avenue.
Joshua C. Shelton, Sr., Chicago Police Department’s youngest faith-based liaison brings compassion and grace to tough job through seminary training
Officer Joshua Shelton, 33, remembers the time he saw his first homicide victim. It was a young, black male who had been shot and killed and left dying on his feet in the vestibule of his apartment building, while his family, including a small child, was just upstairs. “[That] was something I couldn’t get out of my head for a long time,” Shelton recalled. “This man had died standing up, and his family was just upstairs. We had the fire department escort them out of the building using a ladder through a window. We couldn’t let them see him like that, or see the blood, or the crime scene. For a long time, I couldn’t get this victim out of my mind. I had to pray about it constantly.”
Upcoming Health and Medical Career Conference for Young People
On April 21, the I Am Abel Foundation (IAAF) is hosting their second annual Health and Medical Careers Citywide Conference from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also their third annual Preparing Our Successors in Medicine Student Gala at 6:30 p.m. in the Searle Conference Center on the fifth floor of the Rush University Medical Center.
Gregory Jones, Principal at Kenwood Academy High School, Honored with Stanley C. Golder Leadership Award
Golden Apple, a leading Illinois nonprofit committed to developing great teachers, recently surprised Gregory Jones, principal of Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, with the Stanley C. Golder Leadership Award. The award, presented in memory of Stanley C. Golder, a founding board member of Golden Apple, honors exemplary performance in school leadership by a principal or head of school from the Chicagoland area.
UPCOMING WOMEN’S GALA FEATURES BERTINA POWER AS MC
A local organization, She ROCKS It, is preparing for their second annual Women Who ROCK Award Gala on May 6 to honor 22 empowering women from the Chicagoland area. The event will be held at the Bolingbrook Golf Course and hosted by Bertina Power, an empowering woman herself and the voice of EmPower Hour, a talk show that she hosts and produces.
Chicago’s Own Unicorn, Chrishon Lampley Talks About Building Her Wine Business
On April 20, Chrishon Lampley will be hosting a tasting event at the South Loop Mariano’s for Love Cork Screw wine, a private label wine company that she owns. The event will showcase the five varietals of red and white wine that the company produces. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online.
DJ Jazzy Jeff Headlines 5th Annual Hyde Park Brew Fest
Hyde Park Brew Fest marks its fifth year with an outstanding weekend of festivities that will combine Chicago’s best brewers and music producers. The Hyde Park Brew Fest runs from June 2 through June 3rd, 12p-9p on Saturday and Sunday and is FREE to attend. Attendees will enjoy excellent food, music, vendors, and of course, can purchase a sampler’s ticket for access to over 50 different beers and ciders to try. The Hyde Park Brew Fest takes place in downtown Hyde Park at 53rd and Harper Avenue (Harper Court).
Greater Chatham Initiative Sees Art As the Soul of The Community
“We have over 4500 businesses and those businesses employ over 51,000 people, 20 percent of whom live in Greater Chatham, and they generate well in excess of a billion dollars in sales. That’s the good news,” said Fears.
