As a Black woman, Vershawn Sanders-Ward wanted to create a dance festival that celebrated the voices of Black women and brought their work to Chicago stages. Sanders-Ward, Founder and Artistic Director of Red Clay Dance Company, created La Femme Dance Festival for that reason.
A directory and marketing agency aims to bring visibility and to promote Black-owned businesses. Cassiopeia Sledge created The Black Mall in 2011 when she was looking for a Black-owned restaurant in her neighborhood to support. Sledge did find a Black-owned restaurant, but when she and her partner returned, the place was closed. It was something she noticed kept happening.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy V. Cunningham has been on the Illinois Supreme Court since 2022, when she was appointed to fill the seat of a judge who retired. Before that, she was an Appellate Court Judge.
Public historian Michelle Duster shared little known facts and anecdotal stories
about the life, times and uncompromising drive of her great-grandmother the revered civil rights activist and antilynching crusader Ida B. Wells during the Black History Month celebration at St. Paul & the Redeemer in Hyde Park.
The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. (SDPC) hosts its 21st Annual Clergy and Lay Leadership Conference, February 19 - 22, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois, at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago. Reverend Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary of SDPC, invites the Chicagoland community to join this continued ‘journey to justice’. According to Dr. Carruthers, “the demands of this season require the best of Black faith leadership to engage beyond civil rights to global human rights”.
On the first day of Black History Month, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III was formally installed as the President and CEO of Rainbow PUSH Coalition on Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. The sold-out installation event featured VIP program participants and attendees from all over the country, including Roland Martin, Rev. Al Sharpton (NAN), Shavonne Arline-Bradley (NCNW), Dr. Michael Sorrell, Dr. Amos Brown, and Dr. Ron Daniels, among others. Tashara Parker, 4X Emmy award-winning journalist, served as the mistress of ceremonies. A livestream is available to watch on YouTube, courtesy of Roland Martin Unfiltered, a Black-owned media network. Both the installation ceremony and the President's Inaugural Social Justice Conference were presented by Sound Design Studios, a Dallas-based Black-owned production company.
Black-owned businesses generate more than $183 billion in annual revenue, according to U.S. Census data. To contribute to this ongoing success, SCORE – mentors to America's small businesses and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration – encourages Black entrepreneurs to seek out a mentor who can support them on their business journey.
David Yurman, America's foremost luxury jewelry brand is pleased to announce its newest global brand ambassador, actor and director Michael B. Jordan, who will appear as the face of the brand's first-ever Men's High Jewelry collection – The Vault – and 2024 campaign.
Diabetes Digital, the latest venture from Jessica Jones and Wendy Lopez of Food Heaven, is proud to announce the launch of its innovative virtual nutrition counseling service. Based in San Francisco and extending services across 23 states, Diabetes Digital is set to transform the landscape of diabetes and prediabetes management.
For the first time, Asheville's Black heritage and culture is on permanent display around the city through a new walking trail. Unveiled in December 2023, the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail is the first of its kind in Western North Carolina and one of a few Black heritage trails in the 13-state Appalachian region. It marks a significant milestone in the growing effort to amplify and preserve Affrilachian heritage, granting visitors an opportunity to retrace compelling narratives that make up Asheville's Black history – including stories that have never been shared in a public space.
Congresswomen Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Young Kim (R-CA), co-chairs of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus, applauded new CMS efforts to improve maternal health and birth outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women and their infants through the new Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model. This 10-year payment and care-delivery model will support participating state Medicaid agencies (SMAs) in developing and implementing a whole-person approach to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care for women with Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage.
In recognition of Safer Internet Day Feb. 6, Attorney General Kwame Raoul encourages parents and caregivers to talk to children about ways to protect themselves online and what to do if they end up in an unsafe online situation.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago announces its Spring 2024 Family Day programming. Every second Saturday of the month, October through May, the MCA offers families free museum admission and interactive programming that redefines the way that youth and families explore and create art together. Family Day is an intentional time for families, both biological and chosen, to experience a fun and accommodating museum space that engages young visitors and their grown-ups through movement, art-making, and learning activities.