Fleeting, a Black-owned commercial trucking and fleet management services company, recently announced that it received a seed round investment of $500,000 from Kyrie Irving, NBA superstar and founder of new consulting firm, KAI 11 Consulting, and Lockstep Ventures, the new venture fund founded by Michael Loeb, Bonin Bough, and Marcus Glover.
In his new book, Hood Fuller brings a unique perspective to the fantasy genre where African-American authors and characters are far underrepresented. “Particularly
in the comic book industry at least among the titans of Marvel and DC, there is definitely a lopsided playing field when it comes to black representation and white
representation. I personally want to see more black people suiting up,” Hood says.
At the outset of the pandemic, Yaron Shemesh, CEO of Creative Home Ideas, immediately marshalled his company’s extensive resources to help provide masks
for first responders and healthcare workers.
After having been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DuSable Museum of African American History is scheduled to reopen to the public on “Juneteenth” (Saturday, June 19, 2021), at 11:00 AM with a “Welcome Back” Ceremony celebrating the return to business for the nation’s first independent Black History Museum.
Black Women Talk Tech has officially announced its Fifth Annual Roadmap to Billions Conference. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be virtual via a customized experience on Hop.in on Aug. 12-13.
Greater Englewood Unity Day was the brainchild of Jane Carter-Hill, co-founder of Imagine Englewood If… Hill was devoted to having people connect, communicate and
collaborate.
Individuals and organizations are once again able to win $25,000 in grant money for neighborhood improvement projects with State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist program. Last year, there were four Illinois organizations that won.
May is Older Americans Month in Illinois and the state’s Department on Aging (IDoA) is encouraging all Illinoisans to build strength in the lives of our older adults. “Communities of Strength” is the theme of this year’s recognition, which highlights the differences everyone can make in the lives of the state’s more than 2.8 million older adults and in support of our more than 600,000 caregivers.
READI Chicago has received a $2 million investment from JP Morgan Chase. The investment will allow the organization to continue to be able to provide resources to men at risk of gun violence involvement.
Chicago Loop Alliance is launching an ambitious open streets project called Sundays on State that would see parts of State Street in the Loop closed to vehicle traffic for up to 12 Sundays this summer. The organization is inviting members of the community to get involved and share their ideas.
Illinois Humanities announced that it will begin accepting applications today for 2021 COVID-19 Emergency Relief and Recovery Grants. More than $1M in funding for these grants has been made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 through the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Robin Rue Simmons, Reparations advocate and former Evanston alderwoman, is an award recipient of the annual Urban One Honors which highlighs the exemplary accomplishments of African American women around the country. Rue Simmons is the architect of the nation’s first funded municipal Reparations legislation, sparking local legislative efforts nationwide and raising awareness around the HR40 bill seeking to progress federal Reparations. This year’s Urban One Honors theme is “Women Leading the Change,” where Rue Simmons and her many contributions to the Reparations movement, including her “solutions only” leadership style, will be acknowledged for her meaningful impact within the Black community and beyond.
] It Takes A Village Family of Schools, in partnership with The Rana-Reagan Pharmacy, UI Health, Miles Square Health Center, and IMPACT, is hosting a community covid-19 vaccination clinic this Friday, May 21st from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. The event will be held at Village Leadership Academy, located in the South Loop at 800 S Wells St.
With the country showing increasing signs of reopening each day, the tendency exists among some to forget the most devastating impacts of COVID-19. In many of our most vulnerable communities, the battle against the disease continues to rage on as Americans contend with not just high infection rates, but also the pandemic’s long term health implications and unprecedented economic setbacks.