Local News
President Biden Taps Meharry Medical College President for COVID Task Force
Meharry Medical College President and CEO Dr. James Hildreth has been named by President Joe Biden as a member of his COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force.
Exelon Utilities CEO Honored with BEYA Chairman’s Award for Contributions to STEM
Exelon Utilities CEO Calvin G. Butler Jr. was honored February 13 with the BEYA Chairman’s Award during the organization’s annual BEYA STEM conference, hosted virtually.
Designing A Better Chicago
If there was ever a time to recognize and support individuals and organizations using design for civic good, it’s now. Designing a Better Chicago, a collaborative initiative organized and supported by NeoCon® and theMART, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and the Design Museum of Chicago, is now accepting nominations for its second annual Design Impact Grant Program. The 2021 initiative will provide $25,000 in project-specific grants to individuals and organizations using design or design principles to directly address pressing issues in Chicago communities.
High School Sisters Launch New “Vaccinated While…” Clothing Line To Combat Vaccine Skepticism
High school students Zoe and Jordan Sims Rhodes, recently launched a new fashion and accessory line, Vaccinated While... Part of a campaign aimed at raising vaccine experience awareness among impacted communities and across social media, the “Vaccinated While…” branded clothing, face masks and accessories are now available for purchase at https://www.redbubble.com/people/VaccinatedWhile/explore
PIGMENT INTERNATIONAL PRESENTS SAVING DEMOCRACY:
“There are some years that ask questions and some years that answer.” So said author and cultural anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston. When we look back on the year 2020 it will be hard to tell which this year was. Already enduring a once in a century viral pandemic, the long-simmering cauldron of Black anger and resentment toward an America that has ignored our grievances came to a head in 2020 in response to the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Floyd was the match that lit the tinderbox of centuries of grievances too numerous to mention.
HIGHER EDUCATION AGENCIES ENCOURAGED BY STEADY FUNDING FOR EDUCATION AMIDST PANDEMIC CHALLENGES
Despite budget woes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker recommended several increases for programs to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in his budget address.
ARTIST RAISES MONEY THROUGH HOODIE COLLABORATION
Local artist, Maxwell Emcays, created Demand Justice as an art activism project. In February, he collaborated with 26 organizations throughout the city of Chicago to create hoodies. The sale of the hoodies resulted in raising $10,000 for those organizations.
20 Million Years Of Life Lost To COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 20 million years of life across 81 countries, according to a new analysis of the disease’s mortality through all of 2020. That’s an average of 16 years of lost life per death.
SOUTH SIDE LEADERS HONORED ON MARCH 18
Chicago Foundation for Women is recognizing the leaders of two Englewood-based organizations for its 2021 Impact Awards.
MATTESON ON THE ECONOMIC RISE
Chalmers-Currin has been president of the Village of Matteson for three and a half years. Prior to that, she was a trustee for the Village for eight years.
ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF THADDEUS JONES DECLARING HIM THE OFFICIAL WINNER OF THE CALUMET CITY MAYOR’S ELECTION
Illinois State Representative Thaddeus Jones- Current Mayor-Elect of Calumet City, Illinois- is now the official winner of the recent February 23rd election. This has now been confirmed by the Illinois State Supreme Court.
Building on the Impact of Tiger Woods, University Park to Name First Black Firm to Manage A Golf Club in Illinois
On Monday, officials from the village of University Park, located some 40 miles south of Chicago, will officially name the CHW Management Group of Columbus, Ohio to oversee its popular golf course, the University Park Golf Club. With that announcement, CHW Management becomes the first and only Black firm to manage a golf course in Illinois, and one of just a handful of Black firms to manage golf courses in the U.S. CHW Management is also headed by a woman, making Sonia Coffee, one of the few women-led management companies serving the estimated $84 billion golfing industry.
City of Chicago Announces Comprehensive Vaccination Outreach Campaign Targeting Seniors
As the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) continues to vaccinate all individuals eligible in Phase 1b against COVID-19, which includes seniors age 65+ and essential workers, it is launching several new initiatives specifically for seniors to receive the vaccine. To date, one in three Chicagoans age 65+ has received a first dose of vaccine.
What Black America Needs to Know About COVID-19 and Vaccines
The new year has brought with it, more daunting challenges in the African American community’s fight against COVID-19. More transmissible variants of the coronavirus which have emerged are swiftly sweeping their way across the United States. This latest trend in the almost year-long pandemic is especially troubling for Black people who are 4 times more likely to be hospitalized and 3 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than white people.