Conversations With The Citizen

Think Out Da Block founder Pha’Tal Perkins, is a resident of Englewood. Perkins said growing up in an underserved community, he went towards the streets. But, one day he woke up and didn’t see forever in that life.

What started out as a way to make extra income after being laid off due to COVID-19, has turned into a lucrative business venture for Ida Nelson. Nelson, a resident of the North Lawndale community, is the owner and founder of Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream & Treats. Nelson is a mother of four biological children and one foster child. She said she and her children are ice cream connoisseurs. She said they visit all of the premium ice cream shops in their spare time.

LaVonte Stewart, founder of Lost Boyz, Inc., grew up in South Shore and uses his love of baseball to support and empower young people. Lost Boyz, Inc.’s mission is to decrease violence and improve the social, emotional and economic conditions of young people in Chicago communities utilizing sports-based youth development.

Jahmal Cole has been dedicated to making a difference in the community with his organization My Block, My Hood, My City. As founder and CEO, Cole is intrinsically motivated to improve the quality of life for the block clubs of Chicago. Cole said he wanted to be an activist since he was 4-years-old, admiring the likes of Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael and Robert Kennedy.

Conversations With The Citizen Send Special Holiday Cheers To Its Facebook Followers and All Of Its Podcast Streaming Listeners. This Episode Was Produced With Thoughts Of Spreading Cheers During This COVID-19 Season. Families And Loved Ones Will Not Be Able To Come Together As Usual, So We Hope That Everyone Enjoys The Holiday Season. "We Don't Own The Rights To None Of The Music Heard Or Viewed In This Episode". Thank You To Our In Studio Guest, Tristian Arnez and Smooth "Willie Fultz".

Conversations With The Citizen Send Special Holiday Cheers To Its Facebook Followers and All Of Its Podcast Streaming Listeners. This Episode Was Produced With Thoughts Of Spreading Cheers During This COVID-19 Season. Families And Loved Ones Will Not Be Able To Come Together As Usual, So We Hope That Everyone Enjoys The Holiday Season. "We Don't Own The Rights To None Of The Music Heard Or Viewed In This Episode". Thank You To Our In Studio Guest, Tristian Arnez and Smooth "Willie Fultz".

Whitney B. Hampton, owner of Hampton Real Estate and Investments and lead broker and team leader at A. Progeny Global, talks about wealth building, real estate and investing.

Yazmin Curtis opened Two Fish Crab Shack, located at 641 E. 47th St., 4 years ago as a restaurant where people could get their seafood boil in a bag. People who visited the restaurant liked the sauce so much she made it available online for purchase. Now people can enjoy Two Fish seafood in a bag, in the frozen good section at select grocery stores.

Regine Rousseau, owner and operator of Shall We Wine, talks about being a Black Sommelier, her favorite wine, and the experiential events she hosts.

Chez Smith worked in public health for more than 15 years. While she served as the administrator of the family planning clinic, she realized there were a lot of young girls coming in repeatedly for sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. “I realized two things, working with those girls. One, girls felt this wasn’t a bad outcome for them. If they get pregnant, if they get an STI, it was part of the norm because of where they lived,” she said. “The second thing was I realized they weren’t receiving adequate sexual education, if any at all. The girls who were receiving information, they were myths.” Smith decided to start the Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. Foundation to educate girls and young women about reproductive health, to improve their outcomes and to redefine the “hood” stereotype. In this instance, H.O.O.D. stands for Healthy Optimistic Outstanding and Determined.