Conversations With The Citizen

What started out as a food truck is now a successful brick and mortar restaurant with quite a following. Phil Simpson and Andrew Bonsu are the owners of Phlavz Bar & Grille, located at 717 W. Maxwell St.

Sandi Robinson, co-founder of ChiGivesBack, knows the importance of raising funds to provide resources. She also knows the importance of having a good team to support you in your endeavors.

Ibie Hart realized she was interested in politics while in law school at Loyola. She wanted to advocate for Black and brown children in the education system, so she got into the education law program, focusing on education reform policy, as well as school discipline laws and guidelines.

Tiffany Henyard, a senior Village of Dolton Trustee, grew up in the village and has served on the board since 2013. Now, Henyard is running for Mayor of Dolton. Henyard announced her run for Mayor on Thursday, Oct. 8. The election is Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021.

Thaddeus Jones was the first African-American Alderman in Calumet City when he was elected in 1996. Now, he wants to be the first African-American Mayor of the city, which is in the South Suburbs. Jones, who was born and raised in Ford Heights, is also an Illinois State Representative of the 29th District. Jones said Calumet City is in a state of despair because people have walked away from Calumet City, much like people did in Ford Heights.

In the last few years, Kina Collins has been organizing around the movement for Black Lives. Collins, a native of the Austin neighborhood on the city’s West Side, was integral in helping organize around the killing of LaQuan McDonald. Most recently, Collins ran for the 7th District Congressional seat.

Beulah Brent uses her experience and knowledge of the healthcare system to bring awareness to Breast and Cervical Cancer in minority and underserved communities on the South and West side of Chicago. Brent is the CEO, of Sisters Working it Out. The non-profit has been in existence for 19 years. Its goal is to eliminate the disparities for breast cancer in the Chicago area. It facilitates programs which serve to educate women, as well as connect them to quality preventative health care services.

Early Walker, owner of W&W Towing. Walker is known for his community philanthropy work in across the city of Chicago. Walker has participated in recovery services for families across the nation hit by natural disasters. Walker is also the founder of "I'm Telling Don't Shoot". The organization I'm Telling Don't Shoot" provides reward monies for information as a way to solve crimes across the Chicagoland area. Walker has provided services from towing, housing, food and financial support in neighborhoods hit hard by violence. Early believes in paying it forward by blessing people.

Monica Gordon was recently appointed Director of Government and Community Relations at Chicago State University.

Tonika Lewis Johnson is the creator of the Folded Map Project, a visual investigation of the inequity and disparity of the North and South Sides. In that project, Johnson has the residents, who lived on the same streets with similar addresses on different sides of the city, meet each other and talk about race, the city and segregation. Essence McDowell is the associate director of the Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago. The Social Justice Initiative is a small arm of the University of Illinois Chicago and its aim is to bring the campus community with city-wide communities together to build a bridge between scholarship and activism. “Belonging” is the inaugural exhibit of the Social Justice Initiative’s Chicago Justice Gallery.