Conversations With The Citizen

“Communities Partnering for Peace is a collaborative made up of nine organizations including Metropolitan Family Services. Our goal is to reduce violence in Chicago,” said Vaughn Bryant, executive director of Communities Partnering For Peace.

In April of 1982, 34-year-old Ezekiel Taylor tragically lost his life when three young men stole his car as he stopped at a fast-food restaurant on 79th Street and Stony Island Avenue after church one day. Decades later, his daughter Tenisha Taylor founded the Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation to honor his memory.

At just 27 years old, Rashauna Scott has been able to gain personal success and build her own wealth through real estate investments despite the challenges she faced along the way. Now she is aiming to give back through her own organization, Flippin in Heels in which she works to build a support system and a clear pathway for women across the country to gain financial freedom through real estate investment just like she did.

Global Girls is a 19-year-old organization that encourages young people to pursue their dreams while exposing them to performance art, travel, and social-emotional learning opportunities.

For the last several weeks, there has been a steady buzz on the south side surrounding the new Art in Motion creative arts school that is set to open in South Shore this coming fall. The school, which is a Chicago Public Schools charter school, will be tuition free with no entrance exams or auditions and will not have a mandated attendance boundary thus making it fully accessible to students across the city.

Cndice Cunningham said she didn't have much exposure to entrepreneurship growing up in Englewood but becuase of her persistent curiosity, she was able to learn how to be a successfulol business owner.

Founder and CEO of PHLI Brand clothing, Dave Jeff, was born and raised in Hyde Park where his deep love for fashion began at a young age. Jeff grew up under the watch of his mother who was his sole provider and according to him was “always on her fresh” which inspired him to try and keep up with changing fashion trends.

Citizen sit down one-on-one with LaKeisha Gray-Sewell-of "Girls Like Me" Organization to discuss how the lives of young girls are changed through the services and skills provided through the organization.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week across the U.S. and at at the Citizen we honored Cynthia Brawner, a third grade at James Wadsworth Elementary in Woodlawn. Brawner grew up on the south side, is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools, and has been teaching for over two decades.

Almost 150 years ago, the Bright Promises Foundation, originally known as the Illinois Humane Society, came into existence with the purpose of providing a voice and assistance to those who needed their protection the most which at the time were children and animals.