Chicago Public Schools officials confirmed that 61 school buildings will be shut down – more than 10 percent of the district’s current locations – an act that has many in the city infuriated. A list of more than 100 schools had been under review by CPS and the city’s Commission on School Utilization, which suggested [...]
Chicago Violence Invades Hip-Hop: 7 Shot at Album Release Party
March 21, 2013 | Posted by
As Chicago continues to suffer widespread violence, the city’s hip-hop culture has come to reflect the harsh reality of life there. On Wednesday night however, the violence extended beyond the music, when three men opened fire during an album release party on Chicago’s South Side. Seven people were injured at Mr. G’s Supperclub at around [...]
Chicago School Closings to Hit Black Students Hardest, Study Finds
March 7, 2013 | Posted by
Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Schools may close 129 schools to save money, and African-American students will bear the brunt of the displacement. Of the schools slated for closing, 103 have a student population that is 90 percent or more black, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The city has until the end of the month to [...]
Michelle Obama Announces $70M ‘Let’s Move’ Schools Program
February 28, 2013 | Posted by
Michelle Obama unveiled a plan to increase physical education in 50,000 public schools Thursday, extending the reach of her “Let’s Move” program. Obama was in her hometown of Chicago for the second stop of her “Let’s Move!” tour, the latest in a series of public appearances that have set the tone for her second [...]
Minister Farrakhan Stresses Need For Black Economic Self-Reliance in Saviors Day Speech
February 25, 2013 | Posted by
Economics was the theme of Minister Louis Farrakhan’s annual savior’s day message yesterday, as he called on the black community to pool its resources to amass land and to be more disciplined in its spending habits. With about 10,000 followers in attendance at the University of Chicago Pavilion, according to the Associated Press, Farrakhan didn’t [...]
Jesse and Sandi Jackson Plead Guilty to Conspiracy
February 20, 2013 | Posted by
Former U.S. Congress member Jesse Jackson Jr. entered a guilty plea in federal court Wednesday as part of a negotiated deal with the U.S. attorney’s office. Both Jackson and his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, were indicted on federal charges on Friday. Jackson was charged with conspiracy for the improper spending of $750,000 in [...]
Janay McFarlane Killed Hours After Sister Attended Obama’s Speech in Chicago
February 17, 2013 | Posted by
Another Chicago student shot and killed just hours after President Obama’s speech on gun violence, a speech her sister attended. 18-year-old Janay McFarlane was gunned down in suburban North Chicago, reports CBS-2′S Mike Puccinelli. “The next thing I knew I got a call and they said my baby was dead. And she was shot in [...]
In Remarkably Personal Terms, Obama Relates to Black Community in Chicago
February 16, 2013 | Posted by
In the African-American community and beyond, people have been craving for the president to speak out against gun violence and poverty in a personal way. They finally got their wish yesterday in Chicago, when Obama talked movingly about urban violence and compared himself to the young black males he met with at Hyde Park Academy, in the [...]
Freddie Gibbs And The Next Wave of Chicago Rap Artists
February 13, 2013 | Posted by
Two years ago, during a Freddie Gibbs show at Bottom Lounge, Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy made an onstage appearance to announce that he was signing the Gary, Indiana, artist to his CTE label. At the time, it seemed as though this type of high-profile endorsement was the only avenue of legitimation for Chicago rap. Gibbs [...]
Obama to Return to Chicago After State of The Union Address
February 11, 2013 | Posted by
President Obama will return to Chicago Friday to address the city’s rampant gun violence, according to a statement from the White House. First lady Michelle Obama visited the city over the weekend to attend the funeral of slain teen Hadiya Pendleton, one of the city’s 42 homicide victims in January. The Rev. Jesse Jackson called [...]
