The Chicagoans of the Year Are Doing Great Work in 2013

You’ll be proud to know these locals.

By Geoffrey Johnson, Tomi Obaro, Harry Sawyers, and Bryan Smith

Published Nov. 7, 2013

Since 1995, this magazine has honored Chicagoans who are doing extraordinary things—the Chicagoans of the Year.

On the following pages, you’ll meet a bluesman who is keeping a Chicago musical tradition alive and a breast cancer survivor who is leading a powerful crusade. You’ll be inspired, too, by a brave immigration activist, a pair of education pioneers, and an artist with a unique vision for rallying communities torn apart by violence.

On December 3, Chicago’s editors will recognize these six individuals with a luncheon at the Peninsula, sponsored in part by Carson Pirie Scott—proof that, yes, good deeds do get noticed.