Extremely ’70s Artifacts from Johnson Publishing’s Heyday
A new exhibit at the Stony Island Arts Bank toasts the Ebony and Jet founder’s pizzazz.
Contributors: Adrienne Samuels Gibbs
How the Obsidian Collection Is Bringing Black Newspapers to Google
The organization is busy digitizing papers like the Chicago Defender and the Baltimore Afro American. And they’re turning them into virtual exhibits on Google’s Arts & Culture platform.
Poet Erika L. Sánchez on Going Mainstream and Not Being Perfect
The Bridgeport writer longed for Mexican American voices in literature growing up. Now she’s carving out a place for her own.
The Black Mount Rushmore
Photos: (JORDAN) Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune; (WINFREY) Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times; (OBAMA) Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune What’s great about Chicago for me, being black and from the South Side? It’s knowing that Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jordan—the triumvirate of modern black icons—spent their formative years here. Knowing that our streets and people and restaurants … Read more
Tamar Manasseh
The Neighborhood Guardian
Power Star Joseph Sikora on His Chicago Graffiti Crew Days
The Chicago actor who plays Tommy Egan in the Starz hit show talks about faith, sex, and how he plays the role of a ruthless drug dealer.
In Wake of Hunger Strike, Dyett’s Principal Promises Tech That Goes Beyond PowerPoint
A year after a month-long hunger strike prevented its closure, Bronzeville’s Walter H. Dyett High School of the Arts will open this fall with a new focus and a new principal, Beulah McLoyd. Prior to this assignment, McLoyd was a principal at Michele Clark Magnet High School in the Austin neighborhood and an assistant principal … Read more
The Evolution of ‘Chiraq’
How the catchword went from a local rapper’s shorthand for Chicago violence to the loaded title of a bigtime director’s next film
The Problem With ‘Chiraq’
It’s important not to let the popular slang become a self-fulfilling prophecy.