CNW Weekly 12/7 - 12/13

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Chicago News Weekly

Editors

Danielle Sanders managing Editor

Sterling Caprico

Fashion Editor

Margo Crawford

Copy Editor

Marti Worell

Arts & Culture Editor

Staff Writers

Sharice Braford

Liz Lampkin

Marcus Bouldin

David Pierce

Tammy Gibson Wanda Wright

Marti Worell

Dr. Mila K. Marshall, PhD

Contributors

NNPA Newswire

Theresa Horton

Stacy M. Brown

Mare Evans

Tiana Allen

Dr. Sanja Rickette Stinson

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Vol. 1 No 10 Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Chicago News Weekly is published weekly on Wednesday. www.cnwmedia.com

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The Answer is “NO.”

Iam smiling even though the circumstances remain a tes timony to the inequity of treatment between the haves and the have nots. In 2022, Judge Aileen Cannon eager to please the former president granted his request for a special master to review the 11,000 government documents seized from Mar-a-Lago in August and temporarily blocked prosecutors from continuing to use the documents until the re view was complete. Once she did so Trump gloated that it was a win and was certain that he was on his way to a sure victory. He had stacked so many of the judges who were in place to do the same. This seemingly major triumph of course, Trump saw as a major move that he’d use as he did his taxes. Honestly, he wanted to stall the investigation until he’d be reelected and then he’d throw the case out.

The truth is as I’ve said previously --Trump stole documents that belonged to the United States Government. End of story. There should never have been an investigation. He was caught red handed. And the barrage of lies he told from ‘having declassi fied the documents,’ to thinking that they were his,’ should have immediately exposed him as the inept leader of the free world he was, thus eliminating him from ever running for any office again.

The second win was the ruling that Trump did not have to com ply with an order from the special master, Judge Cannon had appointed, instructing Trump to submit a sworn affidavit detail ing exactly what he believed the FBI planted during their search of Trump’s home. This baseless claim was another of Trump’s schemes to get away with the theft of such documents that in his possession literally jeopardized our safety. Listen people, I’ve said it before. Even if they had been declassified, the information they contained was enough intel that in the wrong hands could have done irrefutable damage to the U.S., and possibly the world. It stands that the documents do not and never belonged to him. They are the documents of the U.S.A. Government. Because the bureau had executed a legally obtained search war rant for his for-profit club/private residence, Trump’s civil suit should never have been accepted as viable.

Fortunately, right-minded legal eagles spoke up and stated that Cannon’s actions weren’t kosher. There were many, but the most direct is the quote from Andrew Weissman, a former fed eral prosecutor who wrote that Cannon was “completely unfit to serve on the bench,” because of such a ruling.

What is frightening is that Trump’s feeble attempts to overturn laws and rewrite them to suit his needs went as far as they did. In stead, he should have been read his rights and carted off to some sort of holding cell. The final denial speaks only to the integrity of the judges not the law itself, which clearly stated that his re quest if granted would be breaking the law. Chief Judge William Pryor, appointed by President George Bush and both Britt Grant and Andrew Brasher were appointed by Trump. The three judges taught him a new lesson in Life. The ‘Answer is No,” a response that he apparently was not taught as a child. He was denied his despicable request.

Points to note:

• A federal appeals court overturned a judge’s decision to ap point a special watchdog to review documents seized by the FBI from the Florida residence of former President Donald Trump in August as part of a criminal investigation.

• The Department of Justice had objected to the appointment of that watchdog, known as a special master.

• “The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any sub ject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant,” judges on the U.S. Court of Ap peals for the 11th Circuit said in the ruling.

• Trump is being investigated by the department for his removal of government documents from the White House and their ship ment to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Their ruling could accelerate the pace of the Department of Jus tice’s investigation of Trump which is also focused on whether Trump and others obstructed justice in the months that the fed eral government was trying to recover the records before the raid.

commentary

JCPA Is A Blank Check for Large Corporate Media

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Many African American and other BIPOC news outlets are independently owned. Furthermore, these news outlets have developed and grown their audiences because mainstream media pub lications excluded the perspectives of minority voices. The Black Press built our own news outlets to support our own voices. As a result, this legislation would only further reinforce harmful racial exclusion trends, rather than actually help smaller local publications like those in the NNPA.

While a number of conglomerates are scoped into the bill, true independent or small newspapers are explicitly excluded from the legislation because the bill says that an eligible publisher must earn more than $100,000 per year.while a number of conglomerates are scoped into the bill, true independent or small newspapers are explicitly excluded from the legislation because the bill says that an eligible publisher must earn more than $100,000 per year.

“JCPA Is A Blank Check for Large Corporate Media, but Leaves Small Minority-Owned News Out in the Cold”

In September, lawmakers in Washington rushed through major legislation that would reward massive, legacy media corporations at the expense of smaller community-focused and minority-owned newspa pers. While the Journalism Competition Preservation Act (JCPA) is meant to protect publications like those in the National Newspaper Publishers Association, it would ultimately threaten our ability to inform our communities, line the pockets of massive media con glomerates and hedge funds, and lead to the prolif eration of harmful misinformation. Good intentions sometimes have negative and counterproductive con sequences.

The goal to foster quality, local journalism and jour nalist jobs is well-intentioned. Local news outlets pro vide Americans with important information about the political, economic and cultural issues that matter to them. The news industry has reached an inflection point, and much work is still needed to secure a bright and sustainable future for minority-owned publica tions.

Newspaper employment has fallen by 70% in the

past 15 years, and 20% of America’s counties are at risk of becoming news deserts. The top 25 media chains now own a third of all U.S. newspapers. Thousands of newspapers have been acquired by hedge funds and private equity firms like Alden Global Capital or by media behemoths like Gannett, Lee Enterprises and McClatchy. For these media companies, a local news paper is an asset for profit – not a valuable source of local information. Big media chains acquire newspa pers, lay off journalists and staff, drive down wages and shutter publications forever – as they spend millions on executive salaries and stock buybacks.

Now, these same media companies and hedge funds are a step closer to receiving huge payouts – without any accountability or transparency to direct funds to local journalism and journalists. The JCPA would require tech platforms to carry and pay any eligible news publisher for “access” to content. While this may, again, seem well intentioned at first look, upon deeper inspection the law defines “access” so broadly it will re quire payment for simply crawling a website or sharing a link. Similarly, while a number of conglomerates are scoped into the bill, true independent or small newspa pers are explicitly excluded from the legislation because the bill says that an eligible publisher must earn more than $100,000 per year.

Many African American and other BIPOC news outlets are independently owned. Furthermore, these news outlets have developed and grown their audiences because mainstream media publications excluded the perspectives of minority voices. The Black Press built our own news outlets to support our own voices. As a result, this legislation would only further reinforce harmful racial exclusion trends, rather than actually help smaller local publications like those in the NNPA.

Similarly, recent amendments to the bill requiring non-discrimination would require platforms to carry and pay for hate speech and objectionable content that could be harmful to BIPOC communities. If passed, the JCPA would boost misinformation and extremist content. News publications from either side of the aisle that support extremist views will not only receive money, but tech platforms will be required to carry them on their services. This will make it even harder for platforms to moderate harmful and false content. We know that communities like ours will suffer most.

Congress and the Senate should reject the current draft of the JCPA and go back to the drawing board on real solutions for America’s local news problems – solutions that benefit all Americans, instead of just giving handouts to the biggest media corporations in the nation.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) based in Washington, DC representing the interests of the Black Press of America since 1940.

Entrepreneur Grit

Let’s talk about “Grit,” which is one of the most sig nificant qualities needed when desiring to become an entrepreneur. So, what is “grit”? Grit is a personality trait possessed by someone who demonstrates passion and perseverance toward a goal regardless of being con fronted by significant obstacles and distractions. Grit is also having a growth mindset, being resilient, and recovering from failures and setbacks. Developing a grit mentality is not only imperative for success, but it is also a principal quality when stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Grit helps entrepre neurs succeed and overcome adversities and a determi nation to thrive. Grit allows entrepreneurs to find their purpose and hold on to their passion. Grit represents an entrepreneur’s passion that helps them to hold on to long-term and meaningful goals. Grit is not just talent, nor is it luck.

Having talent is essential. However, for entrepreneurs, grit becomes the driver of achievement and success. Consequently, grit is the embodiment of the entrepre neur’s consistent work geared to assist with reaching and meeting a goal. “Entrepreneurs grit” has a few ma jor characteristics that define it.

The first characteristic is Passion: Passion represents a strong liking or desire for something. Passion is a com pelling emotion and feeling. Passion connects with grit by allowing us to stick with something even when times get tough. Passion drives our needs and not our fears. Passion is the driving force behind our desires and am

bitions. Passion keeps us motivated and helps us build self-confidence and a willingness to learn more.

Second is Perseverance: Perseverance encourages steadfastness and a commitment to never giving up. Perseverance is persistence in doing something despite difficulties or delays in achieving success. Perseverance is the willpower to work hard no matter the obstacle and remain firm and consistent. Perseverance is con nected to grit as it allows the ability to continue work ing on something even when it becomes challenging and takes longer to complete. Entrepreneurs with grit have stamina and often will view challenges as a mara thon, not a sprint. Perseverance is connected with grit as it helps us progress even when things get tough, and it is vital to our future success.

Third is Resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back. Resilience is the willpower to adapt to various life changes and the ability to recover in the face of a crisis. Resilience isn’t new to the world, extending as far back as the Bible, which provides many examples of leaders who had to endure and recover from tragedies, over come hardship and temptation, and learn to persevere even as they faced many trials. Biblically, we witness how people suffered greatly and failed miserably, yet all continued to follow God’s plans for their lives regard less of that suffering.

Fourth is a Growth Mindset: Those with grit don’t see failure as a way of describing who they are but use it to pace themselves and help springboard them to suc

ceed. A growth mindset en courages the development of new skills that can assist us in achieving our goals. A growth mindset is an essential qual ity connected to things we can cultivate through effort. The individual desiring to become an entrepreneur will often face setbacks and failures. However, as entrepreneurs, developing a growth mindset opens our minds to the opportunities ahead rather than the obstacles we are facing at present. It helps us keep growing, learning, and evaluating as we focus on the purpose behind becoming an entre preneur, keeping it close to our hearts and using it to continue to drive forward.

In summary, grit isn’t something we are born with; instead, it is something that every entrepreneur must be willing to develop and nurture. It requires us to follow our paths and learn from our mistakes and failures. In dividuals who endeavor to become entrepreneurs need grit to enable them to take risks, never give up on their vision, and bounce back from failure. Grit is only de veloped through practice, experience, and loss.

FAIR, FOUL-PLAY or FOUL?

Is CFD’s Exam Open to All?

BACKGROUND

1995 is the year Black Chicago melt ed under the intensity of sweltering temperatures during the Chicago Heat Wave. While outside was hot like fire, 1995 had Black Chicago Fire Depart ment applicants hot headed over dis crimination. It appears CFD is always putting out HR fires when they could just equitably hire for the 5,000 member department. Six thousand African Amer icans alleged discriminatory practices in the 1995 CFD testing. A lawsuit ensued, which subsequently led to 1,000 Black applicants being selected by lottery to retake the test 16 years later in 2011 to join the Chicago Fire Department. Note that the age limit to apply is 30 years old. This year’s testing has applicants, City Council members and union firefighters befuddled.

“Anyone who is eligible and wants to take the test should be able to sit and take the test,” says 18th ward Alderman

Curtis is referring to a novel, but curious strategy being implement ed by CFD to reduce the number of test takers and selection of test takers by way of a lottery. The process involves an indi vidual completing an application and if deemed eligible a lottery number is as signed. Submission and acceptance of a completed application does not guaran tee an invitation to take the CFD/EMT test.

Equity in municipal employment is a gamble and CFD has doubled down on diversity by reducing the number of test takers. A fraction of applicants, 4,500 to be exact, will be taking the exam on De cember 17th. But the application pro cess, information access and marketing campaign seems to be a bit of a hot mess and many including Ald. Curtis is advo cating to stop the test.

”People are confused about the lottery system, how numbers are chosen, how preferences are counted, it’s just a lot of things applicants have reached out to us

about help with,” shares Lt. Q Curtis, President, and Founder of the Black Fire Brigade.

One would think that if anyone under stood the idiom, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” it would be the Chicago Fire Department. But the agency’s ee rie silence on the ladder of complaints has done nothing to quench confusion. Calls from frustrated applicants left the voicemail of the Black Fire Brigade full.

2022 CFD Exam Announced

“In just 14 days we had over a thousand messages on our voice mail, we had to do something to help. It’s been 12 years that people have been waiting for this test and we’ve been preparing them to not just take it, but to pass it,” says Lt. Q Curtis.

The Black Fire Brigade is a model pro gram that has prepared 525 aspiring firefighters and EMT’s since 2018. They take their mission to educate and pre

serve the history and heritage of Black firefighters of Chicago with professional ism and pride. So, when the call for help began coming in … the Black Fire Bri gade jumped right in.

This is a historic hiring event. A depart ment successfully sued for discrimination against Black applicants ends up with a Black woman as Fire Commissioner of the second largest fire department in the nation appointed by the city’s first Black woman mayor. The Black girl magic doesn’t stop there. Chicago’s City Council Black alderwomen advocat ing for gender diversity are joined by a Black women owned marketing firm to get more diverse CFD/EMT applicants while practicing more equity in the hir ing process.

But nonetheless it’s still Chicago … CNW smells something burning.

How long applicants had to work through the application was different from 2014. The prior exam invited ap plications for 60 days, July 16th through September 16th. The 2022 winter exam

was announced September 24th, closing on October 17th, a total of 37 days less than the recruiting days allotted 12 years prior. When accounting for weekends there were a total of 16 days for appli cants to reach out and request support. CNW was informed that the application opportunity was open for thirty days, but CNW could not find any mention of the application before September 24th on any of the department’s social media accounts.

The @chicagofiredept account on Ins tagram and Facebook had the same 18 posts beginning no earlier than Septem ber 24th. Still the account manager for the most part avoided responding to any of the questions online. A few City Council members, Ald. Lee of the 11th ward and Ald. Lopez of the 25th were able to share with their followers on the final day to apply to take the test. There was even an ‘Ignite Your Career’ Face book page that was started on August 20th and during the hiring had a max imum of 1K followers itself.

The marketing footprint seems to have contributed to questions and confusion. CFD social media accounts are curious ly under engaged. The social media was inconsistent, non-engaging and did not include elements of a DEI campaign. Their 3 social media pages, Twitter, Face book, and Instagram total a little over 100K followers. The posts show that rarely does the manager of the account respond to application questions. Also, there are no reactive troubleshooting posts from posted questions. CNW sees this as a missed opportunity to facilitate support through creating informative content to clarify application issues or human resources contact information.

Social media accounts directed appli cants to the igniteyourcareercfd.com website. Despite the social media posts on recruitment fairs and events the site’s past and upcoming events section is completely empty.

Twitter user @Jose474660521 asked “when is the Fire Department recruit ment team scheduled to appear in a Latino neighborhood?” in response to a recruitment event posted which to date still has not been answered.

CNW did confirm a recruitment event had been scheduled for Aug. 25th but was canceled for unknown reasons. This information was only visible on the ‘Ig nite Your Careers’ Facebook page, but not the ‘Ignite Your Career’ website.

Followers of the Facebook page were told to keep a lookout for more informa tion. But more posts aren’t synonymous with more information. Besides the dearth of useful information on posts CFD accounts give on average 4-5 days lead time. There is no calendar of events for prospective applicants to plan to at tend, no communication about where

the department will be throughout the year.

The agency has boast ed about their diversi ty engagement. Chief Brandon Keller shared on local news CBS Chicago, “We have had multiple pop-up events across the city.”

When asked about how CFD is getting the word out, Chief Keller said, “We’ve done just about every thing we can do.”

CNW reached out to CFD to ask about the number of recruit ment fairs, their distri bution across the city, partnerships with oth er equity and employ ment firms as well as demographics of at tendees, at the time of publication we have not received a response.

The marketing of this opportunity had a late start it’s one of many sparks that set the call to stop the test aflame. Lt. Q Curtis and Black Fire Brigade allies are urging applicants to speak out, “Con tact your local alderman,” he encourag es. “Tell them you want to stop the test (current date), to take the test.”

There were also a few different website links and applicants reported that they had gotten to a page that showed the job was no longer taking applications before the Oct. 17th deadline.

Other applicants expressed confusion with uploading documentation. For example, many applicants believe they were disqualified from getting a lottery number because they failed to upload their driver’s license for the City of Chi cago ‘resident preference.’

“This is a life changing job; you get to earn decent money and make friends for life. We can get only 15,000 people to apply to take the test. It seems like the marketing firm hired could do better,” said Ald. Nick Sposato

The Breakdown

Of the 15,250 applicants who vied for one of the 4500 spots, Hispanics make up 37%, Whites, 33%, Blacks and Asians make up 22% and 2%.

81% of the applicants were male and 18% female.

The preferences to help advance diver sity was yet another hot topic. It appears that the CFD/EMT is nuanced. An ap plicant can qualify for all preferences, but only one preference will be used. CNW obtained the breakdown of pref erences for the 2022 CFD test.

This year there are 15,250 applicants,

90% percent of applicants claim to be a city resident. Only 3,300 applicants were confirmed Chicago residents via uploading a state issued id with a Chi cago address as documentation. The re maining 10,425 did not, which means three out of every four applicants that claimed to be city residents did not up load a driver’s license. CNW confirmed the upload documents section asked for “resumes and other documentation” for preferences validation, but the language never specifically asked for a driver’s li cense.

Also, an applicant could meet all the preferences and provide documentation for all as well. Applicants that selected more than one preference such as ‘city resident’ and ‘Chicago Public School’ graduate were not given access to get a lottery number based on remaining available preferences. Only one prefer ence counted, but the applicant was not made aware to only select one. The only preference that was exhausted were the 900 spots for Chicago Public School graduates.

We wonder if this means the 901st Af rican American applicants who chose CPS graduate and city resident as their preference were not invited because the 900 spots were filled. If so, ring the alarm because that means there were spaces available for the residency preference that these applicants were overlooked for. There were more spots for city res idence preferences than CPS graduates. Since CPS is 82.3% minority, it’s highly likely that those selecting CPS graduates are applicants of color. If the majority of a little over 4,700 Black applicants se lected CPS graduates as their preference, they were also in competition with His panics who chose the same preference

which made up 37% of the applicant pool for only 900 spots. It is therefore not surprising how many African Amer icans were not invited to take the exam based on how preference politics are at play.

Who could have helped flag these tiny embers of conflict before they sparked flames? We suppose it could have been the Fire Department Community Advi sory Board.

The FDC Advisory Board

This mayoral appointed board is meant to implement, monitor, and review the progress of the fire department’s affirma tive action program seems to be missing in action. The board appears to have never met and of the 9 mayoral appoint ments only two members, Pastor Torrey L. Barrett, and Rev. Dr. Robert L. Pat terson. When asked about the role of the board both Ald. Curtis and Ald. Sposato had never heard of the board nor the two mayoral appointed members.

Anyone looking at recruitment efforts and the organization of support for those seeking to apply can see that the way in which it was rolled out to the public was rushed, the applicant num bers are significantly less than normal; recruitment events seem to be few and far between, application hiccups, web site crashes, unclear language, and lack of published troubleshooting on social media all contributed to low numbers.

For the Black Fire Brigade and allies like Ald. Curtis and Ald. Sposato get ting this right means changing lives with salaries, pensions and most important ly, something that Chicagoans live and breathe…...pride.

City News

Governor, Obama Foundation, and State Lawmakers Dedicate Historical Marker in Springfield

Governor Pritzker, representatives from the Obama Foundation and the Old State Capitol Foundation, state lawmakers, and community members dedicated a histori cal marker on the grounds of the Old State Capitol in Springfield to commemorate President Barack Obama’s momentous 2007 and 2008 presidential campaign an nouncements from the building’s lawn.

“On February 10th, 2007, a bright-eyed junior Sena tor from our great state stood at the Old State Capitol to begin his journey to the White House by laying out his vision for the United States: a vision where change was possible, progress was near, and hope would prevail above all,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

“In Illinois, we honor the leaders who have made his tory so their legacy may guide us to the future,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “With this dedication, we shine a light on the path forged by President Obama – beginning in Springfield and extending across our nation – so that the next generations are inspired to take us even further. President Obama showed all of us that we can be the change we want to see in the world,

and it is with great pride that this site will live on as a cornerstone of Illinois history.”

President Obama, a former Illinois state lawmaker, was a U.S. Senator representing Illinois when he announced his bid for presidency from the Old State Capitol with his family on Feb. 10, 2007. The announcement at tracted statewide, national, and international attention to Springfield and the Old State Capitol. An estimated 17,000 people gathered at the site to watch.

“When I think back to February 2007, I always return to the thousands of people who came together from different walks of life, because they believed in their collective ability to bring about change,” said Obama Foundation Executive Vice President of External Af fairs Michael Strautmanis. “It’s an incredibly inspiring story that not only informs the work of the Obama Foundation today, but one that we will be proud to share with visitors all over the world who come to the Obama Presidential Center when it opens on Chicago’s beloved South Side.”

Funding and design of the historical marker is the re sult of a partnership among the Old State Capitol, the

Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois State Historical Society, and the Obama Presidential Library.

President Obama’s reputation as a dedicated state law maker continues to resonate with legislators today.

“President Obama is a trailblazer and a role model who represents the very best of Illinois,” said Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “While forging a path to the White House, he carried with him the best qualities and characteristics of the people of this diverse state. This marker is a lasting reminder of this journey, and of the countless individuals across our country who were inspired to dream of a better America.”

Lawrence Calvin “Dan” D’Antignac Owner of The Woodshop Passes Away

Lawrence Calvin “Dan” D’An tignac, age 88, owner of The Woodshop art gallery locat ed at 441 E. 75th Street in the Chatham community, passed away on November 8, 2022. A graduate of Wen dell Phillips High School, he joined the Marine Corps and served in the Korean conflict. Lawrence was a proud Veteran, having honorably served in the Korean War. After his discharge from the Ma rines, he worked with the Army Corps of Engineers for several years. in “Mr. Dan,” as he was affectionately known in the art world, opened The Woodshop in 1974, to pursue his dream of building cabinets, and provided quality craftsmanship and design to his customers. He made it his mission to expose the community and the world to Black Art. Although The Woodshop initially specialized in cabinetry and fur niture making, providing picture fram ing services was the catalyst to begin his foray into selling art, and in 1979, he and his wife, Marvita, established The Woodshop Art Gallery, where he filled the walls with an eclectic and diverse mixture of paintings and masks from the African and Black diasporas. In an

interview, Mr. Dan shared that the art exhibited in The Woodshop Art Gallery reflected “the awesome beauty and vast diversity that lies within the Black expe rience, as seen through the eyes of the African American artist.”

The Woodshop Art Gallery showcases

the works of many Black artists, includ ing Annie Lee, Margaret Burroughs, Synthia Saint James, Charles White, Ernie Barnes, Melvin King, and others. Mr. Dan also sold and exhibited art at several Chicago area restaurants and art exhibits at the Black Expo and other art

festivals around the Chicago area; he en joyed traveling around the city and the nation to meet artists at art shows. This past February, he held an art exhibit in the Hyde Park area which turned out to be his last.

Over the years, Mr. Dan became more and more determined and committed to introducing children and young adults to the arts and artists from the African Diaspora. He stepped into the role of mentoring and exposing those he men tored to all aspects of the art world, as well as the business of art dealing. One such group of young people Mr. Dan mentored was the Jackie Robinson West Baseball League.

Mr. Dan’s warm demeanor, extensive knowledge of art, and knack for story telling were legendary in the Chatham community and beyond. His legacy con tinues, as he is survived by his wife, Mar vita D’Antignac, their three children, six grand-children and five great-grandchil dren.

Funeral services for Mr. D’Antignac were held on Saturday, December 3 at St. Benedict the African Church in Chi cago.

State of Illinois Awarded $86 Million in CDC Funding

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the State of Illinois has been awarded $86 million in federal funding to strengthen the state’s public health workforce and infrastructure. This first-of-its-kind funding from the CDC will support efforts by IDPH and its local health department partners to promote and protect health and address health disparities in communities throughout Illinois.

“At no point in our state’s history has it been more clear how essential the work of public health professionals is to our collective well-being,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With the support of President Biden and the CDC, we can now further strengthen this essential arm of state government and give hundreds of Illinoisans an opportunity to further their careers in this crucial and rapidly growing field. This investment in our state will result in more robust supports and better health outcomes for countless people across the state- particularly those on the margins who are most at-risk and in need of public health interventions.”

“The last two-plus years have underscored the critical, life-saving importance of our frontline public health workforce,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “We are very grateful to the CDC and the Biden Administration for this major infusion of federal funding that will strengthen efforts already underway at IDPH and with our local public health partners to prioritize health equity and create a more modern, resilient, and efficient public health department.”

The funding from the American Rescue Plan Act will support efforts to recruit, retain, and train the public health workforce, including critical frontline workers such as epidemiologists, contact tracers, laboratory scientists, community health workers, and data analysts. In addition to $86 million over five years in funding to IDPH and local health departments, the CDC announced $28 million for the Chicago Department of Public Health.

IDPH will use the funding to create pipelines into critical public health posi tions, retain existing employees through efforts to reduce employee burnout and provide a variety of training opportunities to improve workforce skills. The grant is intended to address urgent and ongoing public health needs in communities that are economically or socially marginalized, in rural communities, and communities with people from racial and ethnic minority groups.

The department plans to make improvements in its fiscal systems and grant-mak ing process, invest in a department-wide quality improvement system, and up grade its ability to analyze data through an equity lens to aid programmatic de cision-making intended to address health disparities. Further, the funding will support IDPH’s modernization of its data system to integrate the latest technolo gies and approaches to improve public health surveillance.

Stronger public health infrastructure allows state and local agencies to ensure food and water is safe, detect and track diseases, stop outbreaks, provide child and maternal healthcare, and monitor data.

For more information, including a full list of funded jurisdictions and national partners, visit www.cdc.gov/infrastructure/.

After Criticism, Mayor Lightfoot to Return $53K in Campaign Contributions

After accepting more than $53,000 in campaign contributions from city lobbyist, Carmen A. Rossi, Mayor Lightfoot has agreed to return those funds. According to a Chicago Sun-Times report, Rossi made 39 contributions from 14 companies he owns to Mayor Lightfoot. In addition to being a city lobbyist, Rossi also holds a liquor license for Lollapalooza. Mayoral Candidate, Willie Wilson questioned whether the contributions vio lated ethics rules saying in a statement, “On my first day in office, I will issue an Executive Order banning lobbyists and their com panies from making these kinds of contributions. Clearly, the special in terests run city hall, and this is why our neighbor hoods are suffering from crime and disinvestment.

I am requesting that the Chicago Board of Eth ics make it clear that the contributions from Mr. Rossi’s company to the mayor are a direct viola tion of the Executive Or der and the spirit of the law.”

In 2011, then-mayor Rahm Emanuel issued an executive order that prohib ited mayors from accepting contributions from lobbyists. Wilson says these contributions are a violation of that order. “What is clear is, city contrac tors and their affiliates are limited to $1,500 per year to the mayor and oth er city officials. Mr. Rossi’s company Chicago Parking Solutions a city con tractor contributed $2,500 to the mayor this year which exceeds the $1,500 limit. This type of unethical behavior is unacceptable. It reflects a pattern of the mayor seeking to exploit loopholes in the campaign finance laws.”

This is not the first-time campaign contributions to Mayor Lightfoot have come into question. In November, Chicago Fire Football Club owner, Joe Mansueto donated $25,000 to the mayor’s reelection campaign. Mansue to also received the mayor’s support to lease CHA land. Alderman Ray mond Lopez asked the city watchdog and ethics officials to investigate.

In a letter to the Office of the Inspector General, Lopez said, “I believe this represents a gross and familiar abuse of power and, at minimum, a poten tial violation of the City of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance.”

Commissioner Brandon Johnson Addresses Violence in Austin

Cook County Commissioner and May oral Candidate, Brandon Johnson a resi dent of the West Side community of Aus tin and representative of the 1st District, issued the following statement today regarding recent violent crime in his dis trict – including three killed in a shoot ing last Friday night, and an attempt ed carjacking early Monday morning. “Austin is where I live, and a com munity that I represent, but it’s also an area that has long endured the im pact of generations of disinvestment.

Schools have been closed, along with mental health centers, grocery stores and pharmacies, and in that wake is the constant threat of gun violence.

“This threat is a daily experience for my neighbors and I, where concerns over physical safety, and the safety of our loved ones, have both paralyzed and desensitized residents and working fam ilies. No candidate in the race for mayor of Chicago thinks about public safety more than I do. My family has taken cover in our home after hearing gunshots

ring out on our block, and re placed windows hit by bullet holes. My chil dren are ages 8, 10 and 15, and I have devoted my life to keeping them safe in the present, and well into their futures. What I want for them, and my family, is what I want for all Chicagoans, which is why as a Cook County commissioner, I worked to secure $75 million in grants for violence prevention – a historic level of

funding to protect communities like my own and neighborhoods across the city.

“Measuring crime statistics is like measuring high blood pressure. You can prescribe medication to keep your condition at bay, but there are side ef fects. Without a long-term change in diet and exercise, there is always the potential for illness and disease. This is where we are as a city – experiencing short-term change when we need to change our lifestyle and our long-term effort in resourcing communities and protecting neighborhoods and families.

“This is the only way we will fight the diseases of gun violence, and trauma, that impact communities like Austin and working families like my own.”

Around town

NEFUSE Case Management Services Celebrates World AIDS Day 2022

Gina Lamar Evans, Director of NEFUSE Case Management Services, joined with Congressman Danny K, Davis, State Repre sentative Lamont Robinson, Dr Erica Tay lor, M.D. OBGYN, Walgreen’s Phrarmacy and Rush Health and Hospital Systems and many others to present various community events on World AIDS Day, 2022. From free HIV testing, COVID and Flu Vaccines, to veggie and coffee giveaways, the day was a wonderful impactful to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS, prevention and treatment services available to assist Chicagoan’s in the fight against the virus. The work of NE FUSE is invaluable to the community, and Chicago News Weekly was honored to be a small part of the services. The day ended with a soiree at Blanc Gallery in Bronzeville.

Thee Debauchery Ball: Black Sensuality Redefined

What started out as a birthday party turned into a house music event that challeng es the narratives of black sexuality. The Debauchery Ball, now in its 17th year is an Afro-futuristic, fetish-themed house music event that has redefined black sexuality through music, dance, art, and com munity. The bi-an nual event has been captured in a new doc umentary directed by filmmak er David Weath ersby.

“Thee De bauchery Ball: The Director’s Cut”, makes it Chicago de but at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on Thursday, December 8th at 7pm. The documentary tells the story of the events found er, Artist Discopoet Khari B, Resident DJ William

“Big Will” Dunn and the events participants. Award win ning film maker, David Weathersby, says he was drawn to the project be cause the freedom expressed by Debauchery Ball partic ipants was an aspect of the black community not always seen in the mainstream. “I remember being at the event and at one moment I just put my equipment down and looked around. It just hit me how beautiful this was. There was so much freedom expressed at this event.”

The Debauchery Ball founder and creator, KhariB says the Debauchery Ball is everything he imagined it to be. He says the biggest misconception about the ball is that it is “one big black orgy”. He says, “our sexuality is fe tishized and objectified by the dominant culture, and we adopt those interpretations for ourselves and it’s per verse”. He continued, “The ball is the antithesis of that. It’s sexuality from a healthy perspective. It’s just us being us and what it is our most natural and creative state”. Weathersby agrees and says it was not difficult to capture the ball visually because the event itself is rooted in the participants being free and authen tic. “It’s not hyper-sexualized, or exploitive. There is so much beauty in these natural moments. I didn’t need to add anything to create a certain narrative. It’s disrespectful to the ball and what it represents. If you’re going to document it, you must respect it”. Thursday’s screening is the day before the actual event and KhariB says he believes the film will achieve cult-like status like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Weathersby says the screenings before the event give those who at

B, founder

Ball”

tend the ball or those cu rious about the event a chance to in teract before the event and see what it’s all about. “Documen taries should never be used as textbooks”, Weathersby says, “they are por tals for you to enter to explore a topic or subject and that’s especially true of Thee Debauchery Ball film.”

In spite of the event’s growing popularity, KhariB is adamant that the ball remains an exclusive space for black and brown people. “We don’t often get this priv ilege or luxury. Those in the dominant culture get to see themselves in every moment of every day. This is a space for us to take a breath and fall back in love with ourselves so much so that we protect that love with everything we have in every aspect of our lives”.

Anyone is welcome to attend the screening, but Khar iB says allyship shows itself in other ways such as spon soring the event, screenings, or supporting another’s admission to the event. “This isn’t about one person. It’s about the collective breath we get to take as melanated people and look around and marvel at our own beauty.”

Tickets for the Chicago screening of the award-win ning film, “Thee Debauchery Ball: The Directors Cut”, are available for $7 at www.debaucheryballdoc.com After the film there will be a Q&A discussion with the film’s producers, David Weathersby and KhariB.

Governor Pritzker Signs SAFE-T Act Amendment

Gov ERN o R P RI tzk ER signed HB1095, a series of amendments and clarifications to the landmark SAFE-T Act, originally passed in 2021. The bill addresses mis information related to the Act, including clarifying the deten tion net, expanding processes for transitioning to cashless bail on January 1st, and specifying defi nitions of willful flight and dan gerousness, among other changes.

“I’m pleased that the General As sembly has passed clarifications that uphold the principle we fought to protect: to bring an end to a system where wealthy violent offenders can buy their way out of jail, while less fortunate nonviolent offenders wait in jail for trial,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Advocates and lawmak ers came together and put in hours of work to strengthen and clarify this law, uphold our commitment to equity, and keep people safe.”

The bill clarifies multiple aspects of the SAFE-T Act, which ends the cash bail system in Illinois effective January 1st, 2023 and creates a more equitable system where pre-trial de tention is based on community risk rather than financial means. The clarifications to the SAFE-T Act are the result of the work of a bi-camer al legislative group that collaborated

with advocates, public defenders, state’s attorneys, victim advocates, and law enforcement officials.

Changes to the Act clarify court authority in controlling electronic monitoring and escape, outline spe cific guidelines for trespassing vio lations, and create a grant program to aid public defenders with in creased caseloads. The amendments strengthen and clarify the main principle of the SAFE-T Act- to en sure that individuals who pose a risk to the community aren’t released from jail just because they are able to pay bail while people without fi nancial means sit in jail regardless of whether they pose a risk at all.

“The SAFE-T Act, including these important clarifications, will help right the wrongs of policies that have disproportionately harmed low-income, marginalized commu nities while helping to keep Illinois ans safe,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “I commend members of the General Assembly for coming together to make these changes and provide us a clear path to ensure both accountability and justice. We must stop criminalizing poverty, and that is our goal as we end cash bail in Illinois and uphold human rights for all in our legal system.”

“The SAFE-T Act was the result of

hours of testimony and negotiations with domestic violence advocates, proponents of reform, law enforce ment and states attorneys at the ta ble working to create a pathway to a better and more equitable crim inal legal system,” said State Sena tor Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago). “However, due to the misinforma tion campaign led by opponents of the measure, we spent countless hours dispelling falsehoods and working to ensure that the law was not taken out of context. I thank the governor and my colleagues in both chambers for prioritizing a measure that clarifies the lan guage of this transformational law while preserving the protections for crime survivors and ensures we stop criminalizing poverty in this state.” “By strengthening the SAFE-T Act, we are continuing the vital work of keeping Illinoisans safe,” said Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chica go). “Maintaining a robust justice system will always be an ongoing task, one that we prioritize. Hun dreds of hours of consultation with stakeholders from across the ideo logical spectrum went into pro ducing this bill, which maintains the historic reforms of the SAFE-T Act while ensuring a successful implementation of new policy.”

State’s Attorneys see Bail Reform Law as Chance to Better Protect Communities

As the clock ticks until the activation of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), the bond hearing process where a judge de termines how much they must pay to be released will be replaced with a detention hear ing. Here, a prosecutor must argue why the accused individual must stay in jail if likely to be a threat to the community or escape Illinois if they are released and a judge must make their decision through the evidence they’ve been given.

Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, said all cases, violent and non-violent, will go through a detention hearing, but there are certain factors a prosecutor will point out to determine if a person is dangerous or likely to avoid their trial. “The charge alone, not sufficiently tell you this person’s story,” Foxx explained. “Is there a history of violence, con victions, and arrests?”

According to Loyola University, more than half of the arrests (56%) made in Illinois between 2020 and 2021 showed were for crimes that did not require prison time, such as Retail Theft and Trespassing. The remaining 44% were for more serious crimes like Possession of a Firearm.

Lake County State’s Attorney, Eric Rinehart, sug gested the PFA will allow prosecutors close low er-level cases quicker by putting those offenders un der pretrial supervision like house arrest and banishment from a property, which they cannot violate. As a result, Prose cutors will have more time to gather the evidence before a detention hearing for a serious case.

“We are going to be focusing on vio lent cases fast,” Rinehart said. “Other cases will have these conditions hear ings where the judge says ‘don’t use drugs, don’t take alcohol, stay away from Walmart’. With the current jus tice system allowing offenders to buy their freedom before their trial, Rine hart has seen how people accused of violent crimes, like murder, pay tens of thousands of dollars to be free only to commit another crime.

“A man by the name of Sheldon Brown posted cash bond in another county and came up to Lake County to murder a father of five.” Prior to that incident, Brown had an outstanding murder charge in Cook County and was later sentenced to 65 years in prison.

Life After Justice

Misidentification, faulty forensic evi dence, false confessions, perjury, false allegations, and official misconduct are responsible for 80% of wrongful con viction cases in the United States. Life After Justice was founded in 2012 by Jarrett Adams and Antione Day, two Black men wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. Adams and Day were both exonerat ed after serving nearly 10 years in prison. When they returned home, they noticed a shortage of support services and employ ment opportunities.

Life after Justice works to exonerate the wrongfully con victed, correct unjust laws, and support exonerees in rebuild ing their lives. Once exonerated, Jarrett Adams later ob tained his law degree and began working with criminal jus tice groups like the Innocence Project and opened his law practice. Adams and Day created Life Af ter Justice to provide reentry support for exonerees. They later expanded their mis sion to challenge the systemic flaws in the criminal legal system and injustices in policing, prosecution, conviction, and incarceration that disproportionately impact people of color. Realizing an exonerees holistic needs, Life After Justice also addresses the personal needs for healing and financial well-being.

On Nov. 30, Chicago Beyond announced a $3.2 mil lion partnership with Life After Justice. Chicago Be yond is an impact investor that works to ensure young people have the opportunities to live free and full lives. They invest in organizations that challenge the status quo and work to bring equity. Chicago Beyond was founded in 2016 by Liz Dozier. Her previous work as a teacher and principal was highlighted as part of the Docuseries “Chicagoland” where she was celebrated for transforming one of Chicago’s lowest-performing schools, Fenger HS. Dozier says the partnership with Life After Justice aligns with their justice initiatives.

“Life After Justice never had an institutional funder. Jarett and his organization have done much of this work on a pro bono and volunteer basis, so this funding will help them hire staff, support initial case discoveries, and support litigation. It will also assist them in build ing out services for exonerees that need mental health support.

Adams says the investment by Chicago Beyond is es sential to continuing their work. “When talking about reform, we need all hands on deck. There has to be a team of like-minded individuals to help those who don’t have a voice, heal and realize their new freedom. This investment allows us to do this work.”

Currently, Life After Justice is leading the clemency petition of Terrence Richardson and Terrione Clai borne, two Black men wrongfully incarcerated for 20+ years in federal prison for the 1998 murder of a Vir

timately this will impact people’s lives in a way that will forever change their trajectories, not just for individu als, but on a systemic level.”

Jarrett Adams agrees and says “this investment gets re sources into the hands of those closest to the problem. Life after Justice has been close to the blaze for a long time and with Chicago Beyond, we now have another water hose to help us extinguish the blaze.”

ginia police officer despite a federal jury finding them not guilty of the crime. There are they are requesting President Biden grant clemency and exonerate them.

To avoid possible death sentences, both Richardson and Claiborne pled guilty to the murder in state court. Federal prosecutors added drug trafficking charges that landed them in federal court. They were found not guilty of the murder charges but guilty of the drug trafficking charges. The drug charges normally would result in a prison term of 10 years, but the judge in creased their sentence based on their earlier guilty pleas.

Adams says this practice is often used on Black and brown men. “It’s called “relevant conduct” and it robs one of due process. Adams says laws like these were in stituted by former President Bill Clinton’s Crime bill and have affected the lives of Black and brown people for years. “We are paying attention to those who have been ignored. It is about communities. These are the communities people are reintegrating back into. Com munities in which people are wrongfully convicted. These are the tentacles that reach through generations. It’s a ripple effect.”

Dozier says she believes the investment from Chicago Beyond will have a long-reaching impact. “I believe ul

Chicago Native, Matt B Scores Grammy Nomination

Global R&B artist Matt B has received a GRAMMY Nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for his song “Gimme Love” featur ing Ugandan superstar Eddy Kenzo. The West Pullman Chicago native, and graduate of South Shore International Preparatory High school’s star continue to rise. The fan-favorite Afro-pop track ranked in the Top 40 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs Charts, garnering over 5 million streams across platforms, and along with its companion music video has taken home top prizes at the MUSE Cre ative Awards, Global Music Awards, LIT Talent Awards, and New York International Film Awards. This month, Matt and Eddy also performed “Gimme Love” for the first time in Uganda at the Eddy Kenzo Festival to a crowd of over 100,000 people. “Words can not express how grateful I am to be a GRAMMY® nominee. I’ve dreamed of this for a long time. Now that it’s here, it honestly feels like a dream. I’m so grateful to my team for really pushing to make this all possible, especial ly Angela Benson and Greg Scelsa. This is a big win for Chicago, and I’m hum bled by it all. God is amazing.” -Matt B- R&B singer, Grammy Nominee The songsmith who recently relocated to Los Angeles has built a worldwide fan base with Asia, Europe Australia, and now Africa embracing Matt B’s chart-topping love-driven R&B music. His debut album, Love & War, and sophomore album, DIVE, both went #1 on the iTunes R&B Charts and in 2018 he released his EP, RISE, produced by GRAMMY®-Award Winning Producer Bryan-Michael Cox (Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige). In 2021 he released his debut US album, EDEN, which featured production from Cox as well as Tricky Stewart (Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Ri hanna) and landed in the Top 40 on Billboard’s R&B Albums, Digital Albums, Heat seekers, and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Charts. Continuing to find inspiration from the people and cultures surrounding him, Matt B has recently released a string of sin gles as he gears up for his forthcoming Afrobeats-inspired EP, expected in early 2023.

ROOTEDIN GOOD

The CANNABiS iNduSTRy is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. As con sumers continue to support the legalization of cannabis and its medicinal benefits, the industry continues to soar to new heights. According to Forbes, the U.S. economic impact from cannabis sales is expected to rise to $160 billion in 2025. In spite of these numbers, Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in Amer ica.

Curaleaf, a leading provider of consumer can nabis seeks to create a more equitable, diverse, and sustainable cannabis industry. Launched in 2021 Curaleaf’s “Rooted in Good” program fo cuses on setting industry standards in the canna bis industry. In April 2021 Curaleaf released its first annual social impact report focusing on the three pillars of the “Rooted in Good” initiative: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Social Equity, and Sustainability.

Raheem Uqdah, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Curaleaf says creating change

in the industry is rooted in relationship build ing in both the community and larger cannabis space. “We are trying to build a coalition inside the cannabis industry and the focus on building an ecosystem around those relationships and or ganizations to continue building on that change.”

“The Rooted in Good” initiative prioritizes ra cial and social equity in cannabis. As part of its 420x25 supplier diversity commitment, the com pany has committed to working with 420 canna bis brands, suppliers, and advocacy organizations from underrepresented communities by 2025. Currently, they have over 150 diverse partners and suppliers. The company has already satisfied more than a third of this goal.

“As a leader in today’s cannabis industry, we un

derstand the responsibility that we carry to prioritize fostering a cannabis environment that is equitable, diverse, and sustain able for the many communities we serve,” says, Khadijah Trib ble, Senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibil ity at Curaleaf. “We are hum bled to be in a position to help wright the wrongs of the past, to do the best of our ability, and work to increase equity in the cannabis industry.”

Acknowledging the negative impact of cannabis criminalization in Black and brown communi ties, part of the “Rooted in Good” program in cludes investing in community-based programs focused on addressing collateral consequences as sociated with marijuana-related offenses and pro viding employment opportunities for those with low-level marijuana offenses.

Curaleaf has goals of having at least 10% of team members come from communities touched by low-level marijuana-related offenses. In addi tion, the company set a goal of $1 million to be invested in community programs that address in equities in marijuana-related offenses.

Health/Healthy Living

Living with HIV? There is Help at Howard Brown Clinic

Black sex lives matters. The Black communities conservative approach to listening and sharing about sexuality, intimacy needs and relation ships directly impacts our sexual health. Find ing our way to accept and acknowledge our Black bodies and pleasure is complicated. The many competing con versations about trauma intermingled with the complex and often uncomfortable conversation of pleasure in a Black body has directly impacted saving our lives and protecting our health from sexually transmitted diseas es and infections. “The stigma of HIV/AIDS has killed more people than the virus,” says Dr. Maya Green, Chief Medical Officer of Howard Brown Health and HIV specialist. Non-Hispanic Blacks represented 56% new HIV diagnosis with nearly 40% of those Chicago’s 2020 HIV/STI Surveillance Report

Practitioners like Dr. Green are on the front lines sup porting community health through a number of services for HIV/AIDS patients, their partners and other health care providers. With 10 locations spanning Rogers Park to Englewood, Howard Brown delivers comprehensive healthcare through mindful and compassionate case management for newly diag nosed HIV patients. “We have a goal to link those who are newly diagnosed to a ser vice provider within 72 hours,” said Dr. Green “patients can begin their medications the same day and we also are here to treat the stigma of those living with HIV/AIDs.”

The reality of those diagnosed is that they do have to return to their relationships, homes and communities with this new information. Life with a positive status is not only stressful, but can come with consequences that isolate, depress and more dangerously discourage those with a positive status from disclosing when need be.

known for serving the LGBTQ commu nity Dr. Green stressed that all are wel come to access care despite their gender, sexual orientation or ability to pay.

Minorities often receive lesser quality of health care brought about by inadequate insurance and issues with providers. Ac cessing the medication is the first step at Howard Brown and it is the support system to continue to engage healthcare practitioners that the organization is deeply passionate about.

“Our experts in behavioral health, case managers and partners are all dedicated to staying informed and using best prac tices and building relationships to keep patients and their partners aware and inspired to engage with their own care,” said Dr. Green.

A positive status is not the end to having a healthy sex life, healthy children or a lov ing healthy marriage. Practicing safe sex begins with awareness and education. Black love begins with loving self and understanding advancements in antiviral therapy can prevent the HIV virus from being transmitted from mother to unborn child.

It’s possible to live with HIV and be undetectable and the virus be untransmittable.

Doctor Green shared, “Yes, there are couples where one is positive and the other is not and they have healthy sex lives, have gone on to have children and live their best lives.” The advancement of medications like PrEP, if taken as prescribed, has been shown to be highly effective at lowering the risk of becoming infected with the virus if exposed through sex or injection drug use.

The more the Black community avoids discussing HIV/AIDS the less we are able to fight back against misinformation. Howard Brown provides a space where health equity can thrive. The way we think about it, is that this virus is killing Black people and our avoidance of discussing it controls the opportunities for us to learn togeth er. “There is the stigma and shame associated with our own sexual health as Black people it controls us and it’s killing us,” says Dr. Green. Her sentiments are not exaggerated, according to published literature on HIV and stigma it carries can lead to discrimination and other negative consequences like being labeled a stereotype, experiencing loss in social status and being separated from loved ones and romantic

“ yes, there are couples where one is positive and the other is not and they have healthy sex lives, have gone on to have children and live their best lives.”

“Finding My Voice”

July 17, 2014, changed the life of Emerald Garner forever. What started off as a rare day off from work became a nightmare that turned her world in side out. On that memorable day, two NYPD officers locked Eric Garner in an illegal chokehold, and he died after losing consciousness. Officers allege Garner was illegally selling cigarettes.

The incident, caught on video with Garner, repeatedly telling officers “I Can’t Breathe,” went viral and sparked protests around the city. A grand jury chose not to indict the officers on December 3 sparking larger protests around the county. His dying words, “I Can’t Breathe,” became a battle cry amongst protesters around the world. In an instant, the Garner family was thrust into the international spotlight as their father became yet another hashtag identifying unarmed Black people who died at the hands of the police.

In her deeply personal memoir, Emerald Garner recounts her father’s murder, the lack of justice, her pain, grief, and the challenges of dealing with exploitive media and the subsequent unexpected death of her sister in the midst of it all. Released in Oct. 2022, “Finding my Voice: On Grieving My Father, Eric Garner and Pushing for Justice,” Garner details her ongoing journey of healing and why activism is now her purpose.

Emerald Gardner says writing the book was important because she felt misunder

Hot topics

stood by the media. “I wanted this book to be in my own voice and from my own point of view. I’ve had to overcome a lot of things and when my father was mur dered, people didn’t understand what we lost. Eric Garner wasn’t just a hashtag. He was my dad. A grandfather. He was my everything.”

Gardner said she wasn’t prepared to be thrust into the public eye and was shocked at how insensitive media outlets were in speaking with her family. “It got to the point where we would have to actually request that outlets not show the video of my father’s murder while we were there,” Garner says she watched the video for the first time when she was in the room with the officer who killed him. “It took a lot of self-control.”

She says Eric Garner’s murder took its toll on her entire family, but no one could have imagined what was coming. Her sister delved deep into fighting for justice for her father. Emerald says she wouldn’t eat or sleep sometimes, and it began to take its toll on her health. Tragically, Erica Gardiner died in 2017 at the age of 27 after falling into a coma which led to cardiac arrest. Emerald now has custody of her sister’s children. She is convinced her sister died of a broken heart and blames the police officers who killed her father for her sister’s death. Erica Gardner never had any health issues before her father’s death. In “Finding My Voice,” Emerald details the struggles she’s faced as a single mother raising four children and the pain her family still feels. “It’s been a lot of trials and tribulations, so the family has still not been put back together. It’s just really hard,” she says.

Garner credits therapy for helping her begin the journey of healing and says her foundation, “We Can’t Breathe, Inc.” fulfills her in new ways because it gives her purpose. The organization is founded on three pillars including social justice, jobs, and mental health support for young people.

She says beyond the headlines she wants people to remember she and her family are still human. “We are still figuring it out every single day.”

Black Owned Business CyberBullied

Soul Full Chicago is a bookstore, café, event space, and comfort zone, designed for patrons to relax and unwind in an intentionally designed space for healing. Founded on October 25, 2021, in the Pilsen community, the owner, Mariah Fair, was motivated to create Soul Full Chicago as a safe space for healing and hurt ing souls. Soul Full offers healing books, yoga, a book club, sound healing, and a place where patrons feel welcomed. Known in the community as a safe space for all, supporters of Soul Full Chicago were perplexed to learn that the be loved establishment was a victim of a cyberbullying attack. On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, a series of hostile and ma licious reviews were written on Google Review by individuals who never visited Soul Full Chicago. The cyber attack was an act of retaliation directed at, Jha’Ceri Elmore, the establish ment’s store manager, and event coordinator. Elmore made a post on her personal social media page regarding the iden tity of another individual. Elmore began receiving messages regarding her post and attempted to diffuse the situation. Her efforts backfired and the black-owned establishment she works for became a casualty in the petty online argument. The cyberbullies decided to take things outside of Elmore’s inbox and began to attack the black-owned establishment. They began posting negative reviews with false statements like, “The coffee was cold” “Employees are bullies, do not recom mend” “...the owner rolled her eyes at me…” which brought the venue’s five-star ratings down to 3.1 in a matter of minutes. When Mariah Fair read the unexpected and false re views, she immediately began to take professional ac tion to resolve the issue. She was contacted via so cial media by one of the young women suggesting

that the owner take action against her store manager. “As a small business owner, we rely on Google reviews. I know for a fact that before I go somewhere I look at the reviews and if they’re under a certain rating I don’t go. I was so hurt by that (reviews). I did tell her (Jha’Ceri) to own up to what she did, and I ensured her that wasn’t going to fire her but I would stand next to her while this was going on.”-Mariah Fair, Owner Soul Full Chicago

Fair then face timed the cyberbully, via social media, in an effort to come to an amicable solution. She apologized for her employee’s actions and made it clear that she was the owner of Soul Full Chicago and that she does not condone bullying of any kind. Despite efforts to engage in conversation to reach a resolution to satisfy all parties, the cyberbullying continued.

Fair then composed a heartfelt message to her social me dia community regarding her stance on cyberbullying while defending the integrity of her space. She also posted screen shots of the negative reviews, and the community responded with encouragement and positivity. As a result of Fair’s social media post, and community response, the reviews were re moved and Soul Full Chicago’s ratings remain a solid 5 stars.

Despite the broken words and false allegations by the cyberbullies, Soul Full Chicago is moving on ward and upward. Lessons have been learned, account ability has been established and Chicago’s safe space has so much in store for its surrounding community.

Fair said, “Soul Full Chicago is going to ensure we play an integral role in the journey of healing and advancement for all things mind, body, and spirit for people”. In the coming months, the public will have the opportunity to experience the Soul Full Chicago experience via pop-up shops around

the city that include enjoying differ ent curated flavors from their coffee shop, the Soul Full reading experience, and membership opportunities. In addition, they are in the process of opening a nonprofit organization on the city’s Westside for children ages 1318 that will include journaling classes, and reading courses.

In a world where social media controls a mas sive portion of the way people communicate, it is vital that humans are responsible with their words and actions as it can lead to mixed messages, hurt feelings, and ultimately the demise of communi ties. It’s important to always be mindful of your inten tions. Mindful intentions lead to responsible actions.

Liz Lampkin is a Lifestyle, Love, and Relationships writer. Follow her on social media @Liz_Lampkin.

TRENDING THROUGH 2023

There’s no question that fashion trends act as a kind of barom eter for the wider social and cultural climate. Fashion— more so than any other form of self-ex pression is an important part of the way we express ourselves and reflect the im pact of world around us on us.

Fashion may not be new, but the Who’s who in the fashion industry is changing, making for a more diverse expression of creativity in the world of fashion. If we’re clear, we can recognize the color ization of the fashion industry and thus the transformation of leaders in fashion. Yes, we have come a long way.

More people of color are showing up as de signers and fashion influ encers. They have taken a different spin on fashion. Instead, they respond and react to social events with styles that are com fortable but chic, color ful and skin-baring, but most importantly very personality driven Bottom line, is that fashion has never been more personal and less boxed in than now.

The following examples represent a glimpse of the current trends targeting the youth and youthful. The question is where are we headed in 2023?

Wide-legged pants.

Out with the non-coordinated stylized comfort clothing worn indoors during the pandemic. The 2022 trend made up for what had been dormant. Popular are wide-legged pants and sets made of com fortable knits and linen fabrics which will continue through 2023. It’s making a big comeback. But don’t throw away the leggings just yet. They remain as a go-to mainstay.

Pair the Y2K vibe with small handbags, wide-leg denim trousers, bedazzled lo gos, and velour sweatpants.

Bare Fashion

Baring skin is not new to 2022 or 2023 it’s all about showing as much skin as possible and means that it appeals to the youth or younger generations. Baby Boomers are less comfortable with all that exposure but they will bare shoul ders. And that’s sexy too!

Knit Is In

Think crochet sweaters, tops, dresses, and even sets. Pro tip: be creative--con sider combining trends for cropped cro chet tops and tanks.

People Powered

Behind all of the style trends is an un derlying movement forcefully making its way through the fashion industry. Tra ditionally, fashion followed a top-down sort of formula in which designers and celebrities set the standard for what was considered to be in fashion. Today, the emergence of social media platforms has shifted the paradigm, putting the future of fashion in the hands of the youth who the designers have always observed for inspiration, however who knew? Now social media reveals all.

Designers and celebrities continue to exert a significant amount of influence, but the youth generation is claiming its power via the emergence social media influencers and defiant personalities like Lizzo, and Billy Porter.

1. Model wears Tom Ford, YSL, Versace giving a whole new perspective on conservatism 2. Model wears Dior, Burberry, Hermès sporting 3. Model bares much in Prada, Acne Studios, Fendi 4. Model carries off AKA’s color combo via Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Diesel

Food & Wine

A Holiday Classic: Pork Shoulder - Pernil

Let me say that one of my favorite things to dine is at my dearest friend’s home who happens to be Puerto Ri can. Recently, I begged her for a rec ipe of one of her guests’ favorites. Add this fabulous Garlicky Roast Pork Shoulder to your holiday menu and your popularity will soar. Its great taste lies in the combination of fresh herbs and tender pulled pork.

Have you ever made Pernil at home? Roast ed pork shoulder bliss, here you come! All it takes are is the right seasonings and a few sim ple techniques to make this authentic Puerto Rican dish more delicious than ever.

To make this roast pork shoulder recipe, you peel back the skin and make incisions in the meat, which allows the garlicky marinade to seep in. Then, you rub the skin with salt to draw out moisture, so it gets super crispy in the oven. The results--deli ciously moist roasted pork shoulder with skin that transforms into crunchy chich arron,

Ingredients

⅓cup Minced Garlic ¼cup finely chopped fresh parsley ¼cup finely chopped fresh rosemary ¼cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tbsp.

Adobo with Pepper ( a Latin all-purpose seasonings with Pepper is the perfect blend of garlic, oregano, black pepper and Latin spices that adds quick flavor to any meat, chicken, fish and vegetables. A simple shake before cooking is all it takes.

2 packets

Sazón with Coriander and Annatto (Packing a powerful punch of coriander, garlic, cumin and annatto, this small packet of Sazón ( a GOYA® product) with Coriander & Annatto instantly makes your dish more delicious by quickly adding an appeal ing flavor and vibrant color. Latin cooks refer to it as the foolproof way to create great-tasting dishes. Think of it as a little magic in little foil packets.)

8lbs.

skin-on boneless pork shoulder roast, butterflied 1bottle (24.5 oz.) Mojo Criollo Marinade ( a Goya product)

Directions

Step1

In a small bowl, stir together garlic, parsley, rosemary, olive oil, Adobo and Sazón; set aside.

Step 2

Open up the pork shoulder, fat side down, on work surface so the pork lies flat and opens up like book. If the pork does not lie flat, starting from the center of the pork, make parallel cuts on either side of the roast, about halfway through the thickness, without cutting all the way through to the edge of the meat, to make it lie flat.

Step 3

Reserve 2 tbsp. herb mixture for rubbing on the outside of the roast. Spread re maining herb mixture all over open side of roast. Roll up the meat so skin side is on the outside. Tie and secure roast with butcher’s twine. Rub outside of roast with reserved rub.

Step 4

In airtight container marinate roast in Mojo Criollo. Refrigerator for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove roast from refrigerator. Place fat side up in roasting pan fitted with rack. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (this will ensure the meat cooks more evenly).

Step 6

Roast pork for 30 to 40 minutes or until roast is starting to brown. Reduce tem perature to 325°F. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, then tent with foil. Continue to roast for 1 to 2 hours, until internal temperature reaches 180°F, outside of roast is golden brown and meat is very tender.

Step 7

Transfer roast to cutting board; tent with foil. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.

Step 8

Strain pan juices into medium pot over medium heat. Stir in water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, whisking occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened.

Step 9

Slice meat and serve with pan sauce.

Note: Add splash of wine to pan juices if desired.

Final Note: Crispy, Crunchy Chicharron

After cutting the skin, if you find the skin isn’t as crisp as you prefer, simply transfer it to a foil-lined baking sheet, increase the oven temperature to broil and cook rotat ing the pan once, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Then discard foil and oil.

FOR MAYOR OF CHICAGO

BUILD A STRONGER CHICAGO, FOR AL L