The Daily Northwestern — January 21, 2026 by The Daily Northwestern

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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

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Panel explores MLK ideals Leaders talk current events, Black history By TAARIQ AHMED

the daily northwestern

Illustration by Emily Lichty

A decades-long staple of downtown Evanston, Chili’s closed after Dec. 15.

City bids solemn farewell to Chili’s

Community members mourn restaurant, scrutinize planned high-rise By EDWARD SIMON CRUZ AND CLAIRE COFFEY

the daily northwestern @edwardsimoncruz

A college student, councilmember and drag queen walk into a bar. Waiting tables like theirs

was Loyola University Chicago senior Daniel Jaén, who juggled a full course load and job at Chili’s Evanston on the corner of Maple Avenue and Clark Street, just blocks away from Northwestern’s campus. The restaurant stored each table’s utensils in paper sleeves,

printed with Chili’s-themed drawings. During shifts, some workers joked about getting one of these images — a lime — tattooed. Days after Chili’s Evanston shuttered its doors in December, Jaén and three coworkers did. For Jaén, inside jokes reflected the meaningful relationships he

developed with coworkers. “It really felt like a home for a lot of us,” Jaén said. “And obviously there was people that have been there longer than I have, but it still felt like we were so much of a team and really a family there.”

» See CHILI’S, page 9

A panel of Northwestern faculty and local community leaders talked about the concept of “Beloved Community,” current events and the importance of preserving Black history to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday evening. The panel spoke about how they perceived King’s ideas like “Beloved Community,” in the present and how their work, related to history or archival projects, can inform responses to current events under President Donald Trump’s administration. The panelists included Laurice Bell, an Emmy-nominated producer and director and the executive director of the Shorefront Legacy Center and several history and Black studies professors. Black studies Department Chair and Prof. Sylvester Johnson moderated the conversation. The event began with a performance by Soul4Real. NU’s premier Black a capella group sang songs like “Life Every Voice and Sing,” unofficially known as the Black National Anthem, with the audience.

School of Professional Studies master’s student Nekesa Josey, the president of the Student Leadership Council at SPS, talked about her personal interpretation of King’s “Beloved Community” ideal, which she said is “a responsibility” and not just “a slogan.” “When we bring the two words together, the meaning expands,” Josey said. “A ‘Beloved Community’ is not defined by sentiment alone. It is not merely something we feel, it is something we live.” Panelist and history and Black studies Prof. Leslie Harris said she believes “Beloved Community” as an idea is being challenged. “There is a lot going on that really is defining ‘community’ quite narrowly,” Harris said. “Community can be suffocating. It can be used as a weapon to move against the very things that Dr. King was trying to envision.” When it comes to analyzing King’s work, Bell said it was important to consider his words outside of his own historical context. Bell encouraged the audience to reflect on how King would react to current events as if he were still alive, referring to her experience as a producer and director collaborating with artists

» See KEYNOTE, page 9

Annual concert Professors discuss Venezuela strike honors MLK Day Buffett Institute hosts panel on U.S. operation’s implications Chicago-area artists perform for the 23rd year By CLAIRE COFFEY

the daily northwestern

An energetic crowd filled the seats of Evanston’s Nichols Concert Hall Sunday for the Music Institute of Chicago’s 23rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Concert. A wide variety of performers from across the Chicago area contributed to the concert, including vocal performers, symphony flutists, children’s choirs and composers. Several performers were decorated high school artists honing their skills through local non-profit music development programs. The concert’s rich diversity in performers mirrored the message of keynote speaker Jonathan Bailey Holland, dean of Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music. “There is much that music can teach us,” said Holland. “Perhaps, most importantly, it can

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help us remember that thriving communities require thriving individuals who are appreciated for what each of them brings to the collective whole.” Holland stressed that the “musical experience” reminds others of what is possible through cooperation and commitment to a shared goal — a belief reflected in King’s civil rights activism. Superficial and circumstantial differences, he said, “matter not when we are performing the same work.” The event opened with a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Soul4Real, a Black a cappella group at NU. As the song, widely known as the unofficial Black National anthem, filled the concert hall, audience members rose to sing along. Community members also gave speeches highlighting the importance of King’s legacy throughout the event. Haven Middle School eighth-graders Lila Hall, Wes Morgan and Micah Thompson read out excerpts from King’s speeches. “His message rings true today

» See CONCERT, page 9

By THOMAS HURLEY

the daily northwestern

Seven professors discussed the implications of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” at a Friday event hosted by the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. The Jan. 3 strike and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has generated mixed reactions among Venezuelans in the Chicago area and condemnation from local Democratic politicians. Medill Prof. Peter Slevin moderated the event, which featured six other Northwestern professors who spoke about their perspectives on the situation in Venezuela. History Prof. Daniel Immerwahr described President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach as “anti-hegemonist, not isolationist.” He highlighted the administration’s efforts to annex Greenland, adding that he takes such ideas seriously, whether or not they actually happen. Political science Prof. Ana Arjona acknowledged that the U.S. has made similar interventions before in Latin America. But

she said the Venezuela operation raises unique concerns, because the U.S. didn’t provide a humanitarian justification for the attack, breaking with its foreign policy norms. “This is going to make it so much easier for future administrations to just do what they want,” Arjona said. History Prof. Lina Britto said the word “drugs” and the label “narco” have allowed the administration to participate in international operations like this one. Referencing the Iran-Contra Affair, Britto said the CIA has participated in arms and different types of trafficking before, and that it’s clear the U.S. has other motivations than limiting drug trafficking. “If we stop thinking about the War on Drugs as a war against drugs, and we see it as a toolkit for the administration of state violence …,” Britto said. “We see that it’s not a contradiction, it’s not even hypocrisy — it’s a logical, functioning strategy.” Political science and sociology Prof. James Mahoney said it’s important to note that while the operation was remarkably successful, it easily could have been “some kind of Bay of Pigs disaster.” Mahoney echoed the other

Thomas Hurley/The Daily Northwestern

Political science Prof. Ana Arjona talked about the importance of the language used to describe operations like the Jan. 3 strike in Caracas at the Buffett event.

professors’ point that the operation was motivated by interests beyond curbing the flow of drugs, adding that such U.S. interventions often lead to more political instability. “The key ingredients for a future revolution in Venezuela might be emerging,” Mahoney said. Sociology Prof. katrina quisumbing king said the operation in Venezuela doesn’t have the same facade of “democracy-building” compared to past instances of U.S. military involvement. She also discussed that the once-opposing concepts of nativism and imperialism are now coupled as “America First” principles under the Trump

administration. Political science Prof. Edward Gibson spoke about the future of Venezuela, focusing on opposition leader María Corina Machado and how she provides a surprising alternative to what he called the “main actors” following Maduro’s capture: acting President Delcy Rodríguez, coercive internal security forces and the armed forces. “The one thing that unites all three of these groups: They do not want democratization,” Gibson said. “They want preservation of the authoritarian regime.” thomashurley2029@u.nortwestern.edu