SSW 05.08.19 - Robeson Issue

2019 Student Essay Contest DEAR MAYOR LIGHTFOOT On May 20th, 2019, Lori Lightfoot will be inaugurated as Chicago’s next mayor. What are the things you want Mayor Lightfoot to know about your neighborhood?

Deadline: May 24 Winner: May 31

Info @ http://bit.ly/SSWessay

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY The South Side Weekly is an independent nonprofit newsprint magazine written for and about neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. We publish in-depth coverage of the arts and issues of public interest alongside oral histories, poetry, fiction, interviews, and artwork from local photographers and illustrators. The South Side Weekly is dedicated to supporting cultural and civic engagement on the South Side and to providing educational opportunities for developing journalists, writers, and artists.

Volume 6, Issue 26 Editor-in-Chief Adam Przybyl Managing Editors Emeline Posner, Sam Stecklow Deputy Editor Jasmine Mithani Senior Editors Julia Aizuss, Christian Belanger, Mari Cohen, Bridget Newsham, Olivia Stovicek Chief of Staff

Manisha AR

Education Editor Music Editor Stage & Screen Editor Visual Arts Editor Food & Land Editor

Rachel Kim Christopher Good Nicole Bond Rod Sawyer Emeline Posner

Contributing Editors Mira Chauhan, Joshua Falk, Carly Graf, Ian Hodgson, Maple Joy, Sam Joyce, Ashvini Kartik-Narayan, Rachel Schastok Amy Qin, Jocelyn Vega Staff Writer Kyle Oleksiuk

Data Editor Jasmine Mithani Radio Exec. Producer Erisa Apantaku Social Media Editors Bridget Newsham, Sam Stecklow Director of Fact Checking: Sam Joyce Fact Checkers: Abigail Bazin, Susan Chun, Elizabeth Winkler, Tammy Xu Visuals Editor Ellen Hao Deputy Visuals Editors Siena Fite, Mell Montezuma Lizzie Smith Staff Photographers: milo bosh, Jason Schumer Staff Illustrators: Siena Fite, Natalie Gonzalez, Katherine Hill Interim Layout Editor J. Michael Eugenio Deputy Layout Editor Haley Tweedell Webmaster Managing Director

Pat Sier Jason Schumer

The Weekly is produced by an all-volunteer editorial staff and seeks contributions from across the city. We distribute each Wednesday in the fall, winter, and spring. Over the summer we publish every other week.

Send submissions, story ideas, comments, or questions to editor@southsideweekly.com or mail to: South Side Weekly 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 For advertising inquiries, contact: (773) 234-5388 or advertising@southsideweekly.com

Cover art by Ellen Hao and Lizzie Smith

THE ROBESON ISSUE In February 2018, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close Englewood’s remaining four neighborhood high schools. Three of them would be dissolved over the next three years, but Paul Robeson High School, which opened in 1977, would be demolished in the summer of 2018, and in its place, a new high school built. The new Englewood STEM High School will open its doors to Englewood freshmen this fall.

Robeson High School was an Englewood staple, garnering community pride and supporting student growth. It was also a place that experienced disinvestment, neglect, and fallout from several failed education policies. Its closure leaves a hole in the hearts and minds of the many students, staff, parents, and community members who interacted with Robeson High School over the years.

At the start of 2018, South Side Weekly Radio members Erisa Apantaku, Olivia Obineme, Bridget Vaughn, and Bridget Newsham began collecting stories from former Robeson students, staff, parents, and community members. We created an hour-long documentary and an online archive of those four decades of Robeson High School history through the memories of people from the Robeson community.

In this print issue of South Side Weekly, we’ve excerpted some of those oral histories and visual memories of the school. While Robeson High School is physically gone, this issue and the archive seeks to preserve its legacy.

For the complete Robeson High School oral history archive, including photos, videos, and the unedited oral histories of the Robeson community, visit robeson.southsideweekly.com.

If you have a story of Robeson High School you’d like to share, visit bit.ly/robesonarchive

IN THIS ISSUE community. family. everything.

“We had a strong bond. We loved the kids. They can be bad as I don’t know what, but we loved them.” south side weekly radio.....................................................................................4 ain't you heard

“Massive school closures without the equitable replacement is an injustice to our civil rights.” erisa apantaku and brandon fields..................................................................7 regina lee

A comic about Robeson. erisa apantaku and ellie mejía........................................................................10

This project was supported in part by a grant from Illinois Humanities CREDITS & DISCLAIMERS ILLINOIS HUMANITIES IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES (NEH) AND THE ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY [THROUGH THE ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL AGENCY], AS WELL AS BY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS, FOUNDATIONS AND CORPORATIONS. ANY VIEWS, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, OR RECOMMENDATIONS EXPRESSED BY SPEAKERS, PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, OR AUDIENCES DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE NEH, ILLINOIS HUMANITIES, OUR PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS OR OUR FUNDERS.

more than a building

“ You think that wrecking ball was gonna come through the classroom because that's how loud the construction was.” erisa apantaku and olivia obineme.................................................................12

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 3

EDUCATION

Community. Family. Everything.

Stories of support and resilience from members of the Robeson High School community throughout its forty-year history

BY SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY RADIO

I

n the years leading up to the closing of Robeson High School in June 2018, headlines spoke of dwindling student enrollment, violence within the community, and low student performance.

Before the Chicago Board of Education decision in February 2018 to close Robeson High School, CPS hosted two meetings to gather community feedback. At the first of those meetings, a teacher at Lindblom High School spoke about the need for schools as sites of relationship-building that enable communities to solve problems together. “There are very few institutions in neighborhoods on the South Side that build these sorts of relationships between community members like neighborhood schools,” he said. “By eliminating all of the neighborhood schools in Englewood,” he continued, “you eliminate the institutions that forge these relationships.”

At the start of 2018, as South Side Weekly Radio collected the oral histories of current and former Robeson High School students, teachers, and parents, a picture of Robeson emerged, more detailed and nuanced than the headlines. From the first classes to enter the new school in 1977, to the final graduating Class of 2018, Robeson community members spoke of the support they got and gave to one another through personal and systemic struggles.

Liz Chambers (Class of 1978) Speaking of teachers who really cared about you: Ms. Johnston. She was the history teacher.

And she actually helped pay for me to go away one Spring Break. Then I changed my mind and didn’t want to go, but she was willing to pay her money for me to go on a trip. That was her. She would take the kids to the Bahamas or somewhere she knew they’d never be able to go. And even though I wasn’t part of that group at the time, she asked me if I wanted to go cause they had some extra seats, so it would only cost me like $200 cause she was funding the rest of it. But I was such a homebody at the time, I didn’t want to do it. I should have, but I didn’t. It speaks to her character that she would be willing to expose me to something that I would never had been able to do on my own.

Robeson alum Liz Chambers was the valedictorian of her class.

4 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

OLIVIA OBINEME

EXPLORE AT ROBESON.SOUTHSIDEWEEKLY.COM

Christian Owens, center, with her parents days before her graduation.

OLIVIA OBINEME

Gloria Williams is an advocate with Voices of West Englewood.

OLIVIA OBINEME

Christian Owens (Class of 2018)

Gloria Williams (parent, Class of 2005)

This school has been such a good experience. Even if I thought I wanted to leave, I actually did not want to leave. I just wanted to stay there, because I knew so many people there. So if I went to a new school, I would have a hard time making friends because I stay by myself.

I stay so quiet, so most people wouldn't recognize me. But at Robeson, everybody knows you from your first name, last name. Even if you've never been in the principal’s office or the Dean's office, they still know you by first name. It was a community. It was family. It was everything.

You know, boys ain't gonna tell mom everything. As a single mother, the good thing about Robeson was the coaches. I loved those coaches because they was married men, they believed in God, and if my son go to them, he can confide in them. Now some things they would tell me and some personal things they wouldn't tell me, and I respect that because they helped me grow my son to where he is today. As a single mother of a teenager, you sometimes can't reach them. You gotta have a surrounding group of families or outside people to help you raise your children. And that's what I loved about Robeson High School.

Shirley Harris (Class of 1985)

Alfredrick Hughes (Class of 1981)

When I had Mr. Eggleston for Algebra, that's when I was expecting my daughter. It was not like, I'm going to give her a pass; she's going to do the homework, get the extra credit, and participate in front of the class. If you didn't know it, he would stand there, walk you through it or help somebody again that's in the class that knew how to do it, help you go through. I really liked that because he could have just said, oh just do extra credit, or you know, something simple like that to help your grade. But he actually had me participate within the class. With Mr. Eggleston, you had to participate, you had to do your homework.

If you're falling behind, he would tell you, let me know, let me know. We're not going to wait till the end. He offered us all opportunities. I just loved it. He pushed me. It was just a C, but that was the best C I ever had, you know. Doing math and getting help with it and getting praise for it.

Dr. Simmons—Robeson’s principal— and my mother was very close. My mother passed when I was a sophomore at Loyola University. She went to the hospital—St. Bernard Hospital. I never forget while I was going towards her room, I heard my sister give a big shout and start crying. I said, my mother passed away. I'm not going in there. I'm not going into that room. I turned right around, walked to Robeson, and got ahold of Ms. Simmons and said, my mother just passed away. I got down on my knees and I hugged her and she told me, baby, you going to be okay? And I said, no, I'm not. She said, you going to be okay.

I said, no, I'm not. She's dead. My mother's dead. She said, baby, you will be okay. And I said, no, I'm not.

I went back to Loyola—caught the train. Sitting in my room, I said to myself, I gotta get outta here now. I'll just go to Ms. Simmons. She’ll cook me dinner and just talk to me.

Before she passed away, my mother told her to take care of me. I remember I was at Dr. Simmons’ house and she brung out this letter and she read it to me, a long letter that my mother wrote to her. Did you take care of my son?

My mother passed away and I was suicidal. Everything I did in my life was about my mom. After she died, I thought about suicide because what would I go on living for? Then, every day after school I go to Dr. Simmons’ house, we just talked. She basically kept me alive. ¬

James Eggleston (teacher, 1980-1998) I really hated that our family of teachers got broken up during the reconstitution in 1997.

The majority of the teachers, we were dedicated to that school, because we could've easily transferred out to other schools, you know? But we had been there, we had a strong bond with each other. We had a strong bond. We liked the kids. We loved the kids. They can be bad as I don’t know what, but we loved them. And we worked hard with those kids. We would donate money so kids could get tuxedos and stuff for their prom. We used to do all that. Pay for their prom ticket, whatever. They send around a note: “so and so, she needs some money for a prom dress, can you help?” So, we donate five or ten, and then somebody take them to go get the prom dress. Yeah. I've driven students to their interview for college.

I’ve driven them to college.

Hear the history of Robeson High School through the stories of the students, teachers, parents, and others who were apart of the Robeson community at robeson.southsideweekly.com.

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 5

EDUCATION

Ain’t You Heard

Exploring migration and belonging in the ruins of a school closing TEXT BY ERISA APANTAKU PHOTOS BY BRANDON FIELDS

Candlelight vigil to honor the memories of the schools and families that migrated to Englewood. At some point, a group recited Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem.”

O

n April 16, 2019, Chicagoans gathered on the playground at Woods Academy on 62nd and Racine, an Englewood elementary school that closed in 2013. They had returned for “Ain’t You Heard - What Happens to a Dream Deferred,” a storytelling event presented in partnership with Residents Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE), Borderless Studio, and Creative Grounds. After being welcomed by Anton Seals Jr. of Grow Greater Englewood and Asiaha Butler of RAGE, attendees participated in an evening of music, spoken word, visual art projection, and memory sharing.

As archival images of Black Americans (curated by archivist Renata Cherlise of Blvck Vrchives) filled an exterior wall of Woods Academy, co-organizer Tonika Johnson shared a spoken word story about her family’s trajectory to Englewood, starting with her grandmother’s birth in the South and her decision to leave. Interspersed with Johnson’s memories, rapper Roy Kinsey performed his songs “Mississippi Mud,” “Citadel Blues,” and more.

Motivated by questions of belonging provoked by the Dimensions of Citizenship installation recently exhibited at Wrightwood 659, Johnson says the event centered the memories of Black Americans who came to Chicago—and specifically Englewood—during the Great Migration. They came to pursue “their full rights as citizens in the United States, only to have their aspirations of equitable belonging denied over decades through systemic disinvestment in Black communities and city­wide segregation policies.”

Johnson cites the sixteen schools closed in Englewood since 2002 as evidence of the ongoing legacy of disinvestment. In this context, hosting the event in a now-closed Englewood elementary school reminded folks of the importance of schools as gathering places for communities. For Johnson, these community spaces create memories “that remain with them throughout their lives, from the teachers that impacted their lives to your first class assigned speech and your first playground fight with a peer.” Attendees were encouraged to share their memories of school, stories of their families’ migration(s), and reactions to the performances on physical cards for others to see.

In addition to reflecting on memories, Johnson hopes the event helped attendees envision how closed schools can still be used to benefit the community. She also hopes the event inspires Englewood residents to consider mobilizing to rename the new neighborhood high school opening in the fall (currently named Englewood STEM High School). “Massive school closures without the equitable replacement is an injustice to our civil rights—the rights our grandparents fought for in this country—and it’s our responsibility to always be vocal about that… Our lives are the consequence of our families’ struggles and resilience in the face of insurmountable odds and overt discrimination.

Despite all, we are our grandparents’ and parents’ dreams realized.”

Disclosure: Tonika Johnson is a member of the Weekly’s Board of Directors.

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 7

EDUCATION

Librarian and rapper Roy Kinsey performing songs from his album Blackie, an homage to his grandmother and her migration from Mississippi to Chicago in front of historic photos of Black life from the early 1900’s curated by Renata Cherlise from Blvck Vrchives.

Tonika Johnson sharing favorite memories from her time at Woods Academy with her uncles, back when it was known as Gershwin School.

8 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

EDUCATION

View of the event on the playground of Woods Academy, closed in 2013.

Anton Seals Jr., who moderated the event, informing attendees about how much schools in Englewood have sold for and asking them to remember the significance those schools had in the community, beyond just being a place for learning.

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 9

DEVELOPMENT

10 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

SPOTLIGHTS

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 11

EDUCATION

More Than A Building

A look inside Robeson and the community it built AS TOLD TO ERISA APANTAKU PHOTOS BY OLIVIA OBINEME

W

hen Robeson High School opened in 1977, it was actually too small for the student population at the time. Around 2,300 students enrolled, far more than CPS’s expectation of 1,500. Four decades later, CPS voted to close Robeson, citing severe under-enrollment.

12 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

Some alumni we talked to described the earlier decades of Robeson students’ schedules, taking a mixture of classes in the “old building”—Parker Elementary School, formerly Parker High School—and the “new building,” Robeson.

Now, in 2019, there’s a newer building: the new Englewood STEM High School. As rising freshmen gear up to enter the new school, we look back on the building that stood in its place, an institution in Englewood for forty years on the corner of 69th and Normal.

EXPLORE AT ROBESON.SOUTHSIDEWEEKLY.COM

Antoine Wright (Class of 1995) Well, you look inside of Paul Robeson High School, as you walked through the doors, there's that grand staircase that goes straight up to the floors. It goes straight up. You can't miss it. On the right side, there's the gym rooms, the offices, and the portrait of Paul Robeson. And on the left side there's the principal’s offices, the assistant principal’s office, the cafeterias.

Shirely Harris (Class of 1985) I grew up right there, 69th and Eggleston.

From my front porch you could see Robeson, right there, walking distance. It just seemed like one big party. When we're outside, sometimes even when you’re in study hall and everybody’s supposed to be quiet, it still was like a big party.

It was just nice going through the halls from class to class, getting lost, you know, going through Robeson and things like that. It was just great.

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 13

EDUCATION

Liz Chambers (Class of 1978) Englewood was such a flourishing community.

There was a store where you could get your shoes shined. There was a store you could buy anything you needed. Whether it was the currency exchange, it was the dry cleaners.

It was everything. It was such a thriving community. You walked to the corner of 69th and Normal, everything was there. There was nothing that you needed to go outside of your community for. All we had was community. So, we helped each other out and we did what we needed to do to sustain our community.

14 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

EXPLORE AT ROBESON.SOUTHSIDEWEEKLY.COM

Keith Harris (Class of 1984) When you look at the model that Robeson and Hope and Englewood and some other schools throughout the city—Julian, Corliss—these places were built like prisons. No windows.

Most of them have little triangle-like day areas.

The day rooms that are all glass and the light comes in on that. If anybody has ever been to jail or to prison, they know that most of the day rooms or most of the light rooms are in the middle, surrounded by brick, very little outside contact. While going there, we didn't think much of it, but in hindsight it was kind of psychologically gearing the students that went there for a prison-type situation. Whitney Young was all glass and steel, and you could be in the classroom and look out the window and see everything. At Robeson, there wasn't that.

Christian Owens (Class of 2018) When we were trying to learn in classes, you always feel the ground shaking. You always hear a big booming sound going on outside.

You think that wrecking ball was gonna come through the classroom because that's how loud the construction was.

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 15

EVENTS

BULLETIN The Chicago Police Torture Scandals

Object Lessons, with Alex Chitty + Jenine Marsh

Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. Wednesday, May 8, 6pm–7pm. Free. bit.ly/PoliceTorture

Swift Hall, 1025 E. 58th St. Thursday, May 9, 6pm–7pm. bit.ly/ObjectLessonsACJM

Northwestern University investigator and former Chicago Reader journalist John Conroy will present on his decades of work documenting police torture in Chicago, including the investigation of Police Commander Jon Burge. (Sam Stecklow)

The Aftermath of R. Kelly Pop-Up JUST Art Gallery at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 1344 S. Halsted St. Tuesday, May 14, 6pm–8pm. Free with RSVP. bit.ly/AftermathRKelly The Social Justice Initiative at UIC hosts this abridged screening of Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, followed by a community conversation facilitated

by BYP’s Asha Ransby-Sporn, Dr. Aja Reynolds, and others. (Sam Stecklow)

A Conversation with Silver Room Block Party & The Chosen Few The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, May 16, 7pm–12am. Early bird $15, general admission $20. Proceeds go to a scholarship fund. bit.ly/SilverRoomChosenFew The organizers behind the Silver Room Block Party, held on 53rd Street in Hyde Park, and the Chosen Few Picnic & Festival, held in Jackson Park, will have a panel conversation on their work before everyone is treated to a night of music from Ron Trent and members of the Chosen Few. (Sam Stecklow)

AirGo Live! with guests J Bambii and greenSLLIME Cards Against Humanity Theater, 1917 N. Elston Ave. Thursday, May 16, 7:30pm– 9:30pm. Free with RSVP. bit.ly/AirGoLive At the first live show held in Chicago by this Hyde Park-based radio show, AirGo-hosts Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger interview South Side musician, healer, and activist J Bambii and DJ, rapper, and “walking myth” greenSLLIME. (Sam Stecklow) 16 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

VISUAL ARTS

In conjunction with Liz Magor’s Renaissance Society exhibition “BLOWOUT” (April 27–June 23), artists Alex Chitty and Jenine Marsh will respond to Magor’s work separately and collectively.

Artists will discuss how objects serve as agents or activators within Magor’s sculptures. (Roderick Sawyer)

Tonika Johnson: Folded Map Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan Ave. Friday, May 10, 2pm–4pm. bit.ly/FoldedMapTJ Tonika Johnson’s “Folded Map” is a project that explores the ongoing impact of segregation in Chicago. The Museum of Contemporary Photography will host Johnson for a one-day presentation where participants will have the opportunity to come and meet Johnson, explore the MoCP’s current exhibitions, and reflect on the exhibit’s relevance to their own lives.

(Roderick Sawyer)

On the Table: Prioritizing Safe Spaces for Black Youth Studio Movie Grill, 210 W. 87th Street.

Tuesday, May 14, 5pm–7pm. bit.ly/OnTheTablePSS What do safe spaces for Black youth look like? Why is there a need for safe spaces?

This conversation-style event will tackle these questions and more, following this past spring break when local businesses downtown called upon law enforcement because of the gathering of over 500 teens.

While there is criticism for all sides (at law enforcement, at the businesses, at parents/caregivers), nonprofit organization Girls Like Me Project, Inc. invites all to come and discuss the dynamics of these situations and how they can be handled better. (Roderick Sawyer)

Messier Objects 062, 1029 W. 35th Street. Friday, May 10, 6pm–9pm. bit.ly/MessierObjects1

EVENTS

Join organizer Jan Tichý for this exhibition presented by 062 in collaboration with the Department of Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Featuring six artists, this show includes various prints, video installations, and objects. (Roderick Sawyer)

Community Ceramics Workshop OH Art Foundation, 1029 W. 35th St. Friday, May 17, 7pm–8:30pm. Free. 5–18+ Years old. bit.ly/CommunityCeramicsWorkshop Interested in working with clay with your family? This workshop will teach the basics of clay, all materials provided. This event is part of the OH Art Foundation’s creative workshops designed around the exhibition “Cheng-Yung Kuo: A Retrospective.”

Participants will also be able to add final touches of color to exclusive pieces from a limited amount of Cheng-Yung Kuo’s unglazed ceramic work (for purchase). All students are welcome but must be picked up by 8:45pm. (Roderick Sawyer)

MUSIC Sweet Honey in the Rock w/ Dr. Walt Whitman & the Soul Children of Chicago Rockefeller Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave. Saturday, May 11, 7:30pm. Free, $5/$10 donation suggested. (773) 702-2667. bit.ly/SweetHoney19

community organizer Rafael Millán.

DJs Malice, Orno, Amber Gris, and Slenderman will spin alongside old-school punks CB Radio Gorgeous and Spirit Trap.

(Christopher Good)

Faux. Co, Engine Summer, The Lipschitz, Lollygagger Bohemian Grove (ask a punk). Friday, May 25, doors at 8pm. $5 donation. bit.ly/faux-co Psych-pop four-piece Faux Co. will bring their heart-on-sleeve harmonies to this McKinley Park DIY spot with support from Engine Summer (“tension punk”), The Lipschitz (“art thrash”), and Lollygagger (“patriotica rock”). (Christopher Good)

Jamila Woods, Nitty Scott Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport Ave. Sunday, May 26, doors at 7pm, show at 8pm. $26.

(312) 526-3851. bit.ly/JamilaThalia Poet and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods—a South Side hometown hero if there ever was one—will celebrate the release of Legacy! Legacy!, her longawaited follow-up to 2016’s Heavn, with a performance at Pilsen’s Thalia Hall.

(Christopher Good)

THE BUILDERS INITIATIVE

Music.

Dance.

Movies.

Theater.

Festivals.

Family Fun.

Hyde Park Community Players: Buddha Swings University Church, 5655 S. University Ave. Fridays and Saturdays, May 3–18, 7:30pm; Sunday, May 19, 2pm. $12 in advance, $15 at the door, $10 students and seniors. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org

Otro Ritmo: South Side Punk Night

Auditions: You Can’t Fake The Funk, A Journey Through Funk Music

Need a long night of loud music? On Tuesday, the South Side’s finest venue for “FREAKS, PUNKS, MUTANTS, METALHEADS AND REGULARS” will host a fundraiser in memory of

Chapin May Foundation

STAGE & SCREEN

Since 1973, all-women acapella group Sweet Honey in the Rock has sung Black traditional music, from gospel hymns and spirituals to spoken word. The thriceGrammy-nominated (and Sesame Streethosted) ensemble, which owes its name to Psalm 81:16, will conclude its residency at the UofC with a performance alongside Walt Whitman & the Soul Children of Chicago. (Christopher Good)

One City Tap, 3115 S. Archer Ave. Tuesday, May 14, 8pm–late. Free. (773) 565-4777. bit.ly/OtroRitmo

The 61st Street Farmers Market is a program of the Experimental Station, with the support of:

Hyde Park Community Players presents Buddha Swings, a swing-dance jazz-era, film noir-style musical...about the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. It’s directed by John Poole and features Deigha Gary as Prince Sidd. (Nicole Bond)

Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. Monday, May 13, 11am–5pm. Must send headshot and resume to reserve and audition slot. Must have a slot to audition.

Black Ensemble Theater is holding auditions. Prepare an R&B or Funk song and a one-minute comedic monologue.

Free events, in the parks, all summer.

Night Out in the Parks brings world-class performances to Chicago’s neighborhood parks!

View our upcoming Night Out events at 2,000 www.NightOutInTheParks.com or access EVENTS them in the free My Chi Parks™mobile app.

Lori Lightfoot, Mayor

140

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ARTISTS

COMMUNITY AREAS

STAY CONNECTED.

@ChicagoParks #InTheParks

MAY 8, 2019 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 17

EVENTS

If you play electric guitar, electric bass, or keyboard, please be prepared to play. To reserve an audition slot, send headshot and resume to Elicia Golden-Best at egoldenbest@blackensemble.org (Nicole Bond)

by the Weekly’s Radio Executive Producer Erisa Apantaku and Mikhail Fiksel.

(Nicole Bond)

Auditions: Midsummer Night’s Dream

Harper Theater, 5238 S. Harper Ave. Thursdays now through May 23. Doors open 6:30pm, screening 7pm. Free. bit.ly/2UXGPeW

Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, May 15, 6–9pm and Saturday, May 18, noon–3pm. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org Hyde Park Community Players are holding auditions for their fourth annual Shakespeare in the Park. No need to prepare, just bring your enthusiasm and your outdoor voice to this audition.

Children interested are welcome to explore the possibility of being cast in a fairy chorus. HPCP are committed to open casting. Friends of all genders, colors, and backgrounds are encouraged to audition.

(Nicole Bond)

Of Poetry and Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Saturday, May 18, 3pm. Free. RSVP guildcomplex.org/voices-of-protest/ Three of Chicago’s most influential voices over the past fifty years on political resistance: Angela Jackson, Haki Madhubuti, and Eugene Redmond join Guild Literary Complex Founding Executive Director Michael Warr for a panel discussion building on the new collaboration between the Guild and Rebuild Foundation, and in anticipation of the June installation of the gazebo where Tamir Rice was gunned down by Cleveland police. (Nicole Bond)

What Use Are Flowers?: A Fable

by Lorraine Hansberry makebelieve.fm/flowers Listen online to an audio drama produced by the Make Believe Association of a littleknown one-act play intended for television, written in 1961 by South Side playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The dystopian though timely tale of a hermit returning to a society he had abandoned features: Grammy nominee Billy Branch, director and performer Daniel Kyri, Khloe Janel, Tevion Lanier, Kiayla Ryann, and sound 18 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY ¬ MAY 8, 2019

Afro Film Series

So Live Experiences presents a series of films to showcase the work of African and Caribbean talent. This week–Osuofia in London, directed by Kingsley Ogoro of Nigeria, which tells the story of a man arriving in London from an African village to claim an inheritance left by his late brother. In the coming weeks catch Sometimes in April, by Haitian director Raoul Peck; Black Girl, directed by Ousmane Sembene of Senegal; Lumumba, a political thriller based on a true story, also directed by Peck. Yabba, by Idriss Ouedraogo of the Republic of Upper Volta; and Yeelen, by Souleymane Cissee of Mali.

(Nicole Bond)

Hamilton: The Exhibition Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Dr. Opens April 27 through September 8.

Mondays and Tuesdays noon–6pm (last entry 4pm); Wednesdays, 10am–6pm (last entry 5pm); Thursdays–Saturdays, 10am–8pm (last entry 6pm); Sundays, 10am-6pm (last entry 4pm). $39.50 adults, $32.50 seniors/ military, $25 ages 4-14. Discounts available for CPS groups or groups of 10 or more. hamiltonexhibition.com Whether you have or haven’t yet seen the theatrical phenomenon that is Hamilton, this exhibition of interactive lighting, sound, multimedia, music, and historical artifacts, featuring an audio tour by Hamilton director Lin-Manuel Miranda, will be an experience beyond the musical to immerse attendees into the world of the now famed founding father. (Nicole Bond)

Too Heavy for Your Pocket TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave. April 24–June 29. $25-$54. (773) 281-8463 ext. 6. timelinetheatre.com Court Theatre Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson directs a story by playwright Jiréh Breon Holder, who was recently named one of “Tomorrow’s Marquee Names, Now

in the Making” by the New York Times.

Holder’s play examines the bonds of love and friendship, and the personal cost of progress when the opportunity to fight racism in the Deep South, as a Freedom Rider, supersedes a college scholarship.

Too Heavy For Your Pocket was seen in an extended Off-Broadway run at the Roundabout Theater in 2017. (Nicole Bond)

FOOD & LAND Farmers Markets Sundays: Maxwell Street Market, Desplaines St. & Taylor St. Sundays, 9am–3pm. bit.ly/ MaxwellStMarketChicago 95th Street Farmers Market, 1835 W. 95th St. Sundays, 8am–1pm, through November.

95thstreetba.org/farmers-market Pilsen Community Market, 1820 S. Blue Island Ave. Sundays, 9am–3pm, through October. facebook.com/pilsenmarket Thursdays: City Market at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. Thursdays, 7am–2pm, through October 24. bit.ly/DaleyPlazaMarket Saturdays: 61st Street Farmers Market, 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Saturdays, 9am–2pm, through October 27. experimentalstation.org/ market The Plant Farmers Market, 1400 W. 46th St. The first Saturday of each month, 11am–3pm. plantchicago.org/farmers-market Summertime in Chicago means many things; one of those things is the return of farmers markets and with them, fresh produce to our lives. Some troopers toughed it out indoors over the winter, but is it truly a farmers market if you can’t take your winnings, bike to the lake or your nearest park, and eat them quicker than you could’ve imagined in one sitting? If the list above looks sparse to you, it is—it only includes the markets that are currently open. Many more around the South Side will open in the next two months. (Sam Stecklow)

131st St., at 7am. Bus tickets $30, free tickets available for those unable to pay. ilenviro.org/bus Join Faith in Place, the Illinois Environmental Council, and the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club for their annual lobby day. Meet with your state legislators and make sure your voice is heard on environmental issues affecting Illinois.

(Sam Joyce)

Parched: Stories of Water, Pollution, and Theft Free Street Theater, 1419 W. Blackhawk St., 3rd fl. Fridays, 7pm–8:30pm, and Wednesdays, 2pm–3:30pm, through May 18.

Pay what you can. freestreet.org Youth storytellers tackle the question, “When did water become a privilege?” in this original production from the Free Street Theater. (Sam Stecklow)

Record Breaking Saturdays at Belli’s Belli’s, 1307 W. 18th St. Saturdays, 9am– noon, through May 25. facebook.com/bellispilsen Support beloved juice bar Belli’s, which recently moved into a new 18th Street location after being unceremoniously pushed out by the management of Thalia Hall, in their goal to have three successive record-breaking (in sales) Saturdays to work themselves out of the debt incurred by the move. (Sam Stecklow)

Wetland Planting at Rainbow Beach Dunes Rainbow Beach Park, 3111 E. 77th St. Saturday, May 18, 10am–noon. rainbowbeachdunes.wordpress.com Get your hands dirty and plant some native wetland plants at the Rainbow Beach natural area. All tools, equipment, and snacks will be provided, but make sure to wear long pants and sturdy shoes. (Sam Joyce)

2019 Environmental Lobby Day

MWRD Open House and Tours

Illinois State Capitol. Thursday, May 9.

Buses depart from Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St., and Sixth-Grace Presbyterian Church, 600 E. 35th St., at 6:30am, and from Aldridge School, 630 E.

Calumet Water Reclamation Plant, 400 E. 130th St., and Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, 6001 W. Pershing Rd., Cicero.

Saturday, May 18, 9am–1pm. bit.ly/MWRDOpenHouse

Explore the massive water reclamation plants that keep our water clean and their surrounding neighborhoods dealing with their odor during the MWRD’s Open House day, in celebration of its 130th anniversary. (Sam Stecklow)

Hyde Park Spring Food Truck Fest Kenwood Academy, 5015 S. Blackstone Ave. Saturday, May 11, noon–5pm. bit.ly/HPFoodTruck Enjoy dozens of food trucks and other local vendors, as well as live DJs, at the Kenwood Alumni Networks’ food truck fest. Proceeds benefit the KAN Alumni Scholarship Fund. (Sam Joyce)

Come learn fundamental journalism skills.

Free with RSVP @ bit.ly/sswworkshops

Garfield Park Seedling Sale Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave. Saturday, May 11, 1pm–4pm (noon for members). garfieldconservatory.org/ event/annual-seedling-sale-3 Looking to start gardening this season? Find all the herbs, flowers, and veggies you’ll need at the Garfield Park Conservatory’s annual seedling sale. Make sure to bring a bag or box to transport your plants. (Sam Joyce)

Chicago River Day Various locations. Saturday, May 11, 9am– noon. bit.ly/ChiRiverDay Join Friends of the Chicago River for their largest volunteer event of the year, cleaning up litter and planting native plants at locations including Beaubien Woods, Ping Tom Memorial Park, and nine other South Side locations. Make sure to register online to guarantee your free t-shirt. (Sam Joyce)

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Hyde Park Garden Fair Hyde Park Shopping Center, 5500 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, May 17, 9am6pm, and Saturday, May 18, 9am-4pm. hydeparkgardenfair.org Select from thousands of plants at the 60th annual Hyde Park Garden Fair, organized by the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. The fair includes everything from annuals to perennials and shrubs to herbs, all selected for Chicago’s climate by expert gardeners. (Sam Joyce)

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