January 10, 2018

Scraps to Sustenance How sustainability organizations help CPS students reduce food waste

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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 5, Issue 13 Editor-in-Chief Hafsa Razi Managing Editors Julia Aizuss, Andrew Koski Directors of Staff Support Baci Weiler Community Outreach Jasmin Liang Senior Editor Olivia Stovicek

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IN CHICAGO

A week’s worth of developing stories, odd events, and signs of the times, culled from the desks, inboxes, and wandering eyes of the editors

Diagnosis Homelessness According to WBEZ, some Chicago hospitals have entered the housing market by instituting a program where they pay the lion’s share of housing costs for homeless Chicagoans who would otherwise frequent emergency rooms for a place to sleep. The University of Illinois Hospital was the first Chicago hospital to pilot the project in 2015.

Swedish Covenant, Rush, and Stroger hospitals all recently launched similar projects to house people termed “super-utilizers” of ER services. The virtuous move feeds two birds with one worm, so to speak, and the bird’s name is economics. According to University of Illinois Director of Preventative Emergency Medicine Stephen Brown, the hospital pays only $1,000 per month in patient housing and the federal government picks up the rest, compared to the $3,000 per day it costs for hospital admission. Fifty percent of the top one hundred emergency room users are homeless. The University of Illinois program currently provides housing for twenty-six homeless patients and expects to expand the program to accommodate an additional twenty-five.

Will Willie Wilson Win? After a third-place mayoral race finish and an entirely overlooked presidential campaign, medical supplies millionaire and gospel TV host Willie Wilson is exploring another shot at taking on Mayor Emanuel in next year’s election. A poll commissioned in December by his exploratory committee brought him within ten points of tying Emanuel. “He’s the only one that close to Rahm Emanuel,” former state senator and Wilson adviser Rickey Hendon told CBS, which may be true but conveniently sidesteps the fact that the only declared contender in the race is principals’ union president Troy LaRaviere. Still, it will be good to have Willie in the race; there aren’t many political candidates around with his particular quirks, such as filling his presidential campaign page with Bible quotes.

Clara’s Disgrace Longtime Englewood women’s shelter Clara’s Place was abruptly shut down and declared uninhabitable by the city last week, according to ABC7. The women and children’s shelter started by Clara Kirk has had severe financial problems for some time, but it fell into disrepair after coming under the control of Kirk’s son last summer, when Kirk suffered a stroke, said15th Ward Alderman Ray Lopez. Lopez has an office in the same building of the shelter, where building temperatures have dipped to thirty-five degrees, forcing Lopez to vacate the building as well. Perhaps the displaced women and children from Clara’s Place will have to get into the hospital housing market at University of Illinois.

Walking on Paper-Thin Ice On Monday, a federal judge ordered that Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown provide media outlets with immediate access to electronically filed civil lawsuits within thirty days. Currently about forty percent of e-filed lawsuits are not available the same day they are filed, according to Courthouse News Service (CNS), which sued the clerk’s office last year. Brown’s office is still working on ending nearly all paper filings in civil cases, after having received a six-month extension on a state deadline. According to CNS attorney Brian Sher, it won’t be hard for Brown’s office to update the court system and make the thirty-day deadline; other cities have done so with relative ease.

IN THIS ISSUE expanding chicago’s electronic music legacy

“If you care about the culture, got a website, want to be involved in music technology or if you want to donate equipment, come on down!” brandon payton-carrillo...............4 steering englewood schools

“Will parents send their kids to this school?” bridget newsham.............................5 scraps to sustenance

“Eighty-one sandwiches thrown out without a bite.” deysi cuevas.......................................8 reaching transit equity, one bike ride at a time

The ultimate vision is a large U.S. city where equity is fully integrated into every resource—every budget, department, legislation, decision. hanna addis.....................................10

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Cover illustration by Courtney Kendrick

JANUARY 10, 2018 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 3

MUSIC

Expanding Chicago’s Electronic Music Legacy

JASMIN LIANG

Chicago DJ Hieroglyphic Being cofounds an electronic music school to return House to its roots

BY BRANDON PAYTON-CARRILLO

O

n a blustery autumn day in West Town, Chicago Phonic, a new educational center for electronic musicians, held its first public open house.

Mixers, turntables, and computers were all neatly arranged in a room wrapped with lush, seafoam green wallpaper. Prospective students asked questions and milled around the narrow facility. Daryl Cura, one of Chicago Phonic’s founders, patiently answered questions on modern electronic productions while cracking open cold bottles of Peroni.

In the months leading up to Chicago Phonic’s conception, veteran Chicago electronic musicians Jamal Moss, a.k.a.

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Hieroglyphic Being, and Daryl Cura talked about the state of electronic music culture.

They noticed a problem. Although the culture of electronic music has spread across the world and attracts new followers daily, there is a sense among the pioneers that the roots of this culture are being buried.

Chicagoans who created the foundations of the movement have been forgotten. Sadly, they felt that new fans, who came from backgrounds much whiter and wealthier than the founders of Chicago house music, were not celebrating the music’s Chicago roots.

There was a complete omission of history, but as Moss, an Englewood native considered a pioneer in modern underground Chicago

house music, put it, “You can’t complain about it, be about it.”

And “be about it” they did, as they have been busy over the past months creating the business plan and curriculum for this new facility. Chicago Phonic will offer classes on electronic music production, DJ fundamentals, and using professional music editing software like Ableton Live.

The classes are designed to familiarize each student with a basic understanding of music theory, beat making, and sampling—all of which are at the foundations of current and future electronic music production. The length of each program is relatively short, ending after a month or two at the most, to

better facilitate classes for adult learners with other obligations in their lives. Prices vary by program. Additionally, a tiered membership program offers a unique opportunity to have access to the space and other programming for those who are looking to be a part of Chicago Phonic’s burgeoning community.

One individual that came out to the open house was Dakari Cooper, a.k.a. Super DaKario. As a rapper/vocalist, Cooper was inspired to attend that afternoon after hearing about it through Instagram. He is also a new student at the school, enrolled in an Ableton Live course.

“I have always been interested but never actually pursued on my own,” Cooper said.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming because it was a new experience and I was unfamiliar with the program, but with every session I am more comfortable thanks to the instructor.”

Providing this kind of support is just what Moss had in mind for the space. “It’s not about vision,” Moss said. “It’s about rebuilding or restructuring an artists’ community that already exists to help facilitate and enhance or share knowledge and experiences between [creative types].”

What Chicago Phonic is serious about is creating a visual and sonic hub—a place where DJs, producers and techies can collaborate and help write the next chapter in Chicago electronic music history. The space will act as a de facto co-working facility and collaboration lab, where new musicians can learn about Chicago’s house history. To undertake this ambitious goal, Moss has a few milestones he would like to reach within the next couple of years. “It’s a set of protocols put in place for a sustainable environment and a developed foundation to be viable and functional with objectives for extensive growth to build and acquire more tools and resources for the Chicago area to utilize for as long as it takes,” he said.

That growth would mean expanding into a larger space. As cute as the seafoam green walls are, the space was rather narrow and cramped with a full house of about twenty people. More technology would be needed for individuals to develop music apps and hardware. Moss takes that all in stride as a part of the growing process of Chicago Phonic.

Moss also encourages all who are curious to get involved: “If you care about the culture, got a website, want to be involved in music technology or if you want to donate equipment, come on down!” ¬

EDUCATION

Steering Englewood’s Schools

Committee members face challenges and doubts in planning new school

BY BRIDGET NEWSHAM

L

ast June, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced their plan to construct a new high school in Englewood, slated to be built on the grounds of what is currently Robeson High School.

The new school is yet another component of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s “holistic” strategy to reduce crime in Englewood by investing in the neighborhood’s businesses and schools. “Investing in our education, our after-school and summer jobs...is important to our safety and [the] vibrancy of the community,” Emanuel said.

Any excitement over the new high school has been overshadowed, however, by the news that it will come at the expense of yet another round of school closings in their community—just four years after six elementary schools were closed in Englewood, along with forty-six others, mostly concentrated on the South and West Sides. CPS plans to close all four neighborhood schools in Englewood: TEAM Englewood Community Academy High School, Harper High School, Hope College Prep High School, and Robeson High School—each of which has a student body of less than 200, and ranks amongst the lowest achieving schools in the entire system.

To quell concerns and questions

around the school closures, and to attempt to represent the community voice of Englewood in decision making, CPS has formed a steering committee comprised of thirteen local stakeholders, community members, and educators. In a press release, former CPS CEO Forrest Claypool stated: “Families, educators and community leaders in Englewood have such a strong vision...we want to incorporate that vision in key decisions,” he said.

However, the unpopularity of the decision to close every high school in Englewood and the failings of prior working groups have raised questions about the committee’s legitimacy and effectiveness—even among committee members themselves.

From the committee, the Weekly spoke with Dori Collins and Ed Ford from the Englewood Community Action Council (CAC), the CPS-affiliated group that helped the district decide to close the schools; Asiaha Butler, the executive director of R.A.G.E., a local community activist group; Craig Lynch, the Interim President of Kennedy-King College (KKC); and Dr. Jonathan McKenzie, the founder and CEO of the Family Centered Educational Agency (FCEA), a nonprofit working with students to prepare for college

through intensive tutoring and mentorship services. The remaining members—Perry Gunn, Keith Harris, Eddie Johnson of Antioch Church, Darlene O’Banner, Debra Payne, Corette Pruitta, Gloria Williams, and Tyson Everett—declined to comment.

Each member of the group brings with them a different personal understanding of what challenges face Englewood, in terms of education, but also economic development, safety, and other pressing issues. All members of the committee live or work in Englewood themselves.

Thus far, three issues have arisen as unofficial priorities for the committee: helping displaced students transition from the closed schools, successfully attracting neighborhood students to the new school, and ensuring students are academically and professionally prepared. Committee members have made it clear that CPS must address these three issues if there is to be a legitimate purpose for the committee and the new high school.

The four schools in question are scheduled for closure at the end of this academic school year, making decisions about the future of their displaced students a top priority for the committee. The new high school is not predicted to open until 2019, and will only accept incoming

freshmen. As a result, students currently attending Englewood’s four high schools will be unable to attend the new facilities–– despite CPS previously framing the change as a merger of the four schools. Instead, current students will have to leave the neighborhood for school after the old buildings close.

This decision has left many students feeling forgotten or given up on by CPS, as they voiced at protests in December.

Therefore, ensuring displaced students receive adequate counseling and guidance on where to attend next is a crucial first step for the steering committee.

Asiaha Butler, the founder of R.A.G.E., a community group comprised of “well minded folks who want to make a difference or have an impact on the community,” has been especially vocal in her discomfort about the “need” to close four schools to make room for a single new school which will not accommodate today’s students. “The most pressing issue right now is the devastation of losing four neighborhood schools,” said Butler. She insists that current students at the four schools cannot and should not be forgotten in this transition if the new school is to be successful in lifting up Englewood.

In the past round of closings, displaced

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Asiaha Butler students of closed schools were encouraged to attend the “welcoming school” CPS has appointed. These schools have tended to be only marginally better in terms of academic ratings and often present transportation and safety concerns for students and parents. Of the two thirds of students who attended their welcoming school in 2013, “only 21% of displaced students attended schools that had a top rating,” reported the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Students were often travelling longer distances, with potential risks, for schools that offered few advantages in terms of long-term success and academic preparedness.

To avoid this happening yet again, the committee has recommended that each student and family work with counselors to formulate an individual transition plan. The outline of this plan, available on the CPS website, recommends enrollment support in neighborhood or selective enrollment schools, emotional and social preparation for students, and the development of safety plans––as Englewood’s high school students will all now need to leave their community to attend school.

Butler made it clear the committee was pushing hard to ensure students were provided an education in line with what the new school will have to offer. “A lot of these schools the students have been attending have been starved for resources...we just want to make sure these new schools are really well-rounded in terms of academics and after school activities and the students have the best experience possible in this transition.”

Moving forward, committee members have suggested the committee turn its attention to understanding what the new school should have in terms of academics and professional training, and how these programs could attract and retain neighborhood students. Craig Lynch and Jonathan McKenzie of FCEA have spearheaded the efforts around college and professional preparedness—which is, of course, tied up with how attractive the new school will be to students.

McKenzie is intimately familiar with what gaps students face in terms of academic readiness and required skills for post-secondary educational enrollment; through his work with FCEA, he tutors

Craig Lynch students over the summer and outside of school hours in missing or neglected topics.

Through this work, he can identify what the larger reasons are for the exodus of students and what disciplines are critical to develop in the new school.

“Many don’t have the courses to be ready for graduation or for college enrollment,” McKenzie said of the four neighborhood schools planned for closure.

“They don’t have a teacher teaching a foreign language or required math classes.

You are required to have these classes to meet the graduation requirement, let alone get into college.” Many students have left in recent years in favor of local charter schools, or selective enrollment and magnet schools, further decreasing the student body and the resources available to the

students. At Hope, Harper, and Robeson, over seventy-five percent of the student bodies left within the past ten years.

It is a vicious cycle—the fewer students enrolled, the fewer per-pupil dollars a school received and the less it could offer, leading to less interest from students and continual decreases in resources.

The question is then: how will this new school attract neighborhood students and draw them away from charters, selective enrollment, and other surrounding schools?

This question is absolutely critical to the success of this project and committee.

“Will parents send their kids to this [new] school?” McKenzie questioned. “In the past, millions of dollars have been put into these schools, and students have continued to leave.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATIE HILL

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EDUCATION

In addition to the obvious need for the required classes for graduation and college application, both Lynch and McKenzie are pushing for resources that will ensure students are well prepared for intensive college courses and the professional workplace. “The workforce lens is really important, because as a [college] we are talking to employers––so we really have a deep insight and understanding in terms of what kind of skills, both hard and soft, students need to be successful [after high school],” Lynch said.

Lynch has proposed a partnership between Kennedy-King College and the new high school so students will have access to courses and facilities, which will expose students to post-secondary coursework and professional training. In his words, “The intent is to provide the infrastructure around the programs. [For example] we have welding machines. It doesn’t necessarily make sense for a high school to go out and buy welding machines.

We have those.”

He believes the early exposure to college classes and facilities will be important to ensure “students are able to graduate college-ready and even career-ready if they want it...it will be an important part of what needs to happen to continue to drive the transformation of the community and the success of the school.” Therefore, it will be an important element in successfully pulling in students, maintaining funding, and being an overall effective resource for students.

The committee members who spoke to the Weekly have demonstrated their commitment to the task at hand. However, they have acknowledged concerns that

John McKenzie they and people outside the committee— including other Englewood residents and public education activists—have about the validity of the group, and CPS’s past tendency to fail at following through on recommendations made in “community engagement” processes.

Before the 2013 mass closings, CPS formed the Commission on School Utilization to highlight key areas of concern that community members and leaders had regarding the planned wave of school closures. While the district took some of its recommendations at the time—like refraining from closing high schools, due to safety risks—several crucial ones fell through. The Commission also recommended only closing schools where students can be transferred safely to significantly better-performing schools and making sure shuttered schools are repurposed or torn down so they do not become unnecessary eyesores or targets of vandalism. But most students attended

schools at a similar or worse level than the school they were forced to leave. And five years later, a third of the buildings that were intended to be repurposed still remain vacant.

The feedback process around the Englewood closings—considering that the initial feedback from Englewood residents was not to close the four schools at all— has not inspired a lot of confidence. “I just want to be very transparent that CPS is definitely using very manipulative language to act as if the whole community has been behind this without discourse, but a lot of our recommendations [thus far] have fallen on deaf ears,” said Asiaha Butler.

But if CPS is serious about increasing its enrollment, improving its reputation, and gaining back the trust of students, parents, and community members at large, taking and implementing the committee’s recommendations would be an important first step. ¬

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Scraps to Sustenance

How sustainability organizations help CPS students reduce food waste

BY DEYSI CUEVAS

W

hen Illinois House Bill 5530 was passed in July 2016 and became a Public Act, many educators and cafeteria workers were unaware that excess cafeteria food could legally be donated to food pantries and homeless shelters.

The bill—which forbids public entities from joining into food service contracts that prohibit donations of leftover foods— was promoted and supported by a number of regional organizations, including Seven Generations Ahead, the Illinois Scrap Food Coalition, and SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education).

While the bill technically did not change schools’ ability to donate their leftover food, the organizations behind the bill are hoping that it will contribute to their efforts to help schools reduce food waste, by donating leftover foods, composting, and recycling.

A lot of food goes to waste in the Chicago Public School system.

According to a survey conducted during the 2014–2015 school year by Seven Generations Ahead (SGA), an environmental nonprofit based in Oak Park, fourteen Chicago public schools were throwing away approximately 3,577 pounds of food per day—much of which could have been either donated or composted.

“A key component of zero waste is reducing waste in the first place,” said Jennifer Nelson, SGA’s Program Manager.

“The bill supports recovering food that can be eaten before looking to compost or dispose of what cannot be eaten.”

L

ooking to divert wasted school food from the landfill, SGA created a Zero Waste Program in 2007. They worked primarily with schools in the Oak Park and River Forest areas to improve recycling and to compost food scraps.

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According to Nelson, people are excited to learn about sustainability but might not know where or how to get started. “We really believe that educating students to understand their role in making sustainable choices is really critical, so we’ve worked with schools from when the organization was founded through now. They’re excited to know that they can choose to make a decision that is going to be environmentally sound, and they take the message home,” Nelson said.

Eric Solorio Academy High School in Gage Park is one of the schools now involved in the program. Greta Kringle, a science teacher and Service Learning Coach at Solorio, reached out to SGA over the summer of 2015 after hearing about the organization through WBEZ. “I had been doing a unit in my chemistry classes about conservation of mass and chemical reactions that happen with our waste after it leaves our homes, and I often had students asking me why we weren’t doing more at Solorio to solve the waste problem in our society,” said Kringle.

The school then got involved with SGA during the 2015–2016 school year, in January, after her students expressed enthusiasm at the thought of implementing SGA’s Zero Waste Program..

Susan Casey, SGA’s Zero Waste Schools Project Manager, says that not every school is on the same level when it comes to composting and recycling methods, so SGA meets the schools where they’re at.

“If they haven’t started recycling, we start with that. Some schools have the option for composting, or even doing onsite composting. [We] help them think of options for waste reduction as well,” said Casey. The organization assembles a zero waste team comprised of teachers, administration, custodial staff, kitchen staff, and students, and they work together to

figure out what will work best, school by school.

“It varies depending on which strategies are used but in the schools that have commercial composting—because of the density of food scraps, it’s a really significant diversion by food waste.”

Casey says that SGA is seeing “a total diversion from the landfills in the range of eighty to eighty-five percent from schools that implement commercial composting, recycling and liquid diversion—which just means students empty out their milk cartons before they recycle them.”

In 2014, CPS partnered with SGA and its hauler, Lakeshore Recycling Systems, to create a Commercial Composting Pilot Program. Their goal was to educate students, staff, and families about the importance of recycling, composting, and food waste reduction, to determine the best practices for CPS as they look to expand the program district-wide, and to divert eighty percent of all cafeteria and kitchen waste from landfills through recycling, composting, and food sharing and recovery.

SGA found that the fourteen schools enrolled in the program as of November 2017 reduced their food waste percentage from seventy-eight percent to eighteen percent. Food sharing—when schools take items that students have not eaten to shelters or pantries—increased from fifty-six pounds per day to 232 pounds.

S

GA’s efforts to reduce food waste in Chicagoland schools are ongoing.

They plan to implement more foodsaving strategies in the future. The Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, of which SGA is a member, headed the Food Scrap Composting Challenges and Solutions in Illinois Project, the final report for which was published in January 2015. The report examined opportunities to reduce food waste

through food donation and composting, as well as identified challenges surrounding the transportation of food between public entities and food pantries and shelters.

“Often there are challenges around transporting the donated food, having an unpredictable amount and type of food, and having limited days when the recipient agency can accept and distribute food,” said Nelson.

As they prepare to help schools ramp up their food donations, especially after the passage of Bill 5530, organizations like SGA and SCARCE are working to incorporate children, parents, teachers, and staff into the waste reduction process.

SCARCE, a nonprofit based in DuPage County, has been working for the last twenty-five years to create sustainable communities through hands-on programs and activities, like composting education.

Like SGA, SCARCE also conducts waste audits in school lunchrooms. “Our biggest lunch [audit] that we did had eightyone sandwiches thrown out without a bite,” said Kay McKeen, SCARCE’s founder and executive director.

The audits are key to establishing a roadmap for instituting food diversion practices and to soliciting interest, and ideas, from students.

“When we do our waste audits, we measure food that could be donated,” Nelson said. “Some schools have programs in place to donate and others have not yet established such a program.”

Through waste audits, SGA helps the students and teachers sort the garbage into resources. For example, they take out the items that are recyclable, like milk cartons, straw wrappers, and brown paper bags and separate them from the items that are made from petroleum: plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic lids, and silverware. Then they sort the food. The waste audits give the students

FOOD

an idea as to how much food is being wasted—and spur them to come up with solutions to the problem.

“One of the things we’ve done is encourage schools to put this in the hands of the students,” said Nelson. “To have what we call Zero Waste Ambassadors who receive a little more training and it becomes a leadership role for them.”

Encouraging the students to take the lead with this project gives them an opportunity to learn about recycling and composting while engaging others in conversation about waste reduction.

At Solorio, kids are leading the way in measuring the foods that leave their cafeteria. “The students in my chemistry class measured the mass going to the landfill each day in our cafeteria and it was around 480 pounds during our lunch periods every single day,” said Kringle.

The program has helped students at Solorio Academy see food waste from a new perspective, and some of the students have even started implementing these efforts at home.

Many students “have expressed to me that they have improved their home recycling, and I have even had a few go home and start backyard composting,” Kringle said “I think the biggest takehome for many of them is just seeing waste in a new light. They start thinking about what they are throwing away and making decisions that end up reducing the waste they generate individually.”

“We still have a long way to go in terms of making Solorio a truly zero-waste facility, but the program has started the conversation and changed the habits and mentalities of students and staff,” Kringle added. “It is a lot of effort, but I think the lessons that are learned are worth it.” ¬

LIZZIE SMITH

JANUARY 10, 2018 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 9

Reaching Transit Equity, One Bike Ride at a Time Olatunji Oboi Reed’s plan for Equiticity

BY HANNA ADDIS

T

TYLER NICKELL

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he tight gripping of the handles, the wind blowing in your face, the freedom of cruising down a rocky trail—what’s not to enjoy about bicycling?

Growing up in Chatham, riding bikes was always the natural way to get around for Olatunji Oboi Reed when he was young.

But as he grew older, and as cars became the norm among his peers, Reed slowly began abandoning his bicycle in favor of the increased independence and speed of the car.

“It was not a priority,” Reed lamented about his adolescence.

It was not until much later, when Reed began to struggle with feelings of depression and inadequacy at a corporate job, that he found biking again. In dealing with his ongoing struggle of depression, Reed was seeking anything that would bring him a sense of meaning or an “ultimate escape.”

He then remembered an old, dustcovered bicycle in his basement. He thought going on a bike ride might be just what he needed to clear his mind and alleviate some of the mental and physical pain he was dealing with. This decision, he often says, ultimately saved his life. He began his journey of pedaling to solace that first day cruising down the lakeshore path. This transformative experience allowed him to connect not only with nature, but also with people for the first time in a long while.

The beginning of a movement started with a simple two-wheel vehicle and a beautiful summer day.

TRANSPORTATION

After becoming aware of the value of cycling in his healing, he started biking recreationally and recruiting family and friends to join him. In his attempts to encourage more people in his life to cycle, he created a bicycle club named the Pioneers that rode together on a regular basis. From that point, he ventured into the world of Chicago’s bicycle advocacy—though he did not consider himself an advocate.

“I was just doing it for my own personal benefit, and then I wanted it to be a little bit social,” he said. “Others, however, saw it as advocacy and getting more Black folks on bikes.”

Reed recognized he wanted to establish something more formal and folded the Pioneers into the group Red Bike & Green Chicago—a chapter of a national Black biking organization—with the help of coleader Eboni Hawkins. Alongside RB&G Chicago, he caught sight of an organization called Slow Roll based in Detroit. As soon as he heard of them, he fell in love with the idea and wanted to bring Slow Roll to his hometown. After a few months of discussion and negotiation with the founders, he finally got the ball rolling and allowed Reed and his cofounder Jamal Julien to create a chapter here in Chicago. The basis of Slow Roll Chicago was to create a “vehicle for social justice” through community bicycle rides, the activity of cycling, and the organization as a whole.

“How do we use the activity of cycling to improve the condition of our neighborhoods and to transform our lives?” Reed asked.

Founded in September 2014, Slow Roll Chicago’s primary strategies focus on creating stronger communities, building equitable and diverse bicycle culture in Chicago, hosting neighborhood-based bicycle rides to provide context for neighborhood issues, and providing clarity for what they wish to achieve in their “bicycle movement.” The community bicycle ride series, the organization’s main activity, involves regular neighborhood-based rides from May to September.

The rides serve to highlight both the beauty and the challenges present in the neighborhoods—a way to tangibly understand what work needs to be done. Slow Roll’s advocacy works towards campaigning on behalf of communities of color and lowto-moderate income communities for the equitable distribution of bicycle resources, community ownership of decision-making

process for transportation planning, and respect for the needs and history of these neighborhoods. To reach a younger demographic interested in improving their communities through cycling, Slow Roll Chicago established its Youth Leadership Program to engage high school students in bicycle advocacy and to make neighborhoods safer through training and energizing the next generation of leaders.

After three years as the head of Slow Roll Chicago, Reed resigned as its president and CEO on December 31, 2017 to expand his sphere of influence beyond Chicago. He has set his advocacy sights much higher with his new organization, Equiticity—a mashup of “equity” and “electricity.” Equiticity plans to take the lessons in equity, mobility, and justice learned from Slow Roll Chicago and apply them to other neighborhoods of color across the nation, across all modes of mobility. The new organization will focus on policy change as well as engagement—a shift from his former group. The ultimate vision is a large U.S. city where equity is fully integrated into every resource—every budget, department, legislation, decision— that composes the city until it becomes “a model for the rest of the country and the rest of the world to understand the sincere, authentic operational way to committing to equity.”

Equiticity’s first initiative involves two community-based dockless bicycle “libraries” to be launched by April of next year in Lawndale on the West Side and Riverdale on the Far South Side. Joining a wave of dockless bikeshare organizations popping up in cities across the U.S., including Seattle, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.—following an eighteen-month boom-and-bust cycle in China—Equiticity has planned a community-based approach to bike-sharing with community partners. These partners help recruit for the libraries, with many of the bikes being rented for long-term use at reduced or no cost. In neighborhoods like Riverdale that may not have access to Divvy, the city’s official bikeshare program, as well as neighborhoods like Lawndale where Divvy usage is low, these libraries can help attract demographics that traditionally do not use bikes. Reed’s plan with Equiticity is to work together with established programs like Divvy and offer support systems for communities who may not be able to afford it in the moment, as well as raise awareness for these disparity issues in the hopes of

creating a unified biking community.

Beyond bicycle libraries, Reed also hopes to increase advocacy work around removing police enforcement from Vision Zero Chicago, the city’s plan to reduce traffic deaths. Released late last year at the urging of transportation advocates and after many delays, the plan identifies the city’s high-crash areas—almost all of which are in predominantly Latinx and Black communities—and lays out the city’s strategies to address traffic violence using engineers, education, and police enforcement. In response to the plan’s perceived heavy hand on enforcement, Reed claimed that transportation professionals who created the policy failed to interact with communities impacted by Vision Zero programs in a meaningful way, specifically with regard to the issue of increased policing as a crash reduction tactic. He argues additional traffic enforcement in communities of color should be removed as a Vision Zero strategy until the Chicago Police Department makes efforts to eradicate police misconduct. In his analysis, the international Vision Zero movement made the mistake of addressing the symptoms of unsafe streets but not structural racism or wealth inequality as the root of traffic violence rates in these communities.

Reed’s persistent and pivotal endeavors in transit advocacy led to his selection as one of 2015’s White House Transportation Champions of Change. Along with ten other individuals, President Obama and the federal Department of Transportation honored Reed for his unique transportation initiatives to transform communities nationwide. The honor was a shock to him, but “validated the work [he] had been doing” after pushback he received from mainstream bicycle operations. Many of these organizations told him he was wrong to push for bicycle advocacy, at times making him feel alone in the movement. Along with support from organizations like RB&G Chicago and Friends of the Major Taylor Trail, the White House honor further ignited his passion to influence transit systems, and is something Reed proclaimed that “our city should be proud of,” as Slow Roll Chicago members and their community partners rode along with him to get there.

Honors aside, cities, states, and the federal government, Reed insists, need to commit to equity in their policy work to

help communities underserved by current transportation systems. Formally expressing their commitment through their legislation and actions, not through empty promises or mission statements, is a stepping-stone into stimulating necessary change. Reed referenced the city of Bogotá—Colombia’s capital and largest city that, in the 1990s, had a multi-billion dollar private bus system controlled by the mafia—as a thriving center for transit equity. Enrique Peñalosa, the city’s mayor from 1998–2001 (and currently serving his second non-consecutive term) believed viable urban design could be the foundation for social change, and created what at the time was one of the world’s most advanced public Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, and is still the world’s largest (though many of the city’s bus lines are still privatized). Peñalosa and the following mayor also constructed around 190 miles of bicycle lanes, increasing bicycle use by five times in the city. The bike paths run through both low-income and wealthy areas to promote integration, and an estimated 611,000 trips are made daily in Bogotá by bicycle, according to data from the InterAmerican Development Bank. Since the 1970s, the city has also hosted a car-free Sunday every week to encourage cycling.

Reed points to these examples in Bogotá as possibilities for the future of biking and transit in America.

“We’re gonna show the world that we’re gonna do it right here in the U.S.,” Reed said.

Beyond the government, Reed firmly advocates for individuals to contribute and get involved in their communities. He is hopeful that a new younger generation of activists will be able to influence a world that is already paying attention to them. The power, knowledge, technology, and tools to “flip this planet on its axis” is in the palms of their hands, and all young people have to do is decide what needs to be done.

“All you gotta do is make that decision that you’re gonna turn on the power,” Reed said, “and force people to pay attention.” Listen to the full conversation between Weekly reporter Hanna Addis and activist Olatunji Oboi Reed on his metamorphosis from casual bike rider to White House-recognized transportation advocate at bit.ly/SSWOboiReed.

JANUARY 10, 2018 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 11

EVENTS

BULLETIN Breaking Out of Your Shell Polsky Exchange, 1452 E. 53rd St. Thursday, January 11, 6:30pm–8:30pm, $10. bit.ly/BreakingOutOfYourShell It’s time to break out of your shell and build your own brand. Gather with other women business owners, and professionals as you network, converse, and listen to great conversations and discussions. Hosted by the Chicago Women Empowerment Group.

(Maple Joy)

25th House District Candidate Forum Kennicott Park Field House, 4434 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, January 11, 6pm–7:30pm. Free. bit.ly/25thDistrictForum Activist groups People United For Action and United Working Families are hosting eight of the nine candidates who have announced their candidacy to replace longtime State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, who has spent nearly four decades in Springfield. The candidates include activists, attorneys, beneficiaries of political nepotism, and a good handful more.

(Sam Stecklow)

Cut to the Chase—The New Tax Plan Chicago Urban League, 4510 S. Michigan Ave. Thursday, January 11, 6:30pm–8pm. (773) 285-5800. bit.ly/NewTaxPlan Wonder what the new tax plan will mean for you? The Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League is hosting an event just for you. “Cut to the Chase” will explore the financial impacts that people should expect. Attendees are required to RSVP. (Michael Wasney)

Librería Donceles Spanish Language Book Exhibition Open Books Warehouse and Bookstore, 905 W. 19th St. Friday, January 12, 6pm–9pm. (312) 475-1355. open-books.org Pablo Helguera’s Librería Donceles came to Chicago in 2016 to help make Spanishlanguage books more accessible to the public. In the same spirit, Open Books has created a legacy project to showcase Spanish-language books and programming.

12 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

Come to a free opening reception, which will feature readings and live music.

(Michael Wasney)

Burning Bowl 2018: ReImagining Tomorrow Morgan Park United Methodist Church, 11030 S. Longwood Dr. Saturday, January 13, 1pm–4pm . (773) 324-0377. affinity95.org At Affinity Community Services’ annual kickoff event, leave the things that no longer serve you in the past and join the social justice organization in celebrating the work they did in 2017 and setting goals for the new year. Charlene Carruthers, the founding national director of BYP100, will give the keynote speech, the Drum Divas will perform, and the organization will honor Phoenix Mathews. (Adia Robinson)

The Inaugural Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative Kennedy-King College, 6301 S. Halsted St. Wednesday, January 17, 11am–2pm. (773) 488-6600. Call to RSVP. teamworkenglewood.org Through this partnership with the Englewood Women’s Initiative, this workshop hopes to put participants on the path to success with educational programs that will help you pursue “good-paying” manufacturing and construction jobs and maybe start your own business. (Adia Robinson)

Rebuild Knights: Chess Club Rebuild Foundation,1456 E. 70th St. Every Tuesday from January 19 through March 20.

3:30pm–5pm. Free. bit.ly/RebuildKnightsChess Are you up for the challenge? Rebuild Knights will be hosting a new chess club.

Have fun with family and friends while learning the basic rules and strategies of chess. Young and old are welcome. (Maple Joy)

VISUAL ARTS Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society The Joseph Bond Chapel, 1050 E. 59th St. Saturday, January 13, 8pm. Free. renaissancesociety.org

¬ JANUARY 10, 2018

Joshua Adam’s Chicago-based band blends the West African guimbri, jazz, minimalism and krautrock to create a psychedelic but layered sound. Natural Information Society will bring in an expanded lineup of musicians to introduce a new piece at the UofC. Visitors also can check out new art by the painter Lisa Alvarado. ( Joseph S. Pete)

Kites, Tombs, & Houses in the Land of Conjecture The Oriental Institute, 1155 E. 58th St. Wednesday, January 10, 7:00pm−8:45pm.

(773) 702-9520. oi.uchicago.edu As part of the Oriental Institute’s Lecture Series, Yorke Rowan—Senior Research Associate in Ancient Studies—will be presenting “Kites, Tombs, and Houses in the ‘Land of Conjecture,’” a discussion considering cutting-edge archaeological research in the Black Desert of Jordan.

(Michael Wasney)

Lewis Achenbach: The Sonic Story - Opening Reception Café Logan at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Tuesday, January 16 at 6pm–10pm, Free.

For those of us who weren’t blessed with the gift of synesthesia, Chicago-based artist Lewis Achenbach will allow us to do something that would otherwise be impossible. Achenbach captures “the elusive artform of jazz in visual form,” in images “vibrant with color, punctuated with long lines, and surging with energy.” In addition to displaying jazz paintings and portraits from his extensive portfolio, Achenbach will be live sketching during Ari Brown’s performance during this Third Tuesdays jazz concert. (Andrew Koski)

Objects of Care: Romi Crawford on the Ed Williams Collection Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Sunday, January 14, 3pm–5pm. Free.

(312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org For the second installation of the “Objects of Care” series, SAIC professor Romi Crawford will lead a workshop––and consider the “historical, social, and emotional function of toys”––in relation to the Edward J. Williams collection and the death of Tamir Rice. (Christopher Good)

MUSIC I AM A MAN! A Performance by Maggie Brown Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Saturday, January 13, 3pm–4pm. Free.

(312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org Hyde Park singer, activist, and all-around multi-hyphenate Maggie Brown will explore the legacy of slavery and institutionalized racism through the works of her father, Oscar Brown Jr. As she reads his sonnets on the “3/5 Myth” and the Dred Scott decision, Brown will ask “what defined Black manhood” in American history.

(Christopher Good)

Joseph Chilliams with Tunde Olaniran, Mother Nature Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave. Thursday, January 11, 8pm. $12 in advance, $15 at door.

21+. (773) 525-2501. lh-st.com From his collaborators (Noname, Supa Bwe, Jamila Woods) to his inspirations (werewolves, kale, Fergie), Pivot Gang’s Joseph Chilliams proved himself as one of Chicago’s most idiosyncratic voices on last year’s Henry Church mixtape. On Thursday, he’ll be joined by Tunde Olaniran, a “cultural warrior with a 4-octave range and a penchant for dirty synths,” and razorsharp rap duo Mother Nature. (Christopher Good)

For Frankie! A Celebration of His Life Metro and smartbar, 3730 N. Clark St. Sunday, January 14, 10pm. $20 in advance, $25 at door. 21+. (773) 549-4140. metrochicago.com, smartbarchicago.com Just a few days shy of the late house legend’s birthday, the Frankie Knuckles Foundation has pulled together a lineup stacked with some of the city’s top DJs. In Metro, highlights include scene mainstay The Black Madonna and Mike Dunn of the Chosen Few DJs. The fifty-third most famous Chicagoan (per a 2006 Newcity article), Derrick Carter, will hold down smartbar.

(Christopher Good)

Hyde Park School of Music Winter Showcase

THE H OUS ING IS S UE 2018 U.S. NATIONAL ARCHIVES

South Side Weekly is seeking pitches, stories, essays, poems, fiction, nonfiction, lists, photos, illustrations, and more for our annual Housing Issue. With the Housing Issue, the Weekly aims to explore the places that people call home on the South Side, but we also want to complicate this picture, examining places that, through decay, development or disinvestment, are no longer homes, or perhaps have become new homes.

In past years, we’ve written about treasured neighborhoods and favorite intersections, but we’ve also taken a hard look at homelessness and unaffordability, as well as their possible solutions.

In that spirit, we welcome submissions or pitches across a wide variety of topics: a photo essay about a tight-knit Beverly block, an illustration of your childhood home, an interview with somebody displaced by gentrification in Pilsen, a deep dive into affordable housing development in Woodlawn, and anything in between. Apart from the theme of the issue, the only requirement is that pieces be about, or relevant to, life on the South Side.

Submissions or pitches can be sent to submissions@southsideweekly.com by January 24, 2018.

JANUARY 10, 2018 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 13

EVENTS

Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S. Morgan St. Sunday, January 14, 3:30pm–6:30pm. $8 adults, children free. (608) 207-6316. hydeparkschoolofmusic.org On Sunday, the Hyde Park School of Music will join forces with Bridgeport’s Co-Prosperity Sphere for an afternoon of melodies, harmonies, and refreshments.

Between performances––by students and teachers––there will be conversations about the school’s mission and its future.

(Christopher Good)

STAGE & SCREEN Last Words Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, 1456 E. 70th St. Friday, January 12, 7pm−9:30pm.

Free. rebuild-foundation.org The Rebuild Foundation’s Black Cinema House is bringing in Detroit filmmaker Anthony Green to discuss his first featurelength film. Last Words, expanded from a twenty-minute short film, concerns a woman who fights to leave an abusive marriage and gain a new lease on life. ( Joseph S. Pete)

32 Verses: A One-Man Show The Revival, 1160 E. 55th St. Friday, January 19, 9:30pm, doors open at 9pm. $20–$100. the-revival.com West Side native Brandon “Real T@ lk” Williams, who’s been called a “lyrical scientist” by Andre 3000 and “unsigned hype” by The Source Magazine, will do an hour-long set of spoken word material, storytelling, and rap with vocal instrumentation. He has toured the Midwest, put out The Mo’ Better Mixtape, and wrote the hip-hop musical The Yard. ( Joseph S. Pete)

Whose Streets? Screening Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, 1456 E. 70th St. Friday, January 19, 7pm–10pm.

Free. rebuild-foundation.org Black Cinema House presents the 2017 documentary about the killing of Michael Brown, begun by directors Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis and cinematographer Lucas Alvarado Farrar in Ferguson in 2014 with the intention to share stories of residents, activists, and the events 14 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

surrounding the murder. As the national news media outlets bend the truth, watch as this trio uncovers fact versus fiction— and discuss the results after the screening.

(Maple Joy)

Encounter Collaboraction Studios, Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. Now through January 20. Show times and ticket prices vary.

For complete details visit collaboraction.org/encounter-series Anthony Mosley’s Collaboraction Theater, creator of last year’s PeaceBook festival, has curated a new activism-based theater festival to inspire racial healing in Chicago. Film, staged readings, music, dance, poetry and storytelling are presented in conversation with each other, around the themes of history, identity, and resistance. The presentations are as varied as the presenters.

Among the offerings are: Our Chicago Project, curated by Black Lives, Black Words International Project—a continuing dialogue examining the segregation and gentrification plaguing so many Chicago neighborhoods, and Diana Quinones Rivera’s short film D on the South Side, which tells the story of a Puerto Rican woman’s experiences living in a predominately Black Chicago neighborhood. (Nicole Bond)

Lorriane Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Pl. Thursday, January 11, 6pm−9pm. Free. To register, call (773) 947-0600 or visit bit.ly/SightedEyes The Goodman Theater is co-sponsoring a documentary screening on the life and complete body of work of Chicago playwright Lorriane Hansberry. This hourlong film, presented on the eve of the fiftythird anniversary of Hansberry’s passing, features interviews with Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, and Louis Gossett, Jr. Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain and Chicago-based film aficionado Yvonne Welbon will discuss Hansberry and the film before the screening. (Nicole Bond)

All My Sons Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Thursday, January 11, through Sunday, February 11. Tickets $20– $68. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org

¬ JANUARY 10, 2018

Charles Newell directs Arthur Miller’s 1947 Drama Critics’ Award-winning play–All My Sons. Featuring Timothy Edward Kane, John Judd, and Kate Collins, this dramatic tale, based on true events, weaves business, love, and tragedy and established Miller as an American theater icon. (Nicole Bond)

FOOD & LAND MLK Sustainability and Food Justice Weekend KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd. Saturday, January 13, 4:00pm–6:30pm; Sunday, January 14, 10am– 2:45pm. Free. (773) 924-1234. kamii.org The 9th Annual MLK Sustainability and Food Justice Weekend, with the focus on climate change and Chicago’s park spaces, will provide attendees with information, workshop space, and ultimately, the tools to push for a greener, more equitable city.

Activists, growers, and environmentalists will lead more than 16 workshops over the course of the two days. (Emeline Posner)

Chicago Food Justice Coalition Meeting The Plant, 1400 W. 46th St. Thursday, January 18, 2pm–4pm. Free. RSVP by Monday, January 15 to dedelstein@lafchicago.org or (312) 347-8350.

Join Legal Assistance Fund leaders for the second meeting of the newly formed Chicago Food Justice Coalition. On the agenda: discussion of the coalition’s organizational and structural goals, and welcoming new participants into the group.

After the meeting, the Plant’s Farmers Market Manager will lead attendees on a tour of the Back of the Yards local food powerhouse. (Emeline Posner)

Young Life South Side Chicago 7th Annual Chili Cook Off Kennicott Park District, 4434 S. Lake Park Ave. Sunday, January 21, 1pm–3pm. $20– $25. chicago.younglife.org Sample various efforts to make the best chili in town at the annual fundraiser for Young Life South Side Chicago, a faith-based outreach nonprofit that mentors youth after school across the South Side. All proceeds help “overlooked or economically depressed”

city kids go to summer camp for “the best week of their lives.” Donations also are welcome. ( Joseph S. Pete)

Windy City Harvest Corps Info Session Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave., Rm. 1102. Monday, January 22, 9am– 11am, and Monday, February 5, 9am–11am.

Free. bit.ly/2EkgsUx Every year, Windy City Harvest runs a 14-week-long Harvest Corps training program designed to open a door into urban agriculture for those with (non-violent) criminal backgrounds. Come by on one of the listed mornings for more information on how the multifaceted training program could suit your interests, and where it might lead you. (Emeline Posner)

Urban Livestock Expo!

Southside Occupational Academy, 7342 S. Hoyne Ave. Saturday, February 3, 11am–2pm.

Free. (773) 850-0428. bit.ly/2AFdpnG Advocates for Urban Agriculture, a sustainable agriculture nonprofit in Chicago, teams up with Southside Occupational Academy to showcase the high school’s urban agriculture program and give workshops on raising urban livestock.

Tips on how to raise bees, goats, chickens, ducks, and other animals in the city will be available for all experience levels. (Tammy Xu)

51st Street Community Farmers Market Internship Applications Send applications, questions, to Stephanie Dunn, Sdunn1342@gmail.com. Applications accepted through February 15th. bit.ly/UHSC2018 United Human Services, a food pantry that operates 12 community gardens and farms in Back of the Yards, is looking for three farmers market interns and three farming interns for the coming season.

The marketing internship will offer a $500 stipend for 10 hours/week from May to October, and the farm internship is unpaid, with a free produce share and moneymaking opportunities at weekly farmers markets, for 16 hours/week. Candidates will be interviewed and selected by March 15.

(Emeline Posner)

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY The Weekly is seeking to expand its editorial team.

Editors are a key part of the Weekly team. They edit all kinds of stories, ranging from arts reviews to investigative features. Anyone interested in improving their editing skills, becoming a part of the Weekly’s editorial process, and getting involved with community journalism should consider applying. As contributing editors gain more experience at the Weekly, they will have the opportunity to develop a focus or interest in editing more specific topics and types of stories (such as music, or arts, or investigative pieces).

Our editorial staff and contributor base are made up entirely of volunteers, including this position. The Weekly aims to tell stories for, by, and about residents of the South Side. We seek to promote marginalized voices and encourage applications from women, queer people, and people of color.

Visit southsideweekly.com/contribute for application instructions.

People’s History of Chicago GROUP POETRY SHOW featuring writer FRIDAY, JANUARY 19 Kevin Coval 6 pm - 8 pm Logan Penthouse 915 E 60th St. (Floor 9) Chicago, IL 60637

Weekly Bike Sale Every Saturday at 12pm Wide selection of refurbished bikes! (most bikes are between $120 & $250)

Be a part of the show! Email chicagostudies@uchicago.edu

by Jan. 10, 2018 with your name and poem to be considered.

Sponsored by:

Blackstone Bicycle Works

Event is FREE. Refreshments will be provided.

follow us at @blackstonebikes blackstonebikes.org

Blackstone Bicycle Works is a bustling community bike shop that each year empowers over 200 boys and girls from Chicago’s south side—teaching them mechanical skills, job skills, business literacy and how to become responsible community members. In our year-round ‘earn and learn’ youth program, participants earn bicycles and accessories for their work in the shop. In addition, our youths receive after-school tutoring, mentoring, internships and externships, college and career advising, and scholarships.

Hours Tuesday - Friday 1pm - 6pm 12pm - 5pm Saturday

773 241 5458 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637

A PROGRAM OF

JANUARY 10, 2018 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 15

King Day Festival: Say It Loud

Raise your voice in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

Join artists, storytellers, and families from around Chicago for this day of creativity, justice, and peace.

Monday, January 15, 10:30–3:00 Ryan Learning Center, Modern Wing FREE Admission to the museum is free to Illinois residents during this event as part of Free Winter Weekdays.