June 7, 2017

JUNE 7, 2017

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BUILD COFFEE OPENING JUNE 24 6100 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago IL 60637

Build Coffee is a coffee shop and bookstore in the Experimental Station on the South Side of Chicago.

Surrounded by community-driven non-profits and civic journalism projects, Build is designed as a hub of great coffee and radical collaboration.

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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 4, Issue 33 Editor-in-Chief Hafsa Razi Managing Editors Julia Aizuss, Andrew Koski Director of Staff Support Baci Weiler Deputy Editor Olivia Stovicek Senior Editor Emeline Posner

Politics Editor Adia Robinson Music Editor Austin Brown Stage & Screen Editor Nicole Bond Visual Arts Editor Rod Sawyer Editors-at-Large Maha Ahmed, Christian Belanger, Jake Bittle, Mari Cohen, Jonathan Hogeback, Ellie Mejía Contributing Editors Maddie Anderson, Maria Babich, Mira Chauhan, Bridget Newsham, Adam Przybyl, Sam Stecklow, Margaret Tazioli, Yunhan Wen Video Editor Lucia Ahrensdorf Radio Producers Andrew Koski, Lewis Page Social Media Editors Emily Lipstein, Bridget Newsham, Sam Stecklow Visuals Editor Ellen Hao Deputy Visuals Editor Jasmin Liang Photography Editor Jason Schumer Layout Editor Baci Weiler Staff Writers: Sara Cohen, Christopher Good, Rachel Kim, Ashvini Kartik-Narayan, Michal Kranz, Anne Li, Michael Wasney Fact Checkers: Eleanore Catolico, Sam Joyce, Rachel Kim, Adam Przybyl, Hafsa Razi, Carrie Smith, Tiffany Wang, Baci Weiler Staff Photographers: Denise Naim, Jason Schumer, Luke Sironski-White Staff Illustrators: Zelda Galewsky, Natalie Gonzalez, Courtney Kendrick, Turtel Onli, Raziel Puma, Lizzie Smith Data Visualization: Jasmine Mithani Webmaster

Sofia Wyetzner

Publisher

Harry Backlund

The paper 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 illustration by Maggie O’Brien

IN CHICAGO

A week’s worth of developing plants, odd animals, and signs of the weather, culled from the strolls, hikes, and wandering eyes of the editors

Everyone Knows Divvy Isn’t for Everyone, Yet If you caught last week’s piece, “When Will Divvy Be For Everyone?”, or last year’s analysis of Divvy data, then you already know that Divvy has serious issues with accessibility and ridership in underserved communities. Apparently, researchers at Portland State University have also picked up on that. According to Streetsblog Chicago, Divvy and fifty-five other bike-share systems across the U.S. have participated in a study examining the causes of these issues. The researchers echoed the Weekly’s findings from last year: “low station density in less affluent neighborhoods has been a considerable barrier to equitable bike share,” and also noted economic barriers of access and the necessity of outreach programs. This week, the city also announced free adult bike riding classes through Divvy on the South and West Sides, and Streetsblog reported that Chicago activists have been calling for Divvy to add bikes for people with disabilities. With everybody talking about it, we’re still asking, when will Divvy actually be for everyone?

My Block My Hood My City My Google According to DNAinfo, tech giant Google has partnered with My Block My Hood My City, the nonprofit founded by Jamal Cole that provides monthly field trips to help youth with limited access explore culture and foods beyond their neighborhoods. In what is being described by both parties as a mutually beneficial partnership, the youth from underserved communities get technology mentorship and fifty cardboard virtual reality view-finderesque thingies, and Google gets to be able to say they created animated images of places in Chatham, to add to the next batch of view-finderesque thingies. Wait, what? Yup. Rahm: No Judge, No Problem Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration confirmed last Friday that, contrary to an agreement Emanuel signed in January, the city will not accept federal court oversight over reform of the Chicago Police Department. Instead of establishing a consent decree, the city and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will choose an “independent monitor” to oversee CPD reforms.

In December 2015, the DOJ began an investigation into department practices after the release of the video of Laquan McDonald’s shooting. The subsequent DOJ report, which came out in January, affirmed what many have long alleged—that the CPD is plagued by poor training and a lack of accountability for officers’ use of force, particularly against people of color. While the Obama administration had successfully drawn up consent decrees with other city police departments charged with misconduct, the new plan has been condemned by criminal justice experts, officials, and advocates, including Vanita Gupta, the former federal official who oversaw the DOJ’s investigation. Gupta told the Tribune that a department like the CPD, with such deep-rooted misconduct, needs a judge to hold it accountable. Craig Futterman, a UofC law professor involved in making police misconduct information public, also told the Tribune that the agreement is the worst outcome he could imagine: “The memorandum, in many ways, is far worse than just doing nothing, because it is an agreement (with) someone who is not committed to doing anything...It is part of a strategy to avoid doing something real.”

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY SUMMER SCHEDULE The Weekly publishes twice-monthly in the summer, with monthly special issues.

Want to get involved with a special issue?

Email editor@southsideweekly.com • short fiction, poetry, or personal essays • your favorite neighborhoood spots for BoSS • ideas for a story you think we should cover Or come to our office for Public Newsroom hours, every Thursday from 4pm to 8pm.

6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637

JUL

The Comics Issue

AUG

The Lit Issue

AUG

The Interview Issue

SEP

The Best of the South Side

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30 20

IN THIS ISSUE happy birthday, gwendolyn brooks

The poet and author Gwendolyn Brooks was born 100 years ago today. lizzie smith.......................................4 spray paint school

Creating graffiti involves more creativity and physical endurance than most tend to realize, even the artists themselves. rod sawyer........................................5 opinion: ameya pawar for governor

The disadvantaged communities of Chicago need to come together and vote for a candidate that will fight for all us. nathan petithomme........................6 the summer guide

South Side summer camps and festivals staff...................................................7 a taste of west africa on the south side

Food is a bridge to preserve their culture and build new homes. sarah conway..................................14

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PUBLIC NEWSROOM 6/8 4pm–8pm Public Newsroom is open 6100 s. blackstone ave. chicago, il 60637 6pm Workshop: Re-imagining the Industrial West Side Led by City Bureau, Illinois Humanities, and Read/Write Library hosted at inspiration kitchens 3504 w. lake st. chicago, il 60624

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LIZZIE SMITH 4 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

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VISUAL ARTS

Spray Paint School

Miguel Aguilar embodies his love and understanding of street art in the Graffiti Institute

BY ROD SAWYER

Y

ears ago, the artist and graffitiwriter Miguel Aguilar, also known as Kane-One, came to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) as an undergraduate with little classroom art training, but with experience in street art stretching back to age thirteen.

His unique experience forced him to be honest with his painting instructors, making it clear to them that the way the department was structured did not work for what he wanted to do artistically. “They let me not go to my studio class and instead just paint in my neighborhood. I would just bring photographs as proof that I had painted.”

He would try to take the concepts that his teacher has taught him in class and transfer them to the walls he painted—some of these methods would work and others would fail.

This unique education taught Aguilar not just technique but what’s important to be an artist: the ability to experiment and try new things outside of the boundaries that an artist is used to.

Now Aguilar himself is a lecturer at SAIC, where he teaches the History of Graffiti, and will be teaching a new course called Spray Runners, Street Art, and Body Training in the fall of 2017. Aguilar’s History of Graffiti course covers the history of different graffiti artists, crews, and influential time periods within graffiti, like the eighties, when “there used to be more open permission walls, meaning that the owners let anybody go and paint there,” Aguilar said. “The whole city could come and paint.” He compared this to the scene now: a lot more art is going up, but these walls are going to people already established within the graffiti/arts community.

It’s more difficult for kids that are new to the art form to be able to paint legally because they don’t have an established name.

It was against this backdrop that the Graffiti Institute was born in 2012, a nonprofit intended to create “spaces and opportunities for young people in Chicago to experiment with graffiti and street art in a safe space, where they don’t have to potentially get

into dangerous situations just to learn how to do this art form,” Aguilar said. Most of the classes the Graffiti Institute offers take place at Mana Contemporary in Pilsen.

Besides serving the needs of today’s Chicago graffiti scene, Aguilar’s own personal history straddling the lines of street art and institutional art played a part in its founding.

“We certainly have a mainstream culture in America and then everybody kind of identifies themselves against the core center, so if you don’t identify in that you inevitably have to figure out ways about how you have to navigate your life in order to get around these constructs,” he said. Part of navigating these constructs is creating spaces for yourself and others that promote education and selfexpression in ways that are limited in current educational systems.

Courses at the Graffiti Institute are run more organically than other course systems so they can more closely match how graffiti-artists tend to create. Recreating the self-determined street vibe of any form of hip-hop in the classroom is hard because hip-hop is all about the individual building individual strengths and skills on their own.

The institutional settings that classrooms create may provide students with structure, but it prevents students from going outside of that structure. Aguilar and the Graffiti Institute administration think that it is important for students to be able to learn in a less restricting—and more innovative—way than they are used to.

Take one course offered this year at the Graffiti Institute, “Revelations.” Aguilar ran this course with Kerry Richardson, a socially engaged media artist and an adjunct associate professor at SAIC who cofounded the PlugIn Studio, a new media art collective that works to support teens and adults in underserved communities around Chicago. Revelations explored the intersection between graffiti and virtual reality. Aguilar asked students to take pictures of spaces in their neighborhood and create their own collaborative graffiti pieces to be virtually placed in these locations.

ROD SAWYER

Running February 25 through April 14, the course culminated in the show “Revelations: Augmented Graffiti” on May 13 at the Chicago Art Department. At the reception, guests were able to download an app that would allow them to move their camera over images and see the art that students created.

In addition to designing courses for the Graffiti Institute, Aguilar also tries to bring more understanding of street art into established art schools and organizations, like SAIC. Spray Runners, Street Art, and Body Training, Aguilar’s newest course, got its start when he began reflecting on the physical aspects of graffiti that usually go unnoticed.

“I started realizing the correlation between running and cardio work that goes into painting a piece at a wall,” he said, be it painting above or below eye level, or trying to run away from something. Regardless of the legality of what an artist is painting, creating graffiti involves more creativity and physical endurance than most tend to realize—even the artist themself, considering how many years Aguilar has been painting graffiti.

As he makes further steps to slowly

introduce street art into institutional spaces, Aguilar has expansive plans for the future of the Graffiti Institute: he wants to create a graffiti running crew that promotes more healthiness within the graffiti community, a program that would cultivate local teenage talent to take over educating their own communities, and a teacher residency program for the Graffiti Institute. “A lot of graffiti writers are showing interest in wanting to teach through Graffiti Institute,” he said. “We want a residency program so that we can develop these artists into educators.”

True to nontraditional form, school’s not quite out for the summer, either. This past Saturday, Aguilar and the Graffiti Institute held a program called “Open Walls” during The 606 Block Party along the Bloomingdale Trail. The Graffiti Institute set mobile walls up so that kids could come by and try their hand at spray painting. Featured artists Gloe, Cove, Solo, and Ali 6 got a chance to paint and show kids tricks and tips—and perhaps draw in future eager students, to attend similar programs Aguilar hopes to continue providing throughout the summer. JUNE 7, 2017 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 5

OPINION

A New Deal for the South Side

Ameya Pawar’s progressive platform connects communities that have been left behind

BY NATHAN PETITHOMME

G

iven Illinois’s current economic crisis, the upcoming 2018 governor’s election is more important than ever. For the third straight fiscal year in a row, Illinois will not have a state budget—it’s been more than 700 days since it last had one. Gun violence has spiked in recent years, the Chicago Public School system is strapped for cash, and the state’s backlog of unpaid bills has risen to more than $14.5 billion. What hope do we have for this election? How long can we keep setting ourselves up for politicians that take our votes and then fail to deliver on their campaign promises?

Millionaires and billionaires like to run in elections like this one, but they don’t experience what happens in low-income communities. They don’t live paycheckto-paycheck lifestyles; they may not need to worry about their local schools shutting down, or high rates of criminal activity in their neighborhoods. Governor Bruce Rauner, the incumbent Republican, announced last June that he is running for reelection. According to Forbes, his net worth is estimated to be nearly $1 billion.

Numerous Democratic candidates have also announced their bid for governor, such as J.B. Pritzker, who has a net worth of $3.4 billion, and businessman Chris Kennedy, who has declined to state his net worth but by some estimates is in the tens of millions.

But are they in touch with people on the South and West Sides?

There is one Democratic candidate hoping to connect with disadvantaged Chicagoans by running on a progressive platform that would benefit more than just the rich. Ameya Pawar, alderman of the 47th Ward, is looking to forge a “New Deal” for Illinois. Channeling the set of programs implemented by former president Franklin 6 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

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Delano Roosevelt to lift America out of the Great Depression, Pawar hopes to use his own New Deal to get Illinois out of its current crisis.

Foremost, Pawar wants a budget for all of Illinois’s citizens. The state has gone through numerous budget cuts to social services, from child care to domestic violence services. My mom, who used to work as a home health care aid, had to go months without full pay because of Rauner’s cuts. New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo just passed the first state budget in the country to cover students’ in-state tuition at two- and four-year public colleges for families who make under $100,000 a year.

Meanwhile, state colleges and universities in Illinois have been forced to make huge cuts, laying off staff and cutting programs, during the budget impasse.

In addition to passing a comprehensive budget, Pawar seeks to reform Illinois’ tax system. He plans to do this through a progressive income tax, which makes the wealthy pay more taxes than low- and middle-income citizens. Currently, Illinois has a regressive income tax where everyone pays the same tax rate. This has more of an effect on lower-income families and individuals because it takes out a larger share of the money they need for basic necessities.

Through a progressive tax system under Pawar, the rich would pay more of their fair share, social services would get more funding, and the state could invest more in job growth and infrastructure.

Pawar believes in funding social services, mental health services, and youth intervention programs through his budget— three of the things hurt most by Rauner’s manufactured budget crisis. Pawar also advocates for drastically changing the state’s criminal justice system, telling a crowd in

downstate Normal, “We’re spending the money, but we’re spending it to keep people in prison rather than their communities.”

In his own ward, he has redirected tax increment financing (TIF) money to renovate his neighborhood schools.

Pawar understands that poverty and inequality are prime factors that lead to crime. On the other hand, Mayor Rahm Emanuel believes that increasing the size of the police force can solve our gun violence epidemic in Chicago. He and Rauner believe that harsher penalties for gun violence can curb the homicide rate, and President Trump believes that “send[ing] in the Feds” will solve Chicago’s situation.

All of them are out of touch with the South and West Sides of Chicago. To attack the root of the crime, we have to address the poverty and unemployment levels in these communities with investment. According to his campaign website, Pawar plans to invest in local communities, both in Chicago and in rural areas, by improving deteriorating public infrastructure. For the South and West Sides of Chicago, this means that instead of downtown being the prime area for development, the improvements can be in our own local communities.

At the heart of a community is how strong its schools are. Due to budget impasse, Illinois communities have become weakened because school districts’ funds have been cut, especially Chicago Public Schools. As a student of CPS, I have experienced the turbulence associated with the state’s unequal funding formula and mismanagement at the district’s central office. Just this school year, we didn’t know when school would start, we almost had school interrupted for a teacher strike for a fair contract, and we almost had the school year end three weeks early.

Earlier this year, Rauner vetoed a bill that would have provided the school district $215 million, because Democratic lawmakers didn’t pass his desired pension reform. Emanuel has also been resistant to using TIF funds, which are used to promote public and private investment in the city, to alleviate the budget crisis for CPS. Instead, he now proposes that the district borrow $389 million to finish the school year, adding to its mountain of public debt. On top of that, federal Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is a major supporter of school vouchers and charter schools, which critics believe siphon funds away from public schools. Contrast their attitudes to that of Pawar, whose father studied by candlelight

each night before going to school the next day in India. He then immigrated to the United States in hopes of attaining the American Dream. On his campaign website, Pawar says, “Good education is the foundation of economic mobility. It provides a pathway to the middle class, the American Dream, and generational wealth while ensuring everyone can contribute to their community.” Pawar knows that the education of our citizens shouldn’t be the first to take a cut or be used in a political game.

As governor, he would help expand funding for our school districts. According to a study done by The Education Trust, the highest poverty districts in Illinois “receive nearly twenty percent less state and local funding than the lowest poverty districts.” It isn’t fair that the state continues this discriminatory practice based on socioeconomic status, and Pawar promises to work with public education officials to recalculate the formula and put more money into the schools that need them. As for higher education, Pawar plans to expand the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which grants scholarship money to lowincome college students. Pawar also plans to work with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to offer a new student loan refinancing program which is less burdensome for new graduates. Education is a human right and he will stand for it.

T

he disadvantaged communities of Chicago need to come together and vote for a candidate who will fight for all us. We need a governor who will not cut social services, but one who will expand them. We need a governor who will not put the interests of business before the people, but one who will fight for a progressive income tax, so that the wealthy pay their fair share. We need a governor who will not play political games with the education of our future workforce, but one who will advocate for a new formula to decrease the funding gap between rich and poor districts, expand MAP grants, and fight for a new student loan refinancing program that is fairer for all students.

Pawar’s New Deal for Illinois is not another political campaign message that our communities can ignore. Rather, it is the first step towards the community that we all want our city, county, and state to become. Nathan Petithomme is a junior at Lindblom Math and Science Academy.

SUMMER

the summer guide south side summer programs

T

he ten-day countdown until the end of the public school year begins today. After a stressful few weeks of wondering whether or not Chicago Public School would finish out the year, or close three weeks early, Chicago students will be getting out of school on schedule, on June 20. But for many families, now another struggle begins—the struggle to keep kids occupied and engaged through these long summer days. This guide features some of the camps and youth programs that South Side kids can attend this summer, with opportunities for dancing, building robots, swimming, and growing.

COMPILED BY HAFSA RAZI

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Project SYNCERE Middle School Summer STEM Camp Olive-Harvey College, 1001 S. Woodlawn Ave. June 26–August 4 in one-week sessions.

Monday–Friday, 8:30am–4:30pm. Grades 6–8. $275/session, income-based discounts available. (773) 982-8261. projectsyncere.org

Decode a self-driving car, design a house to survive extreme weather, and take on other engineering challenges in this project-based summer camp meant to inspire students about the possibilities of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Divided into separate weeklong sessions, each focuses on a specific real-world engineering problem, where students learn how math and science can be used to solve them.

Project SYNCERE seeks to diversify the STEM fields through their inspirational and innovative curriculums. (David Struett)

ELLEN HAO

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IIT Computer Discovery Camp for Girls IIT Main Campus, 10 W. 35th St. July 10– July 20. Monday–Thursday, 9am–2pm. Girls in grades 7–9. $75; limited number of needbased scholarships. Lunch provided. (312) 567-3025. admissions.iit.edu/summer This camp for middle-school girls will introduce attendees to the basics of computer science and robotics, teaching them skills in spatial visualization and problem solving. But it’s not all boring ones and zeroes—this year’s theme is “Dancing Queen.” Campers will get to make their own Lego robot and program it to dance.

(Hafsa Razi)

JOBS CHA Summer Youth Employment Program Various locations and dates. Application deadline June 14. Ages 16–24. Free and paid.

(312) 786-6930. youth.thecha.org Chicago Housing Authority residents and voucher tenants ages 16 to 24 can apply for paid summer jobs in government, private businesses and nonprofits, through partnerships provided by this seven-week program. Participants will gain skills for employment, explore careers, and learn about financial literacy. Fill out the online application by June 14. (David Struett)

SPORTS Girls in the Game: Sports & Leadership Summer Camp Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., July 6–August 1. Monday–Friday. 9am–3pm.

Lunch included. Income-based fee scale. Girls ages 7–13. (312) 633-4263. girlsinthegame.org Girls can stay active and enjoy the summer weather in this four-week summer camp that offers over twenty-five sports, afternoon swimming, field trips, lunch, snacks, and an optional overnight camping trip. Girls will participate in life-skill, health and leadership workshops. Three buses have daily pickup stops. Visit the camp’s open house June 21 or 22 at Douglas Park. (David Struett) 8 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

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Super Summer Sports Camp UofC Henry Crown Fieldhouse, 5550 S. University Ave. and Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, 5530 S. Ellis Ave. June 12–August 14, Monday–Thursday, 8:30am–4:30pm; Friday, 8:30am-noon. Morning, afternoon, and full day sessions available. Grades K–8. Morning session starting at $265/week, afternoon session starting at $230/week, full day session $430/week. (773) 702-9065. bit.ly/UChicagoAthleticsSummerCamps For many children, summer fun means making new friends through the shared enjoyment of sports. In that spirit, the UofC Super Summer Sports Camp engages children of all ability levels, with the guidance of current UofC coaches and student athletes. Coaches stress teambuilding, self-awareness, and relationship building, and work to prevent teasing and bullying. Campers will learn how to play and compete in team sports like basketball, soccer and volleyball, and will work on individual skills in sports like tennis and archery. This camp also includes a traditional swim program, as well as outdoor water activity sessions. Campers should bring a bathing suit and sunscreen to each session. (Adia Robinson)

Gymnastics Camp at Ridge Ridge Park, 1817 W. 96th St. August 7– August 11. Monday–Friday, 2pm–4pm. Girls ages 6–13. Chicago residents $47. (312) 7476640. bit.ly/GymnasticsAtRidge For anyone inspired by Simone Biles or Gabby Douglas, learn the basics of gymnastics in this intensive summer camp training program, sponsored by the Chicago Park District. In three hours of training, this camp challenges gymnasts and pushes them to be their most successful, their strongest, and their most flexible. These sessions follow the USA Gymnastics guidelines, and covers all Olympic events, vault, bars, beam, and floor, as well as dance. No previous experience is required, as participants are coached based on their age and skill level. (Adia Robinson)

MUSIC New Orleans Style Brass Band/ Jazz Improvisation

Kelly High School, 4136 S. California Ave. July 5–August 10. Monday–Thursday, 9am–1pm. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Free, possibility of stipend. (773) 535-4900. afterschoolmatters.org Join the Door 12 Brass Band to learn about the techniques and roots of jazz. Led

by Kelly High School’s director of bands Richard Daily and jazz musician Carl Kennedy, students will learn improvisation, jazz technique, and what it means to be part of a “true Southern Brass Band.” The program will include various performances, and some participants may continue into the school year. (Hafsa Razi)

KLEO: Performing Arts and Music Production KLEO Center, 119 E. Garfield Blvd. July 5– August 10. Monday–Thursday, 10am–2pm.

CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates.

Free, possibility of stipend. (773) 363-6941. afterschoolmatter.org If you’re looking for some spotlight, KLEO’s performing arts summer program is the place for you. Participants will get to learn about breaking into the entertainment industry, from music to theater. And, to raise the stakes, students will compete in weekly performance showcases, judged on “drive, initiative, stage presence, and”—of course—“attitude.” (Hafsa Razi)

PERFORMANCE & ART Teen Talk Theater South Side Community Art Center, 3831 S. Michigan Ave. Interviews now through June 11. July 5–August 12. Waitlist only. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Free, possibility of stipend. Visit afterschoolmatters. org to sign up for an interview or call Natalie Battle at (773) 373-1026.

Act fast! Interviews for the summer session of Teen Talk Theater are ending soon.

This free and paid program for youth from ages fourteen to eighteen is offered at the historic South Side Community Art Center in partnership with After School Matters. Teens get to learn and earn while studying a complete theater arts-based curriculum. Each participant receives three stipends at benchmark intervals throughout the course of the program. (Nicole Bond)

Simantikos Dance Chicago Summer Camp Simantikos Dance Chicago, 1835 S. Halsted St. June 19–September 1 in one-week sessions.

Monday–Friday. Starting at $100/week.

(574) 276-0242. simantikos.com Simantikos Dance Chicago, a Pilsen-based dance company founded in 2015, strives to use dance as a means for addressing injustice in society. Each week features a different theme, including Rhythm and Groove, A Bug’s Life, and Unity in Arts.

Parents have the option to enroll their children in a full-day or for a reduced price, a half-day camp, as well as take part in the Healthy Lunch Plan for an extra $20.

(Mira Chauhan)

Intrigue Dance Camps Intrigue Dance & Performing Arts Center, 1937 S. Archer Ave. June 26–August 18.

Fairytale Dance Camp: four one-week sessions, 9am–noon, ages 3–5, starting $175/week.

Ballet and Broadway Dance Camp: four oneweek sessions, 9am–3pm or 9am–5pm, ages 6–14, starting $350/week. Hip Hop Rocks!

Camp: two one-week sessions, 9am–3pm or 9am–5pm, ages 6–14, starting $350/week.

(312) 765-6755. intriguedance.com Whether your child wants to be a fairy princess, a Broadway triple threat, or a hiphop star, parents have a variety of options to choose from for their aspiring young dancers this summer at Intrigue Dance. No matter the class or the number of weeks enrolled, students will have the opportunity to learn technique and history, collaborate with each other, and perform in a final showcase that will be recorded as a video for keepsake purposes. ( Julia Aizuss)

Arts XIII Camp at Tuley Tuley Park, 501 E. 90th Pl. June 26–August 4. Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm. Chicago residents $130. Ages 12–14. Mandatory parent orientation Monday, June 19, 6:45pm.

(312) 747-6763. chicagoparkdistrict.com Tweens, take notice—this art camp was designed specifically for your needs, no eleven-year-olds or fifteen-year-olds allowed. A variety of local arts groups will in turn guide campers through a variety of arts forms—dancing, singing, painting,

SUMMER

Eye Love You Summer Camp Maranatha Community Youth Center, 1631 E. 71st St. Monday, July 10–Friday, August 4. (773) 241-0560. eyeloveyou.org In 2015, Kamal Bilal organized a free, oneweek camp with the help of local South Shore teens to make up for the absence of community centers and CPS art programs, learning subjects as varied as financial literacy and tie-dye clothing design, food nutrition and poetry—in short, “proper tools, knowledge and experiences.” This summer, Eye Love You aims for something bigger and better: a four-week program meant for at least fifty kids and thirty employees, with each week focusing on a different educational theme. As its openhearted name might suggest, the camp aims to bring together not just kids but community, with family nights every Friday featuring meals, cooking classes, gardening seminars, and film screenings. ( Julia Aizuss)

sculpting, drawing, choreographing, writing, and, just to cover all bases, “creating” are promised. Aside from these activities, the camp includes field trips and a “finale event.” As of press time only four spots remain, so tweens’ parents should act fast. ( Julia Aizuss)

Expression from the Inside Perspectives Calumet Technical High School, 8131 S. May St. July 5–August 10. Monday– Thursday, 11am–3pm. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Free, possibility of stipend. (312) 742-4182. afterschoolmatters.org This “expressive art therapy program” isn’t just about creating a work of art—participants are encouraged to develop artistic skills that prioritize self-expression and emotional life skills. The program’s foundational concepts of “awareness, consciousness, gratitude, and unity” will teach confidence, work ethic, and teamwork—and result in personally meaningful visual art and sculpture. ( Julia Aizuss)

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

WRITING

Mikva Challenge Youth Assistants

Newsroom @ Urban Prep Academy Englewood

Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation, offices throughout the city, county, and state. June 26–August 11. Monday–Friday, 9am–1pm.

Waitlist only. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Free and paid. Apply at afterschoolmatters.org. (312) 863-6340. mikvachallenge.org

Urban Prep Academy Englewood, 6201 S. Stewart Ave. July 5–August 10. Monday– Thursday, 10am–2pm. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Free, possibility of stipend. (312) 742-4182. afterschoolmatters.org

Become one of the Mikva Challenge’s Youth Assistants, who work for twenty hours a week in the office of a city, county, state, or federal official or lawmaker. Named for U.S. representative, federal judge, civil rights leader, and Chicago political history mainstay Abner Mikva—the “nobody nobody sent”—the Mikva Challenge’s participants learn civic engagement, leadership, and organizational skills, as well as build real-world work experience and gain political and governmental knowledge.

(Sam Stecklow)

Explore your interest in media and work with other teen photographers, writers, and journalists in a newsroom at Urban Prep Academy charter school in Englewood, in collaboration with After School Matters.

The end result will be a collaborative blog published by the participants for teens in their communities and in the city. (Sam Stecklow)

YCA Investigative and Verse Journalism Summer Series: the “Chicago Beat” Young Chicago Authors, 1180 N. Milwaukee

Ave. July 5–August 10. Monday–Thursday, 1pm–5pm. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Apply at afterschoolmatters.org.

Free, possibility of stipend. (773) 486-4331. youngchicagoauthors.org If you’re frustrated by the way media and culture outside Chicago understand your city, this workshop from Young Chicago Authors is for you. Starting with the term “Chiraq,” which received a further wave of interest after the Spike Lee film of the same name came out in 2015, young writers will analyze the ways we think about violence in Chicago by both interviewing city residents and practicing their own self-expression. Along the way, participants will be exposed to verse journalism, poetry, prose, photography, college, and audio. ( Julia Aizuss)

Write to the City UIC School of Art & Art History, 400 S. Peoria Ave. July 10–July 14. Monday–Friday.

Application deadline June 30. $200, partial JUNE 7, 2017 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 9

and full scholarships available. Ages 12–25.

(773) 486-4331. youngchicagoauthors.org A series of summer programs that started up last year, WTTC returns now as “the freshest summer camp in Chicago” concentrated in just one nonstop week of art, meant for young writers and artists “at all levels” from across both the city and the country. Through daily field trips and workshops, participants will explore visual, performance, and literary arts unique to Chicago’s arts community. Educators are also encouraged to apply to the Teacher’s Track to learn about Young Chicago Authors pedagogy, making this camp a true community learning experience. ( Julia Aizuss)

AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT Growing Power @ Altgeld Gardens Community Farm Altgeld Gardens Urban Farm, 160 E. 132nd St. July 5–August 11. Tuesday–Friday, 8:30am–12:30pm. CPS grades 9–12 and class of 2017 graduates. Registration and interviews in next two weeks. Bring closed-toe shoes and water on first day. Free, possibility of stipend. Apply at afterschoolmatters.org. (773) 376-8882. growingpower.org

Ever wonder where your food comes from? This summer, you can learn about all aspects of managing an urban farm— everything from watering and weeding organic vegetables to post-harvest handling of herbs and flowers to doing the marketing and sales. Participants will learn about the science behind farming and engage in food justice and politics activities. Teens will also have the chance to participate in workshops focused on college and career readiness skills like interviewing and resume building. Other Growing Power programs will be held at Clara Schafer Park in South Chicago and the Growing Power office in Bridgeport. (Adam Przybyl)

Camp Sign, run by the Chicago Parks District, is designed for children with hearing loss; the accompanying Leadership Camp is open to teenagers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, or the children of deaf parents. Camp Sign attendees will have access to a range of summer adventures, from swimming and indoor ice-skating, to kayaking and fishing, to arts and crafts.

Leadership campers will join in on fun outdoor activities and cross-city excursions with kids at Camp Sign, while also participating in park services and team building games. (Hafsa Razi)

MISCELLANEOUS

University Church, 5655 S. University Ave. Session I: June 26–July 21, Session II: July 24–Aug 18. Monday–Friday, 9am–3pm. $300/session. Before and after camp care (7am–9am and 3pm-–6pm), $25/week.

Must bring bagged lunch. (877) 379-3616. taylorservicesyouthorganization.org

Camp Sign & Leadership Camp for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Youth Gage Park, 2411 W. 55th St. Camp Sign: June 26–July 7 and July 24–August 4; ages 6–14; $53 for Chicago residents. Leadership Camp: July 10–July 21; ages 15–18; Free. Monday– Friday, noon–6pm. (773) 796-3525. bit.ly/GageParkCampSign1, bit.ly/GageParkCampSign2, and bit.ly/GageParkLeadership

south side summer festivals

N

o one needs to be told anymore that Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, but we just can’t help ourselves—the summer, especially, is when our communities shine. Whether it’s a traditional outdoors neighborhood festival thronged with residents and face-painted children, or a low-key, low-priced music fest uniting enthusiasts across geography, or a block party dedicated to your favorite form of local arts and education, these seasonal celebrations draw deeply from what the South Side has to offer.

COMPILED BY JULIA AIZUSS 10 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

¬ JUNE 7, 2017

Fun in the Sun Summer Camp

Morgan Park Academy Summer Camp Morgan Park Academy, 2153 W. 111th St. June 12–August 4, various dates and times June–August. Prices vary, starting $95.

Grades pre-K–8. (773) 881-6700 ext. 230. mpasummercamp.org Have you ever wanted to join a theater group? What about making your own bath and body products? Do you want to become an ancient crime scene investigator? Morgan Park Academy will offer all kinds of programs this summer for kids between the ages of three and fourteen—academic, recreational, and sports camps. Come learn about robotics, play basketball, and train your magical powers at Hogwarts’ summer term. (Adam Przybyl)

Taylor Services Youth Organization is hosting two sessions of summer camp.

Activities include daily field trips as well as morning academics like reading, writing, math, science, and a poetry workshop. There is also a sports program. All activities will be age appropriate and an afternoon snack will be provided. (Adam Przybyl)

JUNE Real Men Cook: Father’s Day Douglas Park Field House, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr.; Dan Ryan Woods; Hales Franciscan High School, 4930 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Sunday, June 18, 3pm–6pm; 11am–2pm at DPFH. Register to cook by June 10. Super ticket $20.

(773) 297-1707. realmencook.com Celebrate Father’s Day with a cook-out and food tasting, all bought and grilled by “real men” on the South Side—not just limited to biological fathers, the event marks the contributions and commitments of “Father Figures, Babas, Papas, Uncles, and Brothers.” With three South Side locations and others on the south suburbs, the Real Men Cook is entering its twentyeighth year and boasts the participation of hundreds of men, including Barack Obama when he was a U.S. senator. Proceeds go to

Real Men Charities, which provides health and wellness programing in cities across America. (Hafsa Razi)

27th Annual Fiesta Back of the Yards 47th St., between Damen Ave. and Ashland Ave. Friday, June 9, 5pm–10pm; Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11, 12pm–10pm.

(773) 523-4416. bnyc.org Dating in some form back to 1940, when the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council introduced a Free Fair that flourished for forty years, Fiesta Back of the Yards starts off a summer of community festivals with a bang. The event regularly draws over 300,000 people, offers dozens of rides and games for kids of all ages, presents two stages for an array of live performance, features more than one hundred vendors, and raises funds for a variety of BYNC

SUMMER

Chosen Few DJs Picnic Weekend and Music Festival Jackson Park, 63rd St. and Lake Shore Dr. Saturday, July 1–Sunday, July 2. 8am–8pm each day. $25 and up. chosenfewdjs.com Bring a picnic basket, comfortable shoes, a chair, and a blanket for a day filled with lots of dancing and fun. In its twenty-seventh year, the Chosen Few DJs Picnic has grown from a get-together of friends behind the Museum of Science and Industry to an international gathering of thousands of “house heads” and their families. This twoday music festival will feature the sounds of the Chosen Few DJs and special guest DJs, including Alan King, Wayne Williams, Mike Dunn, Tony Hatchett, Terry Hunter, Jesse Saunders, Steve “Silk” Hurley, Ron Trent, and Dee Jay Alicia. (Bridget Vaughn)

MIKE DUNN

community programs. One of those programs is Ballet Folklorico, which plays a special part in this year’s festival: the second two days of Fiesta will feature the first Mexican polka festival of the Midwest, celebrating Mexican Folkloric dance groups of all kinds. ( Julia Aizuss)

Bronzeville Summer Nights 47th St., from Drexel Blvd. to Lake Park Ave. Every third Friday of the month, starting June 16. 6pm–9pm. bronzevillesummernights.com Bronzeville opens its doors every third Friday this summer, showcasing the neighborhood’s art district and local businesses. Among the festivities and live entertainment, Little Black Pearl will feature their new “juice and experiment bar” while Carver 47th will host music performances and art shows. Hop on the Bronzeville Arts District Trolley Tour and check out the six participating galleries. Organized by the local nonprofit, Quad Community Development Corporation, Bronzeville Summer Nights seeks to spur interest in neighborhood businesses. (David Struett)

Growing Home’s Summer Block Party

Growing Home Inc., 5814 S. Wood St. Saturday, June 24, 11am–3pm. Free. (773) 549-1336. bit.ly/GrowingHomeSummer As a fresh take on their annual Open House, Growing Home is hosting a huge Summer Block Party! The event will be at their Wood Street Urban Farm in Englewood and include public tours, music, tasty food (involving, presumably, their organic produce), and kid-friendly activities. Word on the street is there will also be a bouncy house for all to enjoy. (Bridget Newsham)

Villapalooza 2017 Fundraiser Lagunitas Brewing Company, 2607 W. 17th St. Monday, June 26, 5:30pm–8:30pm. $20.

21+. villapalooza.org Villapalooza, Little Village’s annual grassroots music festival, plans to come back for its seventh year on Saturday, August 26, but they still need a bit of your help. Swing by Lagunitas at the end of the month for “Spread Love Pt. IV,” a fundraiser featuring (presumably Lagunitas) beer, food, music, and a raffle.

All proceeds will go towards Villapalooza, as well as “securing safe spaces for arts engagement in Little Village,” which is the free, all-ages festival’s driving mission.

Come early, stay late, and don’t forget to

do the same for the festival itself later this summer. ( Julia Aizuss)

JULY 43rd Annual Arts & Crafts Festival DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Saturday, July 8– Sunday, July 9, 12pm–10pm. Free. To be a vendor, apply online by June 23. (773) 9470600. dusablemuseum.org The DuSable’s ever-reliable summer arts festival will have, beyond the titular arts and crafts, food, entertainment of all kinds, a “children’s pavilion,” and even a beer garden.

If you yourself are a young artist, a fine or craft artist, a food vendor, or a writer hoping to hawk your books, there’s still time to apply to be a vendor at this festival that has long celebrated excellence in Black art and history in honor of its founder, Margaret Burroughs. ( Julia Aizuss)

So Fresh Saturdays at Englewood Parks Various Englewood parks. June 24, July 8, July 22, August 5, August 26, and September 23.

3pm–7pm. Free. All ages. (866) 845-1032.

chicagoparkdistrict.com/notp/festivals Billed as “edutainment,” these recurring festivals combine performances by local musicians and dancers, documentary screenings and discussions, and your standard balloon animals and bouncy houses. The So Fresh Saturdays Tour aims to provide safe spaces for youth and families this summer. For the past five years, the Residents Association of Greater Englewood has been “taking over the parks in Englewood in the name of PEACE,” according to their Facebook page. Last Saturday’s kickoff event at Lindblom Park featured performances by DJ Dap and artistactivist Ja’Mal Green. (Hafsa Razi)

Ruido Fest Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th St. Friday, July 7–Sunday, July 9. Friday, gates open 3pm; Saturday and Sunday, gates open 12pm. Threeday passes: $129.98; two-day passes: $94.98; one-day pass: $49.98. ruidofest.com This July, Ruido Fest, “Chicago’s newest alternative Latin music festival,” will return to Pilsen for the third time, feeling more integrated than ever into Chicago’s summer music lineup. The three-day festival will be headlined by Cultura Profética, Molotov— who will be celebrating the twentieth JUNE 7, 2017 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 11

Chinatown Summer Fair Chinatown Summer Fair, S. Wentworth Avenue between Cermak Rd. and 24th Pl. Sunday, July 16, 10am–7pm. (312) 3265320. ccc-foundation.org Celebrate Chinese culture, food, and music at the thirty-eighth annual Chinatown Summer Fair, held in the heart of Old Chinatown. Events and attractions include a Lion Dance procession to kick off the festival, Kung Fu demonstrations, restaurant tastings, and a crafts fair. The fair is regularly one of the largest cultural events in the city, drawing over 40,000 people, and has plenty of family-friendly features, including pony rides and a petting zoo. (Sam Stecklow)

DEVYN CALDWELL

anniversary of their debut album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas? with a full performance— and Intocable; in total there will be over forty artists with musical genres ranging from Tejano to Reggae, West Coast hip hop to indie pop. This jam-packed weekend is sure to satisfy everyone. Three-day, twoday, and single-day passes are available, for general admission and VIP, which includes extra amenities. (Andrew Koski)

Soulful Chicago Book Fair Soulful Chicago Book Fair, E. 61st St between S. Cottage Grove Ave. and S. Martin Luther King Dr. Sunday, July 16, 10am–8pm. (646) 359-6605. soulfulchicagobookfair.com Celebrate Chicago’s Black authors and literary history at the second Soulful Chicago Book Fair, taking over a stretch of 61st Street in Woodlawn for a full day in July. The fair’s creator, Asadah Kirkland, told Weekly columnist Karen Ford last year, on the event of the inaugural fair, that she was inspired to create an event to celebrate the city’s Black authors after attending the Printers Row Lit Fest in the South Loop 12 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

¬ JUNE 7, 2017

and noted the near-complete dearth of Black writers. Her efforts to celebrate and educate about the work of writers of color include a youth essay contest, with winners chosen by historian Dr. Timuel Black, which is also returning for the second year. There are performances as well; this year promises to feature “Grammy-level artists, two stages, puppet shows, workshop, and more.” The Fair’s website continues, “This event is our way of countering negative stereotypes of the Black community with uplifting, educational activity.” (Sam Stecklow)

Fed Up Fest 2017 Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219-21 S. Morgan St. Friday, July 28–Sunday July, 30. Workshops in the afternoons, music in the evening. $10–$20 sliding scale daily donation, reduced price for a weekend pass. fedupfestchicago.com Chicago’s queer and trans punk Fed Up Fest proudly and loudly brings the fringe to the center with the fourth installment of its anti-capitalist celebration. By day, workshops and readings discuss radical approaches to issues like mass incarceration,

sex-ed, and mental health. At night, the music kicks off, with queer hardcore bands from around North America inciting mosh pits in this uncommonly accepting space. All proceeds go to benefit El Rescate, a Chicago nonprofit that provides housing, education, and employment opportunities to homeless youth. (Sam Clapp)

Chicago Poetry/Community Fiesta Block Party National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. Saturday, July 29, 2pm–8pm. Free. nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org In partnership with the Poetry Foundation and Crescendo Literary, the Chicago Poetry Block Party will return this year under a second name. The Community Fiesta Block Party is a showcase of young, emerging poets, the culmination of a fourday Emerging Poets Incubator program led by Crescendo Literary. Think of their performances as a clash between the poet’s creative practice and a call to action.

This festival fuses activism, community awareness, music, and art for a day filled

with beautifully ingenious wordsmithing; by the end of last year’s inaugural block party, the Weekly wrote last year, “there was little distinction between performer and audience, or artist and consumer.” Don’t miss it!

(Bridget Vaughn)

AUGUST Morgan Park Roots House & Soul Festival Ada Park, 11250 S. Ada St. Saturday, August 5, 1pm–8pm. Free. bit.ly/MorganParkRoots A free one-day festival with an emphasis on community togetherness, Morgan Park Roots House & Soul Festival will host a day of “‘HANDS UP’ for Peace, Love and Unity through music” in Ada Park. The festival will feature local R&B bands, House DJs, a “Line Dance Party in the Park,” health and wellness programs, food, and children’s activities, including face painting, arts and crafts, and organized youth sports. Bring a chair and enjoy the fun, music, and food!

(Andrew Koski)

SUMMER

Slow&Low: A Community Lowrider Festival 600 W. Cermak Rd. Sunday, August 6, 8am– 11pm. $5 on site, kids under 13 free. Register early if bringing customized motorcycle or car. chicagolowriderfestival.com Lowrider enthusiasts can spend years and thousands of dollars scavenging for rare parts and putting the finishing touches on their cars. The result is a work of art and a joy to drive and show off. The sixth annual Chicago Lowrider Festival, organized by the Chicago Lowrider Preservation Project and art gallery Chicago Urban Art Society, brings together lowriders and the people that make this pastime possible—mechanics, artists, and master craftsmen—in celebration of camaraderie in a family-friendly environment. Come see the cars, enjoy local food, and stay for a special awards ceremony that crowns the best lowrider of them all.

(Adam Przybyl)

Pilsen Fest 18th St. and Blue Island Ave. Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20. (773) 517-1616. pilsenfestchicago.com

Pursuing, as ever, the celebration and embrace of “diversity, solidarity, and unity,” Pilsen Fest, which usually draws about 50,000 people, will feature its signature mix of local musical acts along with all kinds of other arts, from theatre to poetry to crafts, as well as food and educational seminars. This year features a poster designed by muralist Héctor Duarte, a Friday kick-off with a classical music concert and photography exhibition, and an extra addition to the yearly music lineup: whoever wins the inaugural Pilsen Battle of the Bands. Come out for a deep dive into Pilsen’s pool of cultural talent. ( Julia Aizuss)

Englewood Back to School Parade Ogden Park, 6500 S. Racine Ave. Saturday, August 19. Registration 8:30am–10am, parade 10:30am–3:30pm. Free. (773) 619-7247. englewoodparade.org Join the procession from 57th and Halsted through Ogden Park to celebrate the end of summer and prepare for the start of school. Now entering its fifty-fifth year, the Englewood Back to School Parade is the second oldest African-American parade in the city. Come for the live music and

performances, the food, or the free school supplies for kids. Groups can register to participate in the parade for free as well.

(Hafsa Razi)

Or Does It Explode: Black and Brown Punk Show Festival ChiTown Futbol, 2343 S. Throop St. Saturday, August 26–Sunday, August 27. facebook.com/ blkandbrwncollective “WE’RE BACK THIS SUMMER WITH MORE HEADBANGING AND TURNING THE FUCK UP AGAINST THE SYSTEM,” declares the Black and Brown Punk Show Collective, who put on a festival every year to showcase Chicago’s black and brown, queer and trans DIY punk scene. Besides a sixteen-band lineup featuring bands like legendary hardcore group Los Crudos and the anarchxpunk Californian band Sin Quince, the fest will feature tablers and vendors like Black Lives Matter Chicago and Brown and Proud Press selling records, shirts, and zines. In the remaining months, and to prepare for the July 8 fundraiser, read up on Assata’s Daughters and the BTGNC Collective, this year’s beneficiaries. ( Julia Aizuss)

SEPTEMBER 79th Street Renaissance Festival 79th St. between Racine Ave. & Loomis St. Friday, September 8–Sunday, September, 10.

10am–8pm each day. Free. gagdc.org In its twelfth year, this family-friendly festival is the one of the longest running neighborhood festivals in Auburn Gresham—and was dubbed “Best Endof-Summer Block Party” in the Weekly’s 2016 issue of Best of the South Side.

Imagine a huge block party lining 79th Street showcasing all that is great about the community. Performances of all genres will take place, including modern and traditional dance, as well as musical performances by talented local artists. Community food vendors, retailers, nonprofit organizations, and providers will market their goods and services. Due to its overwhelming popularity, this year’s festival has been expanded to two days. (Bridget Vaughn)

Hyde Park Jazz Festival Various locations in Hyde Park and Washington Park, including Rockefeller Chapel, Logan Center for the Arts, and DuSable Museum of African American History. Saturday, September 23–Sunday, September 24. Free. hydeparkjazzfestival.org As one of Chicago’s favorite music festivals concluding the summer music festival season, this year’s highly anticipated jazz fest features an eclectic lineup of local, national, and international jazz musicians.

Don’t miss award-winning flutist Nicole Mitchell and Ballake Sissoko performing Bamako*Chicago Sound System. This world premiere performance will feature Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble and Malian musicians including kora player Ballake Sissoko, balafonist Fassery Diabete, and vocalist Fatim Kouyate mixing Chicago’s modern jazz with the traditional sounds and instrumentation of Bamako, Mali. (Bridget Vaughn) MARC MONAGHAN

JUNE 7, 2017 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 13

A Taste of West Africa on the South Side

West African Food on the South Side 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

South Side African Restaurant Mandela African Caribbean Grocery T and K African Kitchen OjaExpress La Fruteria Grocery Yassa Restaurant Gorée Cuisine

The owners of four restaurants and businesses discuss bridging old and new homes through food SARAH CONWAY

F

or many West African immigrants, neighborhoods like Chatham, South Chicago, and Bronzeville are becoming a home away from the North Side nucleus of the African immigrant community. Five West African immigrant business owners share how food is a bridge to preserve their culture and build new homes on Chicago’s South Side.

Mariam and Ade Lala, owners of Southside African Restaurant Restaurant owners Mariam and Ade Lala are determined to live the American Dream without sacrificing their Nigerian identity. “I feel American now, I really do, but at the same time at home and in my restaurant, I’m one-hundred percent Nigerian,” explains Mariam as she sits with her husband Ade in a bright orange booth at Southside African Restaurant, with the sounds of ping-pong and customers chatting in Yoruba in the background.

“The generosity and love of our culture is something we are trying to bring with us to South Chicago.”

Business isn’t just about selling food they love: they want to build community.

“During the summertime, we are all out in the parking lot next to the restaurant grilling, playing Nigerian music and just making people feel comfortable in their own spaces,” explains Ade. 14 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

¬ JUNE 7, 2017

But it wasn’t always that way. “When I was opening this business, I didn’t have a lot of money to start but I wanted to take a chance that the neighborhood would love our food,” Ade said. It seems to be working: now, most customers are locals looking for a taste of the African diaspora on a plate, he said.

Nigerians make up the bulk of catering orders for naming ceremonies and birthdays, and they often visit for grilled suya, a spicy shish kebab, in the adjacent parking lot during the summer. With more and more West African families moving to the South Side, Mariam and Ade feel this growing community needs more unity. “Look at the journey from here to Africa. How can we migrate out here and not be together?” said Mariam.

Southside African Restaurant, 8311 S. Baltimore Ave. Monday-Saturday, 10am10pm. (872) 666-5588.

Alioune Diagne, owner of Mandela African Caribbean Grocery Alioune Diagne is often on the phone bouncing between his native Wolof and French, taking orders for fresh baguettes.

“French bread is very important for West African immigrants because of the influence France had during colonialism.

GOOGLE MAPS

It’s become a regular part of our diet, and for Malians, Senegalese, or Cote d’Ivoirians living on the South Side, my shop provides it fresh,” says Diagne as he hands a large fresh loaf to a Togolese customer at his African grocery on 79th Street.

He says almost all his customers are West Africans living in the area looking for specialty items like Dutch Calvé mayonnaise. “It has this very particular taste that they are missing from home, and at the end of the day I’m in the business of selling items that make people feel like home,” says Diagne. His two-room shop is filled with popular items like dried baobab fruit, tangy

gari flour, and dried hibiscus leaves.

Food is a bridge for memories and traditions from West Africa; Diagne says: “You can immigrate to a new country but there are foods that are a part of you.”

Mandela African Caribbean Grocery, 722 E. 79th St. Monday-Saturday, 9am-8:30pm.

(773) 723-2111.

Boyede Sobitan, co-founder of OjaExpress “How do you tell if your yam is good?...

You check the ends, feel for any brown soft

FOOD

Mariam and Ade Lala, owners of Southside African Restaurant

spots, and cut into the middle to make sure they aren’t spoiled,” says Boyede Sobitan as he eyes a mound of leathery Ghana yams in the back corner of La Fruteria grocery in South Chicago.

Yams aren’t cheap, and he only wants to select the best for OjaExpress, his grocery delivery app that specializes in African and Caribbean ingredients, largely sourcing from local shops like La Fruteria. It’s an endeavor Sobitan co-founded in 2015 to help African families find cherished food items like ground ogbono seeds or palm oil on the South Side.

Coming from a Nigerian immigrant family himself, Sobitan grew up frequenting the city’s multicultural groceries that allow African families to prepare traditional food like egusi stew at home. Though these stores are a “happy place” for him, he says they aren’t always accessible for busy moms or professionals who don’t have time to drive to the far north or south of the city.

With OjaExpress, Sobitan says the growing African and Caribbean population no longer has to scour the polar ends of the city for ingredients to make the dishes they love.

Order online at ojaexpress.com.

(877) 472-1180. info@ojaexpress.com Adama Ba, owner of Gorée Cuisine Before Adama Ba opened Gorée Cuisine, his airy restaurant with honeycolored walls in Kenwood, he already served the Senegalese community as a tailor and clothing store owner.

“Imagine fitted, elegant clothing in unique cuts with brilliant colors,” Ba says, referring to the Ankara maxi skirts and other contemporary Senegalese styles that he still sells at a storefront next to his new restaurant.

Last December, Ba opened Gorée Cuisine, serving up bold dishes like chicken yassa and tiebu djenne, the national dish of Senegal made of rice, yams, cabbage and fish. His inspiration comes from his home on Gorée, a tiny forty-five-acre island just two miles from Dakar where roughly twenty million Africans were sold into slavery. The island, now popular as a pilgrimage site for diaspora tourists, was a natural bridge to Ba’s new life in Chicago.

“When I moved to the South Side, I felt that I already had this deep connection from Gorée island,” he explains. “For me, I see the South Side as a beacon of black culture and art, and Gorée was the last part of Africa that many African Americans experienced before the journey to the Americas.”

There’s a growing Senegalese community on the South Side, Ba says, from hair braiding shops to restaurants. With two storefronts in Kenwood, he hopes he has planted a seed for a community center. “I would love for a Little Africa to be on 47th,” Ba says. “Maybe it will happen one day.” ¬

Adama Ba, owner of Gorée Cuisine

Alioune Diagne, owner of Mandela African Caribbean Grocery

Boyede Sobitan, co-founder of Oja Express

Gorée Cuisine, 1126 E. 47th St. MondaySunday, 8am-10:30pm. (773) 855-8120. goreecuisine.com This report was produced in collaboration with City Bureau, a Chicago-based journalism lab.

SARAH CONWAY

JUNE 7, 2017 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 15

BULLETIN Westside Justice Center Volunteer Orientation Westside Justice Center, 601 S. California Ave. Tuesday, June 13, 6pm–9pm. (773) 9402213. westsidejustice.org

OTIS Fresh Farm Volunteer Day OTIS Fresh Farm, 2616 S. Calumet Ave. Saturday, June 17, 11am–3pm. (708) 5816847. bit.ly/OTISfarm

The Westside Justice Center relies on volunteers like you to continue its work—serving Chicagoland communities, upholding their constitutional rights, and ensuring equitable criminal justice for lowincome people. Interested? Come to their volunteer orientation to learn about how you can join their cause. (Michael Wasney).

Urban farming offers health and economic benefits that deserve more recognition, according to Steve Hughes, organizer of OTIS (Organic Things in Soil) Fresh Farm.

Learn about urban agriculture and help cultivate the gardens just south of Mercy Hospital with like-minded gardeners.

Come to learn about soil preparation, collecting rain water, a tour of the garden and more. (David Struett)

Gwendolyn Brooks: A Life in Bronzeville Bus Tour

Harnessing Technology for Future Mobility Forum

Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Saturday, June 17, 10am–2pm. $25 adults, $15 children (under 18) and seniors (over 65). Registration required. (773) 702-2787. chicagoliteraryhof.org

IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center, 3201 S. State St. Thursday, June 22, 9am– 10:30am. cmap.illinois.gov

Next Saturday, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame contributes its own part to the festivities celebrating the one-hundredth birthday of Gwendolyn Brooks, worldrenowned poet and Chicago native. The bus tour takes off at 10am from the Logan Center to visit various noteworthy locations that were significant to Brooks’s life and inspired many of her great works. The bus will return at noon for a reception and sculpture exhibit, followed by a panel discussion at 1pm with Nora Brooks Blakely, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Haki Madhubuti. (Allegra Martin)

Bronzeville Summer Nights 2017 Kick Off 47th St. & Drexel Blvd. to Lake Park Ave. Friday, June 16, 6pm–9pm. (773) 268-7232. bronzevillesummernights.com Take a load off during the hot summer nights and hop on a trolley for the fifth annual Bronzeville Summer Nights event series, this year taking place on the same day as the Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour for the first time. Food, culture, and entertainment will wet your palate, offering sights and tastes of what makes Bronzeville one of the many jewels on our side of town.

This tour happens every third Friday during the summer months. (Allegra Martin) 16 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY

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Self-driving cars are only the beginning of future transportation, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, which will be hosting this forum and suggests that climate change and new technology may dramatically alter how we get to places. On-demand buses, vehicles that communicate with one another, and smart infrastructure promise a magicalsounding future, but those technologies may serve to divide us more than bring us together if we’re not careful about their implementation. Join the discussion and think about the frontiers of mobility at this four-person panel. (David Struett)

VISUAL ARTS Curators Create Bridgeport Art Center, 1200 W. 35th St. Through July 7. Monday–Saturday, 8am– 6pm, Sunday, 8am–12pm. (773) 843-9000. bridgeportart.com Curators Create, which opened two weeks ago, showcases the work of the artists that curate some of Chicago’s great art galleries.

See work from Mary Ellen Croteau, Charles Gniech, Dolores Mercado, and others. As there are many more artist/ curators in the area who could be featured in an event like this, Curators Create could

become a biannual event at the art center.

(Adia Robinson)

Symposium: Why is Graffiti?

Hyde Park Art Center, 5020 S. Cornell Ave. Saturday, June 17. 1pm-8pm. Free. (773) 324-5520. hydeparkart.org Louder Than a Bomb cofounder Kevin Coval, famed New York graffiti artist Alan Ket, Takin’ All City crew member Pengo Tac, and Fulbright-winning graffiti writer Lavie Raven will discuss what inspires graffiti in conjunction with the “Public School” exhibit. There will be a “sprayand-eat” interactive graffiti BBQ and the unveiling of new video art by Zebadiah Arrington. ( Joseph S. Pete)

War of Words by Tubsz Good Details, LLC, 1840 S. Halsted. Friday, June 9, 6pm-9:30pm. gooddetailschicago.com Join Good Details, LLC in celebration of their one-year anniversary for a solo show by calligraphic/graffiti artist TUBS. TUBS’ work ranges from calligraphy painted onsite to sculpted spray paint cans. (Roderick Sawyer)

DRAWN IN with Oscar Arriola Elephant Room Gallery, 704 S. Wabash Ave. Thursday, June 15, 6pm-9:30pm. elephantroomgallery.com Artist Oscar Arriola will be hosting the interactive event titled “Drawn In” at the Elephant Room Gallery. Artists will create drawings on-site and wear body cameras to document the event. Confirmed artists include CHema SKandal!, Terrance “Dredske” Byas, Joe “Cujo Dah” Nelson, Ken R. Klopack/Purekreation, Brian Steckel, Anthony “antckone” Lewellen, Jourdon Gullett, and more. (Roderick Sawyer)

MUSIC Heatwave The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Thursday, June 8, 6pm doors, 7pm show. $22$42. 21+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com

Started by Johnnie Wilder and his brother Keith Wilder, Heatwave arrived on the music scene as one of the disco era’s funkiest dance groups. Heatwave also includes Spanish bassist Mario Mantese, Czechoslovak drummer Ernest Berger, Eric Johns, to name just a few. Come out to the Promontory to enjoy this one-night performance. (Roderick Sawyer)

The Flat Five Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Friday, June 9. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. $23. (312) 5263851. thaliahallchicago.com The Flat Five is a “Chicago-based pop vocal super-group” of five harmonizing singers who have worked with heavyweights like Neko Case, the New Pornographers, the Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, and Mavis Staples. Like blurbs on the back cover of a book, such collaborators speak for themselves. ( Joseph S. Pete)

Mustard Plug Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Friday, June 9, 7:30pm. $15-$18. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive.com This Friday, the Midwest’s most illustrious third wave ska band, Mustard Plug, comes to Reggies. It’s been twenty years since the release of their third album, Evildoers Beware, and they’ll be celebrating by performing it in full. Mephiskapheles, We Are the Union, and Malafacha will be opening. (Michael Wasney)

Los Punks Tambien Bailan The Dojo, send Facebook message for address.

Saturday, June 10, 8pm–12am. Donation suggested. facebook.com/thedojochi To raise funds for this year’s Black and Brown Punk Show, which will take place at Pilsen’s Chitown Futbol Arena in August, the Dojo will be hosting a night of music and much more. Hear the punk sounds of Los MF Mariachis, thrash metal by Reign, and Sonidero y Mas by DJ Solmeca, check out a dance performance by Mz Mr and art installations by Sebastián Hidalgo and Katia Perez, watch a live mural painting

by Alvaro Zavala, and peruse the tabling vendors. There will also be tamales, jerk chicken tacos, and a cash bar featuring wine and margaritas. (Andrew Koski)

EVENTS

STAGE & SCREEN General Auditions for Collaboraction’s Peacebook Festival Hamilton Park Fieldhouse, 513 W. 72nd St. Saturday, June 10, 10am–3pm, walk-ins welcomed from 11am–3pm. If interested email casting@collaboraction.org. (312) 226-9633. collaboraction.org Collaboraction, Chicago’s social contemporary theater, is calling all actors, artists, dancers, poets, musicians, and peacemakers for its second annual Peacebook Festival. This arts festival will feature twenty-one pieces of theater, dance, spoken word, music, and more focused on promoting peace in Chicago. All Peacebook shows will perform August 26 at the Goodman, then each piece will perform at one of three Chicago Park District locations throughout the city. Talent are asked to have headshots and resumes and to prepare thirty to sixty seconds of anything to showcase your personality and

talent—from monologue to singing to poetry. (Nicole Bond)

Brooks Day@Nite: Praise & Jubilation Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Wednesday, June 7, 6pm. Free, tickets reserved in advance recommended. (773) 324-4844. brooksday.org Join in the centennial birthday celebration of the U.S.’s first Black Pulitzer Prize– winner for literature, as well as Illinois’s most longstanding poet laureate, the one and only Gwendolyn Brooks. BrooksDay@ Nite is the culmination of an entire year of literary events honoring the rich life and legacy of the South Side’s own cultural treasure, Our Miss Brooks. Friends and fans will gather as one hundred presenters (including the Weekly’s own Stage and Screen Editor) share a variety of oneminute presentations ranging from poetry readings to dance, visual arts, and digital crafts. Some of the other featured presenters include Haki Madhubuti,

Patricia Smith, Nora Brooks Blakely, Nate Marshall, and Maggie Brown. And yes, it is a birthday celebration, so there will be cake!

(Nicole Bond)

An Evening at the Pekin Theater Northwest corner of 27th St. and S. State St. Saturday, June 17, 7pm. Free, RSVP required.

(312) 422-5580. ilhumanities.org Reconvene nearly 112 years to the day of Chicago’s famed Pekin Theater’s first live performance. Nicknamed the “Temple of Music,” the Pekin Theater was the first Black-owned and -operated stock theater company in the U.S. The Pekin’s first all-Black show, the first in Chicago, opened to a crowd of about 400 on June 18, 1905. This live outdoor concert, featuring award-winning pianist Reginald Robinson and directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, will reimagine the golden ragtime era in the heart of Bronzeville. (Nicole Bond)

Moonlight at the Beverly Arts Cinema Center Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Wednesday, June 7, 7pm. $9.50, members $7.50. (773) 445-3838. beverlyartcenter.org This week BAC Film Coordinator Jonathan Moeller will be hosting a screening of the Academy Award–winning Best Picture of 2016, Moonlight. This moving comingof-age story chronicles the life of a gay African-American man growing up in Miami—if you still haven’t yet seen it, now is the time. (Roderick Sawyer)

Yo-Yo Ma Peace Concert St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Pl. Sunday, June 11, 4pm. $20. (312) 294-3000. cso.org/concertforpeace Join cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Children’s Choir for a music concert presented in partnership with Saint Sabina’s that celebrates and promotes peace within Chicago. This

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EVENTS

program will include work by Dvořák, Joplin and Ellington. All donations and net ticket proceeds will benefit Saint Sabina’s anti-violence and “Strong Futures” employment programs. (Roderick Sawyer)

Harvey

Among All This You Stand Like A Fine Brownstone

Long before there was Donnie Darko or Wilfred, there was Mary Chase’s 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Harvey. The titular character is an invisible rabbit that stands six feet and three inches tall and may end up imprisoning the “carefree and kind” protagonist Elwood P. Dowd in a sanitarium. ( Joseph S. Pete)

eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Through Thursday, June 8.

Friday-Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 3pm. $40, discounts available for seniors, students, and groups. (773) 752-3955. etacreativearts.org Enjoy this revival tribute that celebrates the life of Vantile L. Whitfield as well as, of course, the Gwendolyn Brooks centennial.

First performed to acclaim at eta back in the nineties, you now have a second chance to watch sketchbook vignettes of Black life come to together through Whitfield’s adaptations of poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks—don’t miss out. (Roderick Sawyer)

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Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Through June 11. $15-$68. (773) 753-4472. courttheatre.org

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