September 14 - 20, 2026

Sept 14 - 20, 2026 Vol. 34 No. 30

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4 Arts & Entertainment 6 SportsWise 7 Cover Story: the rolling stones Event highlights of the week!

The Fighting Illini prepare for a season of possibilities.

There’s the distinctive riffs, not to mention one of the most dynamic lead singers to ever grace the stage, and now there’s a new album. The Rolling Stones are back, baby.

Here’s why that’s something to celebrate, although we shouldn't be surprised the Stones are still making music -they're survivors in every sense of the word.

10 From the Streets

The Chicago Torture Justice Memorial breaks ground at 5520 S. King Drive to tell the story of more than 150 people -- mostly African American men and teens -- wrongfully incarcerated after confessing under police torture to crimes they did not commit.

Rekia Boyd was a 22-year-old Black woman fatally shot by an off-duty police officer who was later acquitted. Her upcoming monument in Douglass Park will also celebrate Black Girlhood.

15 The Playground

ON THE COVER: The Rolling Stones (Mark Seliger photo). THIS PAGE: The artwork for The Rolling Stones album Foreign Tongues by Chicago-born artist Nathaniel Mary Quinn (see StreetWise Vol. 34 No. 22, July 20-26, 2026).

DISCLAIMER: StreetWise publishes perspectives from vendors and contributors to reflect a range of lived experiences and viewpoints. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of StreetWise. We are committed to fostering dialogue grounded in dignity and respect, and we do not endorse language or perspectives that harm or dehumanize others.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Dave Hamilton

A Classic Premieres in Chicago!

‘Liliom’ The Joffrey Ballet opens its 2026-27 season with the Chicago premiere of John Neumeier’s landmark narrative ballet “Liliom.” Inspired by Ferenc Molnár’s 1909 play and later the basis for the musical adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel,” Neumeier’s adaptation follows Liliom, the charismatic but self-destructive carnival barker whose fierce love for Julie, a young working woman, is unraveled by pride, poverty, and rage. Set amid the dreamlike, faded glamour of an American amusement park during the Great Depression, passion turns toward crime—and ultimately, tragedy. Granted a chance to return to Earth after death, Liliom confronts the consequences of his choices and attempts one final act of grace. W hat remains is a stark reckoning with guilt and the fragile possibility of redemption. “Liliom” takes shape through multi-Academy Award®-winning composer Michel Legrand’s evocative score, blending classical and jazz influences that echo a restless America. For its Chicago premiere, “Liliom” features live music performed on stage by the 16-piece Rob Parton’s Jazztech Big Band in concert with the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Nathan Brock. “Liliom” takes place for 10 performances only at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, from September 17–27. Tickets start at $41 at joffrey.org .

Better the Devil You Know!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Witch’ A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. As the devil returns to convince her – and then returns again – unexpected passions flare, alliances are formed and the village is forever changed. An inventive retelling of a Jacobean drama, this sharp, subversive fable debates how much our souls are worth when hope is hard to come by. Idle Muse Theatre Company presents “Witch,” through October 10, at The Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. Tickets are $20 or $30, with $50 “pay it forward” tickets that assist in subsidizing tickets for those who may not be able to access the production otherwise. Student, senior and group discounts are also available at IdleMuse.org

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Love Isn' t in the Air!

‘I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire’ To cope with the absence of her father, neglect of her mother and ridicule by her classmates, eighth-grader and president of the Tobey Maguire Fan Club, Shelby Hinkley decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire and marry him in her basement.

Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic, heartthrob actor she thinks she knows, while Tobey does everything he can to escape the clutches of his number one fan. A Y2K farce, “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” is a full-throttle explosion of our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them. Presented by Refracted Theatre Company, September 18 - October 31, at Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are $12-$40 + fees at RefractedCo.com

Polar Opposites!

‘Topdog/Underdog’ Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride. The deck is stacked with a Tony Award-winning director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and a tour-de-force showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood.

“Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!” “Topdog/Underdog” will play a limited engagement September 17 — November 1 at Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $20-$124 at steppenwolf.org

Father/Daughter Examination!

‘Birds of North America’ A Red Orchid Theatre presents a remount of its critically-acclaimed, father-daughter drama “Birds of North America,” returning through October 4 at 1531 N. Wells St. John and his daughter Caitlyn are birders. As they scan the skies over their backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, years go by. Relationships begin and end. Children grow up and parents age. "Birds of North America" takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding. Tickets are $61 at aredorchidtheatre.org

No White Flag!

‘The Further We Roll’ Tied to the upcoming midterm elections, this exhibition is a collaboration with the national organization Make Art with Purpose (MAP) on the Lillstreet Art Center rooftop, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave., with four dramatic artist-created flags honoring Civil Rights Leaders and the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, on display through November 6. Artist flags include: Aram Han Sifuentes honoring Dr. Mabel Ping Hua-Lee (pictured); Annette Lawrence examining the ratification of the 19th Amendment; Táhila Moss (aka Tahila Mintz) honoring Indigenous Women Knowledge Carriers; and Lissa Rivera honoring Jennie June.

Broadway is Alive!

‘New Faces Sing Broadway 1976’ Porchlight's signature series showcases Chicago music theatre's top up-and-coming artists celebrating an entire Broadway season in 90 minutes with songs of that era, games and even sing-a-longs. Songs include “Chicago,” “A Chorus Line,” “Pacific Overtures,” “Bubbling Brown Sugar” and others. Playing Setember 15 & 16 at the Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. $71 at porchlightmusictheatre.org

Hallelujah!

'Late Nite Catechism Trivia Bingo' / 'Holy Ghost Bingo' Vicki Quade’s religious comedy arises in a new venue, the Stars & Garters Theater, 3914 N. Clark St., and promises to have you laughing your sins off! "Late Night Catechism" plays on Sundays, September 20 & 27 at 2 p.m. Starting in October, "Holy Ghost Bingo: God, Goblins, & Games" returns for Sunday, 3 p.m. performances as well on October 4, 11, 18 and 25. The second show follows Mrs. Mary Margaret O’Brien, a former nun, while she raises money playing bingo and talking about Halloween traditions. $35-$40 at starsandgarterstheater.com

Sitting Up in My Room!

‘The Attic: Things I’ve seen Lying on my Back’ Inspired by trapezist Shana Carroll’s mesmerizing life story, a company of fearless performers transforms her memory into daring aerial feats that are as moving as they are breathtaking. In the air, on the floor and from the heart, The 7 Fingers brings its “thrillingly modern brand of circus” (Time Out New York) to The Goodman, 170 N. Dearborn St., in this moving new work that embraces the fear and courage of being human. Playing through October 4. Tickets are $34-$139 at GoodmanTheatre.org/attic

A Reflection of Real Life!

‘The Humanities’ Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., presents the World Premiere of “The Humanities,” by playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn (pictured). It is a provocative, ripped-from-the-headlines story that explores the events after a controversial speaker is invited to lecture at an elite American university. “I wrote 'The Humanities' years ago, thinking about the forces that seemed to be tearing America apart and leaving the country vulnerable to an authoritarian takeover,” said Ayers Dohrn. “If anything, the themes of the play – identity, race, protests on college campuses, and political violence – have only become more relevant, and this feels like the perfect moment to premiere a new play about the impulses that divide us and about our collective search for a more perfect union.” Now playing through October 4. Tickets start at $55 at eventbrite.com

www.streetwise.org

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Vendors John Hagan, Russell Adams and A. Allen chat about the world of sports.

SPORTSWISE

Rooting for The Fighting Illini John: The Fighting Illini are preparing for a football season in which they could land in the playoffs. They achieved one thing they have not before in school history: back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2024 and 2025. But they also have the most winnable schedule on the board going into the 2026 season.

Going against them, however, is massive turnover in the roster: they have 56 newcomers in the program, and they lost some key players in the front six on defense. Unless the newbies perform like gangbusters, opposing teams could have the opportunity to move the ball against the Illini defense. They also lack experience at backup QB. They have four new offensive linemen. It will take time for those opposing linemen to gel behind Brandon Henderson.

They have a stable quarterback in Katin Houser. He provides leadership for the program. This is his second transfer. He initially went to Michigan State in 2022 and 2023, then to East Carolina in 2024 and 2025, so he is a fifth-year senior. They also have a standout in Xavier Scott, who I think is overrated but he’s spent his whole career at Illinois.

His best year was 2023 with 48 solo tackles, nine assists,

57 combined and two interceptions.

Russell: They won’t make it. They can win at least 11 games, but they have to beat Ohio State and Oregon. If they win 11 games and only lose two, one of them has to be Ohio State or Oregon. The rest of the teams are under .500, not so good. The only thing I am worried about is the offensive line, which has four new guys. The quarterback needs protection. They got good defense. I think they got a chance.

Allen: I am like Russell. On September 25 they play Ohio State. That’s the temperature of what the team is really like. I like their coach and their wide receivers.

Collin Dixon in particular has received 35 attempts for 548 yards. He has played 13

games and started 10 as wide receiver. He is also captain of the team.

Oregon, No. 2, they don’t play them until October 24.

That’s a long time to wait, so that’s why Ohio State is a gamechanger to me.

John: Even though the Illini has Iowa as one of their crucial games in November, I don’t think that’s quite the same barometer as No. 1 Ohio State and Oregon. Even if they lose to Ohio State in overtime, they will only have some credibility if they beat Oregon, because you look at their lightweight schedule: UAB is a mid-major, so is Southern Illinois; you have poor teams in Purdue, Maryland and UCLA and you have mediocre teams like Northwestern and Michigan State.

Russell: Indiana shocked the whole world last year by

going undefeated, beating Ohio State and winning the first-ever national college championship, so you never know.

Allen: One thing Illinois’s got is a good quarterback.

They need to find a backup just in case.

John: If the Illini beat Ohio State, the thing they have to worry about is the letdown the next week against Purdue, and if they beat Oregon, the letdown is Maryland.

Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

LIKE A

ROLLING STONE

by Doug Wallen

When I told friends that I was writing about the new Rolling Stones album, I got the same reaction every time: “There’s a new Stones album?” (StreetWise described the album cover designed by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, who spent grade school in the Robert Taylor Homes. https://issuu. com/streetwise_chi/docs/july_20_-_26_2026)

They shouldn’t be. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are survivors in every sense of the word. They have adapted to changing eras (see sidebar), knowing just when to dabble in disco or dig back into the earthiest of blues. They haven’t always gotten it right, and there wasn’t as much pressure to keep cranking out hit albums once their tours became the main attraction.

“The Rolling Stones Continue Their Late-Career Winning Streak,” headlined Rolling Stones Magazine’s review of the album. “More guitar-centric and holistically Stones-y than their last outing, the latest from the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll band is built to satisfy.”

Ultimate Classic Rock quoted Jagger at a launch party in New York that, even though the band members are old enough to collect pensions, they still have plenty of reason to make music.

The Rolling Stones (Kevin Mazur photo).

COVER STORY

Whether that’s because longtime drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021 or the release of 2023’s Hackney Diamonds didn’t quite register in today’s splintered attention economy (Grammy Award and multi-platinum notwithstanding), people were truly surprised that The Stones are still releasing new music.

But there’s a reason why the band sneak-released the first two singles from their new 14-track album under the joke name The Cockroaches: they simply keep hanging around (like cockroaches, get it?). Long after so many of their contemporaries have flamed out, The Stones persist.

You could argue that their best days are well behind them – though I actually think that the quality of Foreign Tongues represents a best-case scenario for a new Stones record in 2026.

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"You say, you know, 'You've got nothing to prove to me.' The Stones is a rock band...but the Stones also has the ability to do ballads and country music and dance music and so they run in a gamut of all these styles. So it's not stuck in one particular style. Just, you know, over the years, we've loved all kinds of music over our lives... so we express that in the way we record and the songs we write."

Keith Richards added: "It's quite possible that there's still more in there. And that's what we look for.

There's gotta be more!"

“Foreign Tongues finds the band sounding joyful, restless, and remarkably alive,” said a Rolling Stones fan on Reddit.

Jagger, Richards and Wood brought the album to life in less than a month at Metropolis Studios in West London, reuniting with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt.

Core collaborators included Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan. Charlie Watts even makes an appearance, captured during one of his final recording sessions. Guest artists include Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, Robert Smith (The Cure) and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Stones have been around since 1962 and this isn’t the first time that they have been counted out. There was the poorly received psychedelic detour of 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request and the comparative patchiness of 1973’s Goats Head Soup, after a dream run of classics that included Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main St. (1972). Yet even those outliers yielded gems like “She’s a Rainbow” and “Angie,” respectively.

Going further back, there was once a question about whether the band could even write their own songs, having exploded onto the London scene with a potentially short-

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DID YOU KNOW...

StreetWise vendor D'Rone is a massive Rolling Stones fan, and has even had the opportunity to hang out with them on multiple occasions! His connection to them has introduced him to a long list of other celebrities, including Harrison Ford!

lived mix of rhythm and blues covers and cocky attitude.

Thus the (very possibly apocryphal) tale of then-manager Andrew Loog Oldham locking Jagger and Richards in a room until they emerged with original material. Skipping ahead a couple of decades from there, nobody would regard mid-80s fare like Undercover (1983) and Dirty Work (1986) as proof of the band’s creative invincibility.

Yet they always circle back around and recapture what makes them The Stones: the perfect riff, a coolly flippant lyric and one of music’s defining frontpeople. It helps that they have a prodigious enough back catalogue – now sitting pretty at 25 studio albums – to fuel endless arguments about which records and songs are their best. For the record, I usually cite Sticky Fingers as my top pick, despite it harboring more deep cuts than proper hits.

Speaking of Sticky Fingers, that album recently came up as an answer in an outdated edition of Trivial Pursuit that I was playing with my 16-year-old son. It was a question about the famous jeans-and-zipper LP cover, designed by Andy Warhol, and my son was clueless about the whole thing. I stepped into the next room and emerged with the well-worn vinyl album – protruding zipper and all – before slipping it back alongside the many other Stones records in my collection.

That might just be a useful metaphor for what The Stones’ legacy will be, once time finally does get the best of them.

Younger generations may not immediately get what all the fuss was about, but the records will be sitting right there – waiting to be discovered.

Courtesy of The Big Issue Australia / INSP.ngo -Suzanne Hanney contributing The Rolling Stones (Mark Seliger photo).

The Playlist

The Rolling Stones have adapted their sound for more than half a century. Here’s a track from each decade of their catalogue, showing how evolution, consolidation and occasional reinvention have kept the band in the public eye (and ear).

1968 ‘SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL’ By the tail end of the 60s, The Stones had already given us undying tunes like "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" and leaned into dusty country on Beggars Banquet. The record opens with this flamboyant character study of the original antihero, paving the way for “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” But this one song really captures The Stones in their maiden decade, creating something unmistakably their own.

1978 ‘MISS YOU’ The band had already flirted with disco, but “Miss You” is a targeted stab at a genre that would soon lose its wider sparkle. Informed by Jagger’s time living in New York, this snarky ode to romantic desperation proved that The Stones’ blues strut and bar-room iconography could be transplanted to other contexts.

1981 ‘START ME UP’ The 80s wasn’t the best decade for Stones albums, with cheesy synths and other trendy touches creeping into their palette. Yet "Start Me Up" felt fresh enough to complement their endless touring, while remaining instantly recognizable.

1997 ‘ANYBODY SEEN MY BABY?’ Jagger and Co. felt less relevant during a decade when grunge gave way to rap and boy bands as dominant cultural forces. Still, the group was more willing to experiment here – right down to sampling rapper Biz Markie and unconsciously pulling from a k.d. lang song. It’s not classic Stones, but its balance of brooding grooves and junkyard flourishes feels rooted in the spirit of the 90s.

2005 ‘ROUGH JUSTICE’ The Stones only released one studio album during the 2000s, but this track kicks off A Bigger Bang with typical swagger. Jagger delights in referencing his onstage rooster routine in some passing lyrics, while Ronnie Wood’s gritty slide guitar grounds this blustery romp.

2016 ‘JUST YOUR FOOL’ The all-covers album Blue & Lonesome could easily have fallen flat, but the band got raw and dirty on this extended Valentine to their earliest influences.

The selections are fairly obscure even for a blues fan, including this short opener originally recorded by bandleader Buddy Johnson.

2026 ‘DIVINE INTERVENTION’ Beyond the novelty of hearing The Cure’s Robert Smith playing guitar alongside fellow guest – and musical chameleon – Steve Winwood, this is a solid example of what The Stones’ latest album gets right. It feels like a casual allstar outing, elevated by producer Andrew Watt’s gift for legible noisiness. www.streetwise.org

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groundbreaking for memorial to survivors of police torture

by Stella Kapetan

The Chicago Torture Justice Memorials Foundation (CTJMF) and the City of Chicago held a groundbreaking ceremony in July at 5520 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for the Chicago Torture Justice Memorial that that will honor the survivors of police torture.

Between 1972 and 1991 Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and the detectives he commanded tortured more than 150 people on the South Side, predominantly African-American men and teens, in order to extract confessions and long prison terms for crimes they did not commit. They used electric shock to the genitals and other areas, suffocation with plastic bags over the head, beatings and mock executions, as well as racial and other dehumanizing, derogatory slurs to break their will.

“This memorial means everything to me because it is about the truth,” Anthony Holmes, torture survivor and Vice President of CTJMF, said at the ceremony. “It is about the torture Burge and his men committed and everything that we, the survivors suffered. Building this memorial means that Chicago has finally heard what we had to say, when for decades no one believed us.”

FROM THE STREETS

Survivors and their families provided input into the memorial’s design. They also provided quotes that will be etched in the surrounding paths. The memorial will include a timeline telling the story of the racially motivated, systematic practice of the torture, exposure of the truth, accountability and the awarding of reparations. Lush gardens will serve as a venue for events such as educational presentations for students.

The memorial is part of the reparations package authorized by the City Council in 2015: a monetary reparations fund for victims, free tuition at City Colleges of Chicago, job reentry assistance, family and psychological counseling to victims and their immediate families and a Chicago Public Schools curriculum about the Burge case. The City Council issued a formal apology and Mayor Rahm Emanuel did so on behalf of the city in 2013.

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James Marshall, age 70, was among the survivors at the ceremony. He was a 32-year-old former Marine in 1988 with “not so much as a jaywalking ticket in Chicago,” he said, when detectives came for him after his ex-wife’s daughter was found dead. He said detectives beat him for a half an hour in an interrogation room the size of a bathroom and then hung him upside down by his ankles from a third floor window with pointed guns for about 30 minutes. More beatings followed.

They then had him sign a fabricated confession.

“Twenty-four hours is a long time to be beaten and tortured,” he said. “I knew they would have continued to beat me if I didn’t sign it.” He served 30 years and four months for murder and rape despite having a receipt bearing his name from an auto parts store seven miles away. A post-conviction review included a DNA test that found no traces of Marshall’s DNA on the victim’s clothing.

“This is a long time overdue,” he said about the memorial. “I’m glad to see something done about it. It has been a lot of years waiting for it.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson looked directly at the survivors seated in the first two rows and said to them: “We deeply, deeply apologize for the torment and the torture that you and your family experienced.”

He also summed up what the day was about. “Today, we honor the survivors whose courage forced our city to confront one of the darkest chapters in its history while fulfilling the promise we made to the survivors of Jon Burge and their families,” he said. “Black Chicagoans had years of their lives, opportunities and dignity stolen from them leaving generations to carry the trauma of injustice. This memorial cannot undo that harm, but it will stand as a permanent reminder of the trust, a tribute to those who endured it and a promise that Chicago must never look away from injustice again.”

The memorial is expected to be completed in the spring of 2027.

Top: Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers remarks (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Office of the Mayor photo).

Second Row: Torture survivor Anthony Holmes (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Office of the Mayor photo).

Torture survivor James Marshall, who was hung upside outside a 3rd floor window (Stella Kapetan photo).

Third Row: Some of the survivors who attended the groundbreaking (Vashon Jordan Jr. / Office of the Mayor photo).

Bottom: A rendering of the memorial, expected to be completed in 2027. (Rendering

by JAQ Corp Int, P.C.)

Preserving Chicago’s Heritage,

C

RVATI SE

ON

PreservationChicago.org

PRE

Eric Allix Rogers

one building at a time.

HI

C AG

Love Your City Fiercely!®

O

Tiffany Mosaic Ceiling (1907) At Marshall Field’s / Macy’s on State Street Over 1.6 million pieces of iridescent favrile glass comprise the 6,000-square-foot barrel-vaulted mosaic ceiling designed by Tiffany Studios.

Designated a Chicago Landmark on November 1, 2005 Ward Miller Richard H. Driehaus Executive Director of Preservation Chicago

(312) 443-1000

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WMiller@PreservationChicago.org

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Douglass Park prepares for upcoming monument to victim of police violence

by Destiny Marinkovic

Douglass Park’s upcoming new monument, The Rekia Boyd Monument Project, will enhance the message of “healing [and] celebrating one’s life and memory,” said Scheherazade Tillet, co-creator of A Long Walk Home. The art organization is known for empowering young people to end violence against girls and women.

Working on this project for over a decade, the organization anticipates announcing the chosen monument design this year. It will serve as a memory of Rekia Boyd, a 22-year-old Black woman fatally shot by an offduty police officer who was acquitted and then unable to be recharged and retried because of double jeopardy.

“Her story almost got buried because of the narrative that women weren’t impacted by police violence,” Tillet said. “How do we take something that was horrible but also celebrate the healing, celebrate the person? It’s important to tell these stories in a way we can live with them.”

Down to the last two designs, A Long Walk Home aims for the monument to embody Rekia Boyd as a person, a human being—cherishing her memory as a young adult, a daughter, sister, and friend while also spreading the culture of Black Girlhood.

“It was a day of joy. [Rekia] was listening to music…on her way to a corner candystore with friends,” Tillet explained.

“She was studying to become a nurse. When she came into a room she was always joking, making people laugh.

She was such a loving person, such a joy.”

Reflecting Rekia’s personality, the project will exude the positivity and happiness she possessed. “Her favorite

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color was yellow, and we want to put that in our work,” Tillet declared. “She loved sunflowers. She’d dot her name with a heart instead of an ‘i,’ so we took on hearts to be a symbol of who she really was.” Constantly spreading joy and positivity, the organization wants to emphasize Rekia’s life, inspiring others to open their hearts as she did.

Not only will the monument celebrate Rekia Boyd’s legacy, mourning and honoring her life, it will reflect Black Girlhood, bringing to light the power girls and young women possess, emphasizing their strength and determination to create a safer, stronger community.

“Black Girlhood is a combination of two things,” Tillet said. “[I]t’s about cultural heritage amongst Black people, specifically Black girls, and [it’s about] childhood.” The monument will serve as a reminder of a culture filled with traditions, music and rights of passage embodied within each girl and young woman.

“Even at the age of 5, Black girls are seen as adults… which creates harder punishments and schooling…and oversexualizing these young kids,” Tillet informed. The societal pressures Black girls had and continue facing force them to mature all too quickly. Embracing Black girlhood, and reclaiming space to represent it, reinforces one of the organization’s goals of “allow[ing] children to actually be children.”

The establishment of this public art will reclaim space, redirecting joy, history and attention toward a community filled with love, intelligence, family and creativity. “Rekia’s younger self is celebrated,” Tillet said. “The people that helped us and inspired us can see themselves in this work.” It’s a representation of the “certain demographics that are really engaged in this work.”

This will be one of the few Chicago Monument Projects remembering a Black woman created by a team of Black

women. Bringing to life the “unique aspects of Black girls who are often overlooked,” such as cultural producers, innovationists and leaders. The project will “honor the joy and contributions black girls have made.”

Rekia Boyd’s monument is a form of artistic justice. It will balance a tragic remembrance while encompassing the kind and loving soul Rekia was. She will be a symbol for Black Girlhood, embodying the strength, compassion and healing that girls and young women will embrace every time they gaze upon the monument.

Destiny Marinkovic is an English BA graduate with a lit minor. Completing a novelette while drafting a novel, her works won the Lively Memorial Award and are published in The Prairie Light Review & Midwestern Voice magazines.

Destiny aids the literary community, gaining greater experience while working on graduate applications.

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the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the s 1 to 9.

Streetwise 8/23/21 Crossword

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

Sudoku

8 9 4 1

Crossword Across

4 1 5 2 9 7 7 2 6 4 2 9 7 3 8 1 5 2 5 3 9 ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com

7 Rewards for 36 Sicilian peak waiting 37 Skyrocket 8 Solitary 38 Ultimate 9 Fuzzy fruit ending 10 Blue-pencil 40 Via 11 Time past 44 Cobbler’s tool 12 Winter toy 49 Actor 15 Test choice Guinness 21 Speech 51 Draft pick problem 53 Simulated 23 Capture 56 Crumbs 26 Roasting rod 58 Obtuse 28 Like some 60 Tropical fruit buckets 61 Pismire 30 Saw 62 After cross or 32 The Brady wild Down Bunch 63 They’re 1 River divider housekeeper inflatable 2 Bypass 33 Lawn 64 Blubbers 3 Scientist’s tool ornament?

65 Forest unit 4 Tart plum Curved 66 Hindu garment Copyright 34 ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com molding 5 Following 67 Zest 35 Egg container 70 Propel a boat 6 Charters 68 Fictional hunchback 69 Get into shape 71 Rodin sculpture at the Met 72 Choir attire 73 Tender spots 74 Scream star Campbell 75 To be, in old Rome 76 Off the mark 77 Midge

Copyright ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com

©PuzzleJunction.com

answers from Aug. 31 edition Sudoku Solution Solution

Sudoku Solution

7 3 6 1 5 8 4 2 9 9 2 8 7 4 3 6 1 5 4 1 5 2 9 6 8 3 7 1 4 7 3 8 5 9 6 2 5 8 3 9 6 2 1 7 4 2 6 9 4 1 7 5 8 3 3 9 4 8 2 1 7 5 6 Find your 4 8 6 7 nearest 1 5 3 9 2StreetWise 8 5 2 6 7 4 3 9 1

Vendor at www.streetwise.org

1 Greenland sight 6 Actor Stoltz 10 “Excuse me …”

14 Maui neighbor 15 Doll’s cry 16 Remote button 17 Roasters 18 Arctic or subarctic grouse 20 Musical aptitude 21 Time zone 23 Sticky stuff 24 Antediluvian 25 Be different 26 Pandora’s boxful ©2021 PuzzleJunction.com 28 Angioplasty target 8 Created 62 Impish 40 Centrist 31 Launch mentally 65 “Bolero” 41 Dashboard 35 Stitched 9 JFK’s composer gauge 36 Scout group daughter 67 Maple genus 42 Part of a 37 Equal 10 Brest friend 68 French thunderstorm 38 ___-fi 11 Scorsese’s noodle?

45 Favorite 39 Burn slowly first 3D film 69 Popeye’s gal 48 Henpeck 43 Needlefish 12 Footnote abbr. 50 “Hud” Oscar 70 Undertaking 44 Canvas cover 71 God offended 13 Repair winner 46 Keats creation 19 Shed

by Daphnis 51 Defective 47 Biscotto 22 Arid 72 Went white 53 Evanesces flavoring 25 Flying geese 54 Little row 49 Elegance formation 55 Type of type Down 51 Slanted 27 Not guzzle 56 Cans 52 Swarm 28 Helpers, 1 Sheet of ice 59 Like Darth 53 Eye tooth briefly 2 Bandung Vader 54 Jacuzzi 29 Summary locale 60 “Scream” star 57 Metric 30 Spin 3 Humdinger Campbell measure 31 Goldbrick 4 Sprinted 61 Coaster 58 Recipe 5 Scraps 32 Auspices 63 Perturb instruction 6 Hollow 33 Needle 64 W.W. II inits.

59 U.S.N. officer 7 Kind of race 34 Miscalculated 66 ___ provençale

Buy the Magazine, Take the Magazine When you buy the magazine, take the Vendors purchase the magazine, and read magazine for $1.15 and the magazine, you sell it for $3 plus tips. are supporting our The vendor keeps all of microentrepreneurs earning their earnings. an income with dignity.

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All vendors go through an orientation focusing on their rights and responsibilities as a StreetWise Magazine Vendor. Authorized vendors have badges with their name, picture and current year.

New vendor orientation is every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. at 2009 S. State St. Find your nearest vendor at www.streetwise.org

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How StreetWise Works StreetWise exists to elevate marginalized voices and provide opportunities for individuals to earn an income and gain employment. Anyone who wants to work has the opportunity to move themselves out of crisis.

StreetWise provides “a hand up, not a handout.”

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