Michael Romain
Communications Director
Kenn Cook Jr.
Communications Specialist
Kamil Brady
Circulation Manager/Sales
Paul Goyette
Photographer
Shardonae Williams
Contributor
Morris Reed
Westside Health Authority/CEO
Karl Brinson
Westside Branch NAACP/President
Bernard Clay
Introspect Youth Services/Executive Director
Michael Romain
Village Free Press/Publisher
CONTACT US at stories@ourculture.us
VISIT US ONLINE at ourculture.us
The Cover
The Good Neighbor Campaign opened a new office in West Garfield Park in January to provide more community services
BY SHARDONAE WILLIAMS Contributor
The Westside Health Authority’s Good Neighbor Campaign, the outreach arm of the Austin nonprofit, opened a second office in January at 4457 W. Madison St. in West Garfield Park.
The new location, which operates in partnership with Mercy Community Development Center, provides vital health and justice services to the community, with a strong focus on community wellness, job development, youth engagement, case management, and violence prevention.
The move highlights Westside Health Authority’s commitment to addressing the systemic challenges facing marginalized communities, particularly in the West Garfield Park area.
The office also houses the Justice Advisory Council (J.A.C.), an entity that “coordinates Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s criminal and juvenile justice reform efforts and community safety policy development,” according to the county’s website.
The J.A.C. has a team of professionals who ensure that young community leaders have access to life-changing opportunities. Their work focuses on implementing employment, mentorship, and violence prevention strategies.
“The opening of this second office is a monumental step in delivering health and justice services directly to the communities that need them most,” said Kenneth King, a job developer for the West Garfield Good Neighbor Campaign.
“The work we do here will lay the foundation for a more equitable future, where community wellness is prioritized,” King said.
The WHA has long prioritized community wellness, and this new office will be a center for programs designed to improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being of West Garfield Park residents.
Alongside medical care, the office will offer wellness workshops, mental health services, and resources for families in need.
Jessica Topps, the assistant director and J.A.C. Coordinator, emphasized that community wellness goes beyond just treating physical ailments.
“It’s about creating a space where people feel
heard, valued, and supported,” she said.
The new office will also help connect residents with critical health services. Vicky Mitchell, a community worker with the Good Neighbor Campaign, said the office helps residents set up medical home appointments, links individuals to mental health resources, and helps people manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension through services like blood pressure and A1C checks that monitor blood glucose levels.
“We want to ensure that people are not just surviving, but thriving,” Mitchell said.
For years, West Garfield Park has been grappling with disinvestment and underfunded public services. WHA’s new office aims to change this narrative by empowering residents with the tools and resources they need to advocate for their rights and fight for justice reform.
The J.A.C. team has been instrumental in holding local law enforcement and the justice system accountable for actions that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. By offering advocacy and legal resources, the J.A.C. empowers residents to challenge unjust practices and demand their rights.
Rev. James Coleman, WHA’s director of community wellness, explained that community involvement will remain a central focus at the new office. Through partnerships with local leaders, activists, and organizations, WHA aims to create a supportive environment where individuals can share their stories, access critical resources, and fight for systemic change.
“This office is a testament to the power of collaboration,” Coleman said. “It’s about bringing everyone together—residents, leaders, and advocates—to work toward a more just and equitable future.”
Following the launch of Leaders Network Financial/Great Lakes Credit Union last year, the Leaders Network, a faith-based social justice organization, has appointed Westside businessman Marseil Jackson, as director of its Business Division.
Jackson, 36, is a radio personality, well-respected activist, and entrepreneur. He owns the Dream Center in Austin, a hub that provides private offices, virtual offices, conference rooms, business setup services, and virtual assistance for entrepreneurs. He also cohosts The Brunch Bunch on Inspiration 1390AM, where he engages audiences on topics of business, community, and faith.
The mission of The Leaders Network’s Business Division includes empowering entrepreneurs with the knowledge and resources to build sustainable businesses; advocating for fair access to capital, contracts, and economic opportunities; and fostering a network of like-minded business owners committed to economic justice and community development.
“Marseil Jackson is one of the brightest young lights in our community,” Rev. Marshall Hatch, co-chair of The Leaders Network. “His leadership demonstrates that our social justice work is being embraced by a new generation. In spite of the chilling civil rights rollbacks in our current political climate, our community will not go back.”
“We are very proud to have Marseil Jackson lead our Business Division,” said David Cherry, the president of The Leaders Network. “Jackson and the younger leaders he will bring into our organization ensure that our civil rights and social justice work will continue into the future.”
Rev. Ira Acree, who also co-chairs the Leaders Network, said Jackson’s appointment “checks multiple boxes. His innovative ideas, dynamic energy, and broad appeal have the potential to propel our organization forward significantly.”
“I am honored to take on this role with The Leaders Network and excited to help drive economic empowerment in our communities,” Jackson said. “For too long, ac -
The Chicago Park District is now hiring for summer jobs that will span from mid-June to early August. The jobs are for people ages 16 and up. The jobs include recreation leader and junior laborer. To apply, visit ChicagoParkDistrict.com/Summer-Jobs.
Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Acting President Nora Leerhsen and other dignitaries for a ceremonial groundbreaking event on March 31 marking the start if major project work to make the Austin Green Line station fully accessible to those with disabilities.
The work is part of the CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) and complements Mayor Johnson’s vision to make Chicago the most accessible city in the world.
“Today’s groundbreaking at Austin Station represents our shared commitment to equity across Chicago,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Accessibility is not a luxury nor is it optional; it is a fundamental right.”
Beginning in June, the main entrance of the Austin Green Line station will be closed for the start of major project work, which is expected to continue into early 2026. Work will include the installation of a new elevator and escalator connecting to the platform; reconstruction of the stairs and a new ADA compliant ramp; extension of the platform; plus other station enhancements. During this time, riders will continue to have access to rail services using the stations auxiliary entrance.
cess to capital, contracts, and resources has been out of reach for many minority entrepreneurs. My mission is to bridge that gap by equipping business owners with the tools, opportunities, and advocacy they need to thrive. When we strengthen our businesses, we strengthen our communities—and that is the foundation for lasting change.”
The Austin-based nonprofit Westside Health Authority installed a temporary ice rink at the corner of Central and Madison in March. The organization is planning a series of events for the Easter holiday.
“Right now, it’s 40-degree weather,” said Justin Hill, WHA’s policy director. “We wanted it to be warm enough so people wouldn’t freeze but cold enough to enjoy ice-skating.”
Hill said funding for the temporary skating rink was provided by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
For more info about the rink, email jhill@ healthauthority.org.
'CHANGING the NARRATIVE '
A
collective effort among different organizations is underway to change how the Westside is perceived and how local stories are told and preserved
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
This April marks 57 years since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a monumental moment in American history that prompted uprisings in cities across the country. In Chicago, the uprisings, or riots as they’re more frequently called, decimated the Westside.
Since then, economic development on the Westside has been stagnant. Recently, however, there’s been some movement among local stakeholders who are itching to revitalize the area (the story on pages 6 and 7 details the specific Westside areas affected by the uprisings).
Perhaps most significantly, the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative and other stakeholders are spearheading the development of the Sankofa Wellness Village—a series of projects along the Madison Pulaski commercial corridor designed to enhance the quality of life for West Garfield Park residents.
But there’s also forward movement in the effort to change the narrative about the Westside, helped in no small part by storytellers like The Culture staff photographer Kenn Cook Jr. and Drea Slaughter, the new executive director of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness.
Other initiatives in community narrative-building on the Westside include Austin Coming Together’s Authentic Storytelling Campaign, an initiative designed to mobilize resources and support for local stakeholders doing the work of news, narrative, art, and storytelling on the Westside. The group met on March 25 for an action-planning session attended by representatives of more than a dozen organizations. Attendees shared a variety of ambitions that will be
The power of photography has always been part of my life. My dad, Kenneth Cook Sr., was an amateur photographer. He had his camera with him every day. I grew up watching him take photos, capturing moments of life. But it wasn’t until years after he passed away that I fully understood the significance of what he was doing. One day, I was going through his old photos, just flipping through the memories, and I was struck by the depth and power of what I was seeing. One of my favorite memories is of a picture my dad took of me when I was a little kid, wearing a Batman shirt. I was standing in a park/ The image is in black and white. It’s simple, but it captures a moment I now cherish. I still have a Batman shirt today, and every time I wear it, I think of that picture. I began to understand how those images told stories—real, raw, personal stories. That’s when I knew I had to pick up a camera myself.
My art is about connecting people to the hidden beauty in this neighborhood, the kind of beauty that often goes unnoticed. As Legler’s artist-in-residence, I’ve introduced people to something special, something they’ve missed. It’s not just about nostalgia or memory. It’s about creating a new understanding of the Westside.
I’ve had people come into the library who hadn’t been there since they were kids. One woman was nearly in tears as she told me she hadn’t visited the library since her childhood, when she used to come with her mother. She thanked me for bringing my work to that space, and in that moment, I realized how my
work is more than just filling a gallery wall. It’s bringing people back to a part of their past, connecting them with memories they hadn’t thought about in years.
But it all circles back to my dad. Seeing his photos again years later, I realized how much of an impact he had on me. Even before I realized it, I had been influenced by the way he carried his camera everywhere. I was just a kid, but now, looking back, I see how those
aligned with specific strategy plans, including the creation of a collaborative of storytellers, curating and coordinating arts events, driving more funding and investment towards arts and culture organizations, creating a survey and inventory of organizations doing the narrative work and understanding their needs, and creating a Westside News Room based in the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation at 5500 W Madison St.
Cook Jr., also the 2025 artist-in-residence at Legler Regional Library, 115 S Pulaski Rd., hosts a weekly open studio session about Westside storytelling. On March 29, he hosted Slaughter and the two had a frank conversation about how collecting and preserving Westside stories.
moments, those images, shaped my understanding of the world. One of my favorite memories is of a picture my dad took of me when I was a little kid, wearing a Batman shirt. I was standing in a park, and the image is black and white. It’s simple, but it captures a moment I now cherish. I still have that Batman shirt today, and every time I wear it, I think of that picture.
—As told to Shardonae Williams
Slaughter was part of the Community Leadership Fellows team that produced “Love Letter To The Westside,” a “historic preservation short film that documents and tells beloved stories of Chicago’s Westside through the lens of 14 prominent leaders.”
“When the people go, the stories go with them and sometimes the pictures go with them,” Slaughter said. “So, this whole generation of stories has not been captured.”
Slaughter said they asked those interviewed a series of questions, including: How was life was growing up on the Westside? What has changed? What has stayed the same? What was the catalyst [for leaving] for those who grew up here but are no longer living here?
Do you have a Westside story you want told in the pages of The Culture? Email stories@ourculture.us
To learn more about Cook’s Legler Regional Library project, call (312) 7467730 or email legler@chipublib.org
In addition to the studio sessions, Cook is inviting Westside residents to share their Westside stories for documentation. In addition to the Legler project, Cook is working with the Authentic Storytelling Campaign on a digital archive for Westside stories.
Watch
’
Visit youtube.com/watch?v=zX6OaKM8vEo to watch the short documentary ‘Love Letter To The Westside’ for free on YouTube.
By Michael Romain Editor
Fifty-seven years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed by an assassin’s bullet, prompting riots in cities across the country.
The following chronology of events is primarily based on the reporting of Hank de Zutter, who covered the riots for the now-defunct Chicago Daily News and published a much fuller account of his reporting in the Chicago Reader in 1988; Janet L. Abu-Lughod’s Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles; and the Report of the Chicago Riot Study Committee to the Hon. Richard J. Daley, published when the riots were over.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1968
6:01 p.m. (CST) | Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and fatally wounded at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He’s rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he’s pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. All three TV networks interrupt their regular programming with the news.
Within minutes of the nationwide news, James M. Rochford, Chicago police deputy superintendent, is meeting with his top aides at police headquarters, 1121 S. State. They decide to cancel days off for the city’s 11,500 police officers in order to preempt retaliatory violence.
The riot study committee report states that during the “early morning hours of April 4 and 5, the citizens residing in the near north
Cabrini-Green housing complex, the west side areas surrounding West Madison Street and West Roosevelt Road, and the south side area including 63rd Street from Stony Island Avenue to Halsted Street were off the streets watching television, listening to the radio or discussing Dr. King’s death quietly among themselves.”
Young people in the city’s ghettos, particularly on the Southside and Westside, meet to plot various collective courses of action. At one meeting on the West Side, “a few older militants” speak of revenge, de Zutter writes. Rev. Virgil Patterson, of the Lawndale Presbyterian Church, 1908 S. Millard, tells the reporter later on that an “eerie silence” permeated the streets.
A gasoline bomb thrown into Calvary Presbyterian church, 4201 W. Jackson, interrupts the silence. The church is destroyed. Police later arrest five blacks, some of whom were at those meetings, and charge them with firebombing the church and four buildings.
Outside of the church fire, police would later say, Thursday night and early Friday morning were without incident.
Before 9 a.m. | Black children arrive at school carrying pictures of King pinned to their clothes. Many students, however, simply stay home.
At predominantly black Marshall High School, 3250 W. Adams, students print out fli-
ers urging their peers throughout the city to “show your respect” for King’s assassination by “staying out of school.” The students, with the help of some adults, circulate the flyers to nearby schools.
9 a.m. | Students start to leave Marshall and walk through the streets. According to one young worker, the students gestured to some of the white shop owners along Madison and Kedzie. Many of the shop owners, sensing violence and vandalism, close their stores. By noon, many would be gone.
At Marshall, school officials discuss holding memorial assemblies, but teachers can’t even hold class.
10 a.m. | By this point, Marshall has been mostly emptied of students. It was an orderly exit, for the most part, school officials say. No violence other than a few garbage fires. Students from Farragut and Harrison high schools merge with Marshall students and march orderly up Kedzie before turning west on Madison. Some stones are thrown, but most of the roughly 1,500 marchers — among them children as young as 7 years old — are peaceful. As they head toward Austin High, 231 N. Pine, the marchers sing “We Shall Overcome” and chant “King is dead.” On the way to Austin High, the demonstrators encounter police resistance.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | The marchers stop in Garfield Park, where some among them make angry speeches. By the time they arrive at Austin High, the group is met by police officers, who decide to take some control of the situation.
Warner Saunders, the director of the Better Boys Foundation and a witness to the demonstration, says this is the point “where nonviolence turned into violence.” Scuffles between the youths and the police breakout.
One Farragut junior recalls that “it was a swell march until then,” but that “some of the militant souls decided they wanted more. They said the whites had killed nonviolence so they must want violence.” Saunders, among others, says that the police overreacted.
Amid the confusion, police fire shots in the air. The demonstrators then leave Austin High and head east on Madison, where they do “considerable damage to stores and shops.”
Some people, formerly part of the mass demonstration, head to the Loop, where they make “considerable noise” and cause “some minor property damage.” By early afternoon, however, a heavy police presence puts an end to the downtown malaise.
Janet L. Abu-Lughod later writes, “Perhaps partly as a result of this show of force, few ar-
rests were made downtown; instead, window breakage, looting, and eventually arson were reported principally back along unguarded West Madison Street within the ghetto.
2 p.m. | The vandalism having begun in earnest, Chicago Police Superintendent James B. Conlisk calls Mayor Daley and requests that he call out the National Guard. The police are “spread much too thin,” de Zutter reports. “Within minutes, Acting Governor Samuel Shapiro, called by the mayor, mobilized the Guard.”
“Fear gripped the city.” Workers carried guns to their places of employment, whites were “pulled from their cars, from buses, from stores they were trying to close.” West Side streets were “impassable.”
4 p.m. | The first fire breaks out on the West Side at a furniture store — located at 2235 W. Madison (blocks from the current site of the United Center) — that had already been looted.
More firebombs follow in quick succession. “As quickly as a store was looted, it was firebombed,” de Zutter writes. Suburban fire departments are dispatched “to man outlying stations,” Streets and Sanitation workers are “pressed into serve as auxiliary fire fighters,” half of the city’s firefighting equipment is in use in “an area bounded roughly by Damen, Madison, Kildare, and 16th.”
7:15 p.m. | The riot has by now claimed its first victim — Ponowel Holloway, a 16-yearold Marshall sophomore who lived at 3946 W. Maypole. He was reportedly shot dead while looting a store at 4135 W. Madison.
Not long after Holloway is killed, Cyrus Hartfield, a 32-year-old who lived at 4113 W. Van Buren, was found at 4113 W. Madison with a gunshot wound to the chest.
11 p.m. | The first units of the Illinois National Guard, tear gas at the ready to disperse rioters and looters, rolled into the streets “in jeeps like American gunboats in the China seas,” de Zutter writes.
SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1968
3 a.m. | The National Guard troops restore some semblance of order back to the streets, although the “fires crackled on.” The police and National Guard make many arrests.
7 a.m. | The looters return, with Daily News reporter Ed Rooney describing the rioting on Roosevelt, Kedzie, Madison and Western as “crucial.” The police, Rooney reported, “were obviously overwhelmed and the National Guard troops were inexperienced and outmaneuvered by the rioters, who seemed to be toying with them.”
12 p.m. | Daley announces a curfew on all residents younger than 21 years old each night from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day and bans sales of liquor and gas-by-the-can. 4 p.m. | Upon the request of Conlisk and Daley, federal troops, deployed by President Lyndon Johnson, are en route to Chicago from bases in Texas and Colorado.
SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 1968
Federal troops arrive in Chicago as cleanup and demolition of unsafe structures begins. Daley extends the city curfew for the second night.
MONDAY, APRIL 8 –
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10 1968
Schools reopen and memorial services scheduled to take place on April 5 are held, but attendance is still low. Many national guardsmen remain on the West Side as the courts process 2,000 to 3,000 riot-related arrests.
On Tuesday, Chicago public schools are “finally closed in memory of King,” [XXX] writes, and many shops in areas where riots took place are closed for the day. Mayor Daley declares “the official emergency terminated” as the national guard begins to demobilize. The mayor also lifts the curfew.
MONDAY, APRIL 15
Mayor Daley holds a press conference to announce the creation of his riot study committee. The mayor take the opportunity to rail against Police Superintendent Conlisk, who Daley said had not followed his orders to “shoot to kill arsonists and maim and detain looters” at the beginning of the riots.
Late last year, WTTW aired “When the West Side Burned,” a documentary on the urban uprising that happened after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. You can watch the documentary for free on YouTube at wttw.com/chicago-stories/ when-the-west-side-burned.
Saturday, Apr 5, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., BUILD Chicago, 5100 W Harrison St | Planning and Planting Your Garden | Discover the joys of home gardening with BUILD Chicago’s new workshop series. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just getting started, these handson workshops offer something for everyone. Learn sustainable gardening techniques, connect with the community, and grow your skills—and your garden. Email kesiahbascom@ buildchicago.org for more info.
Friday, April 11, 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. | Aging Well Together at the KCA (In-Person!) | Celebrate with wellness, food, dance & fellowship. This free program for adults 55 and older is provided by Mather and the Kehrein Center for the Arts. Visit kcachicago.org/upcoming-events for more info.
Thursday, April 17, 3 - 8 p.m., BUILD Chicago, 5100 W Harrison St | Easter Celebration at BUILD | Come enjoy free food, games, and Easter activities at BUILD. We’ll host our annual Egg Hunt, photos with the Easter Bunny plus a bounce house, gaming consoles and more! Email Yesenia Garcia at yeseniagarcia@ buildchicago.org for more info.
Saturday, April 12, 5 - 8 p.m., alt_Space Chicago, 5645 W. Corcoran Pl. | Purple and Pearls Recognition Dinner | The 100 Westside Women of Wisdom and Inspiration will recognize 18 distinguished local women. Doors open at 4 p.m. Cocktail hour starts at 5 p.m. Contact Deborah Williams-Thurmond at (708) 685-5017 or dwprovisionconsultingservices@gmail.com for more info.
Thursday, April 17, 4 - 6 p.m., Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St. | Egg Hunt at Austin Town Hall | Enjoy an egg treasure hunt, arts and crafts, dance with the Easter Bunny, and other activities. Ages 3 to 12. For more info, visit chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Thursday, Apr 17, 6 - 8 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. | Just(Us) Dinners: Sing Sing | Join Kehrein for the third Just(US) Dinner where they’ll bring Black folks from the community together to unpack the struggles and challenges that are unique to their lived experiences over dinner and movie. This month, they will watch clips from the critically acclaimed 2023 film Sing Sing, about a group of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical stage shows through the Rehabilitation Through
the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison. There is a $15 deposit for your reservation that is returned upon your participation in the event. Visit kcachicago. org/upcoming-events for more info. To register, visit brushfire.com/kcachicago/ justusdinners1/596835.
Sat, Apr 19, 4 - 8 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. | If Only for One Night | Join Kehrein for a black tie affair as they bring the sultry songs of Luther Vandross to the Kehrein Center for the Arts. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the show will begin at 4 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to select seats ranging from balcony seating at $45, general admission at $85, and a special VIP ticket at $100 (for the chance to be right up front in the action). Call Sharon at (773) 965-1758 for more info or to buy tickets. Visit
kcachicago.org/upcoming-events for more info. To register, visit https://www.kcachicago. org/event-details/if-only-for-one-night.
Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m. - Noon, Citywide | Earth Day Clean Up | This year marks the 40th anniversary of Friends of the Parks’ citywide Earth Day cleanups. For four decades, they have partnered with the Chicago Park District to gather Chicagoans all over the city each spring to clean and green our beloved parks. Although they have opened up volunteer registration to join cleanup teams, they are still recruiting site captains to be the lead organizer for a park. Visit fotp.org/earthday.html to register to volunteer at a park that already has a lead organizer. If your favorite park hasn’t been claimed, you can register to be a site captain. Email Egna Setiawan at setiawane@fotp.org for more info.
Every Thursday, 2:30 - 4 p.m., 5437 W. Division St. | Overcomers Group Soup Kitchen | The location for this staple event in the community has changed. They will still issue free weekly haircuts (Iimit of six). Contact Maria Moon at (773) 909-2186 or mmoon@healthauthority.org.
Every Wednesday, 8 - 9 a.m., Good Neighbor Center, 5437 W. Division St. | West Garfield Park Prayer Meeting | Join Good Neighbor for prayer. Call (708) 2175108 for more info.
Every Tuesday, 9 - 10 a.m., Three Crosses of Calvary M.B. Church, 4445 W. Madison St. | Mercy Community Development Center | Join Good Neighbor and Mercy Community Development Center for prayer. Call (708) 217-5108 for more info.
Every First Saturday of the Month, 1 p.m., Sankofa Cultural Arts & Business Center, 5820 West Chicago Ave. | Chicago
Westside Branch NAACP | The local NAACP branch meets every first Saturday of the month. Visit cwbnaacp.org for more info.
Every Second Tuesday of the Month, 9:30 a.m. - 11 p.m., Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Blvd. | Leaders Network Monthly Meeting | The Leaders Network is a collaborative of faith and community leaders who organize, strategize, and mobilize to improve the quality of life for the Westside communities and Greater Chicago. Visit leadersnetworkchicago.org for more info.
Every Second and Fourth Saturday of the Month, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., Greater St. John Bible Church, 1256 N. Waller Ave. | GSJ’s Healing Austin Event | Twice monthly on every second and fourth Saturday, the church hosts healing circles that focus on racial healing with open discussions. Adults and teens are welcome. Lunch is provided.
Saturday, Apr 26, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., BUILD Chicago, 5100 W Harrison St. | Earth Day Celebration | Mark your calendars for Earth Day 2025! On Saturday, April 26th we will be celebrating at our Austin campus with recycled art projects, a seed swap, a resource fair, a cooking demo, a film screening, a reptile showcase, and more! Contact Kesiah Bascom at kesiahbascom@buildchciago.org for more information.
By ANOUSHEU ALIE Opinion
Many times, world history materials have presented one-sided viewpoints with limited assessment on globalism. African Americans, in particular, and African people, in general, have been successful in showing how small details are crucial to understanding overarching systems and their tenets. They did this by interjecting different historical storylines to challenge the details. They redirected information that failed to give concrete analyses. They validated their stances with solid evidence and unveiled collective conclusions not only about Africa but other cultures, too.
For example, in Western civilization, Africa’s great cultures have been minimized to mere references of enslaved people leaving the west coast of Africa even though Africa’s existence is between 250,000 and 400,000 years old, making it the oldest human civilization. The first human bones were found in the region known as Ethiopia in 1974. Additionally, reports have given African American inventors the credit for their innovative ideas, such as Madam C.J. Walker’s Black hair products, Garrett Morgan’s traffic lights and firefighter masks, Elijah McCoy’s lubricating oil cup for railroad engines, Marie Van Brittan Brown’s home security, and many more.
bettering African people globally.
African-American Historians like John Henrik Clarke, Chancellor Williams, and Kaba Kamene have proved the vastness of African people’s ethnic structures by delving into the ancient records. All three individuals have given explanations for the migration routes of the first people from the continent into newer settings.
Chancellor Williams, a writer, a sociologist and historian, wrote “The Destruction of Black Civilization: Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D.”, a scholarly book on Africa’s history and the attempts to diminish the grandeur of its civilizations. Williams introduced a few frameworks for the book and in one, he wrote:
“The strength and greatness of the African people can be [mesaured] by how, in the face of what at times seemed to be all the forces of hell, they fought through to survive it all and, rebuilt kingdoms and empires, some of which endured a thousand years.”
Black intellectuals have primarily been on the side of truth-seeking by asking for culturally competent resources because they understood the importance of endowing the future with multifaceted archives. Black activists have been protesting for fair policies in the legal and political spheres. Activists like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, Marcus Garvey, Harry Belafonte, Nelson Mandela, and many others are known for their efforts
John Henrik Clarke and Kaba Kamene have given clarity to academic collections, which have details on life in early Africa, including the birth of Philosophy and Science. In his book, “Who Betrayed the African World Revolution? And Other Speeches,” Professor Clarke expounded on various speeches on the genealogical makeup in Africa and the social issues of African people around the world. Kaba Kamene has been educating audiences for over 48 years with evidence-based conclusions about the Moors, the African dynasties, and the historical significance of the Nile Valley.
The pages of many history books are more complete because of African people and their relentless pursuits to insert invaluable information in books, articles, speeches, and more. They have produced conclusive references for learners to acquire knowledge and for this, Black people everywhere owe them a debt of gratitude.
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
On March 31, a group of workers and activists held a press conference at the massive manufacturing plant at 2035 N. Narragansett in Austin’s Galewood neighborhood. They were there to push the plant’s new owner to prioritize hiring more people from the community and hiring directly over hiring through temporary agencies.
Pennsylvania-based JTM Foods, LLC finalized its acquisition of the Big Texas and Cloverhill baked goods brands from Ohio-based J.M. Smucker Co. for around $40 million in early March. The acquisition included the Galewood plant employing 400 workers like 57-year-old Robert Gary.
Gary said he’s been working at the Galewood plant for about three years and is a direct hire.
“I work 12-hour days from Monday through Thursday,” Gary said, adding that he’s worked in the same capacity at various plants for more than 30 years.
In 2018, Hostess Brands, Inc. bought the Big Texas and Cloverhill brands from Aryzta LLC before selling them to Smucker in 2023.
Edie Jacobs, the founder of Get to Work (GTW), Inc., a community-based job placement nonprofit, said she wants JTM Foods to continue the progress her nonprofit and other activist groups have made at the plant since 2019.
“For a long time, Cloverhill—for decades under the original family ownership and then under Arytza [...] almost entirely excluded Blacks,” Jacobs wrote in a letter she sent to Monty Pooley, the president and CEO of JTM Foods, on March 10. “The workforce therefore did not reflect a huge, local demographic group in the area, which is about 30% to 50% Black.” Jacobs said “the vast majority” of Cloverhill
workers were permanent temporary workers or “permatemps.” In 2019, Get to Work reached an understanding with Hostess corporate officials and began “meeting monthly with local HR for dialogue about shared goals, including improving local application/hiring and reducing turnover.”
Jacobs wrote that after Smucker acquired the plant in 2023, “they failed to maintain this connection” and that since then the bakery has “fallen back on a problematic and costly over-reliance on temporary agencies.”
Jacobs requested that her nonprofit renew its job placement relationship with the bakery
through JTM Foods. She said since sending the letter, she’s heard no response from Pooley or any other JTM Foods representative.
A seven-year union contract expires on May 31. Jacobs and other activists, including those with Black Workers Matter, an Austin-based labor group, said they want to make sure JTM Foods doesn’t use massive temporary hiring to undermine direct hires.
“Local hiring is vital to our community,” Jacobs said on March 31. “Using temp agencies all the time to hire workers is not good. Local direct hiring is good and it means everybody in and nobody out!”
After the press conference, Jacobs and Robert Hudson, an organizer with Black Workers Matter, led the group to the bakery’s entrance where they knocked on the door to speak to JTM representatives. After no one answered the door, they taped letters to JTM from Jacobs and Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps to the door.
Moments later, two JTM representatives— Joe Amboyer, a senior vice president of operations, and Michelle Samluk, a senior HR director—met the activists at the corner of Narragansett and Dickens. Amboyer passed out flyers with a QR code
that urged residents to scan to apply for utility worker and ammonia technician positions at the plant.
Samluk said she only knew about the letter Commissioner Stamps sent to Pooley on Feb. 11 and that he responded to it. Samluk said she did not have details about the president’s response. Pooley could not be reached just before this article went to press.
“We’ve only been in this facility for five weeks,” Samluk told activists. “We took over on March 3. We have two jobs posted right now
and we’re going to have more. We’re evaluating the situation. We only hire community members. We have a temp agency right now, but we are more about direct hires.”
Amboyer agreed to meet with Jacobs on April 1 to talk about direct hiring. Samluk said over 154 people scanned the QR code on the flyer to apply for the positions.
“We’re walking into a history,” Samluk said. “Give us a chance. I love direct hires. I don’t like messing with temp agencies. I’ll tell you that right now.”
‘The Things I Had To Do To Make a Dollar Weren’t Right’
Kevin Johnson, a former temp employee, describes the work
By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Kevin Johnson, Jr., 25, is a lead organizer for Working Family Solidarity, a Southwest Side organization that “strives to educate and unify working families in Chicago and Illinois to create a culture of labor rights education and inter-racial solidarity among low-wage and contingent workers, including unemployed and under-employed workers,” according to its website.
Before he became an organizer, Johnson worked as a temp worker at various manufacturing facilities in Chicago and the suburbs. He told his story about temp work after the March 31 press conference outside JTM Foods bakery in Galewood.
I’d been in and out of temp agency ever since I got out of high school. Less than 60 days after I graduated, my family was evicted and I had to turn to temp work immediately to help them out. From that point, I was in seven to eight temp agencies in Chicago—from the far Westside to the far Southside of Chicago, depending on my living situation. I was living homeless, doubled up, in the back of my car sometimes and temp work was what allowed me to feed myself.
But the things I had to go through just to make a dollar weren’t fair. They weren’t right. There would be days when we would come at 4 a.m. They’d promise you work and when you get there, they’ll tell you randomly after you spent your travel fair that now you can’t work anymore. That hurts. When you’re living in the back of your car and working check-tocheck each week, every dollar counts. There were plenty days I went to sleep hungry and wanted to give up my life because of it.
Temp agencies do their best to keep people who are already low in lower positions. They take advantage of people who are already abused, mentally beaten and battered, and physically impaired and use that against
people and it’s not right.
I once worked for a bakery goods plant in Romeoville. I was living on the South Side and would have to travel from 75th at 2 a.m. on the Red Line to 55th and Kedzie on the train. It took over an hour every day. Then I’d get on another bus that took us an hour away to Romeoville for a shift that started at 7:30 a.m. My average days were 14 hours—two to three hours a day between the transportation given to us by the temp agencies and public transportation from my home on top of the eight- to nine-hour shift.
Most of the time, I worked on the production line. Some facilities are cold breakfast food facilities, so you’re putting frozen eggs up and down all day. I’ve worked at bakery plants where you’re putting bread and stuff in and off trays and packaging them. Sometimes the conditions are unfair. These are really cold conditions.
For the amount of work you’re doing every day and the amount of money the companies are making on the products compared to what they’re giving to workers, the pay doesn’t sit right with a lot of people.
