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AUSTINWEEKLY news ■
Vol. 33 No. 13
Austin nonprofit opens permanent home for young moms,
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March 27, 2019
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
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PAGE 6
Davis endorses Preckwinkle, page 8
Developers update proposed North Ave. Sears proposal Seritage reveals more detailed, altered plans for site By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
It was literally standing room only at Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s (29th) March 20 community meeting on the redevelopment plans for the Chicago portion of the former North/Harlem Sears site. A little under a year after the initial proposal was unveiled during Taliaferro’s April 18, 2018 community meeting, the developers came back with an altered, more detailed vision. The plans call for turning the Sears store building into a mixed-use development, with branches of an unnamed “national grocery store” chain and “national health club” chain occupying the first floor and apartments on the floors above. The developers are also planning to build apartments and townhomes on the parking lot north of the Bank of America building, with the buildings wrapping around a resident-only parking lot in the middle. See SEARS on page 4
WENDELL HUTSON/Contributor
GENTLE TRANSFORMATION: From left: Styles 4 Kidz Founder and Executive Director Tamekia Swint; adopted mom Laura Basi; and hair stylist Lyneshia Franco, attend to Basi’s 3-year-old son Steven as he receives hair treatment.
Business assists with adopted kids’ hairstyles Styles 4 Kidz does hairstyles, gives advice to non-black parents of black children By WENDELL HUTSON Contributing Reporter
Nine years ago, Tamekia Swint noticed an uptick in the number of black children adopted by non-black families. The realization prompted her to start a nonprofit organization that teaches parents how to care for their children’s hair. Today, Swint serves as the executive director of Styles 4 Kidz in Oak Park. The
organization offers paid classes and workshops for parents on how to wash, comb, braid, and style their black children’s hair. Prices for onsite services, such as parental classes and hair treatment for kids, run between $40 and $150. And appointments can be made online at styles4kidz.org. Swint said most clients are white but some are from other ethnic backgrounds too. “I saw the need for this kind of service as more whites and other non-black fami-
Proud to partner with Austin Talks
lies adopted black children,” said Swint, who is married with a 4-year-old son. “A big misconception a lot of blacks have about whites adopting black children is that they don’t care about these kids and that’s just not true.” She added that besides onsite classes for parents, the organization also volunteers their services at various group homes. See HAIRSTYLES on page 6
austintalks.org INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? Contact Dawn Ferencak 708.613.3329