W E D N E S D A Y
December 5, 2018 Vol. 39, No. 18 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Gift Guide
Special pullout section
OPRF grad’s film to reproduce police stop Adia Ivey, Class of 2015, hopes project spreads empathy By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
An Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate and current University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign senior is part of a team producing a short virtual reality film that re-enacts a fatal routine traffic stop from the perspectives of the police officer, the African-American victim, and his grieving mother. Adia Ivey, 22, said during a recent interview that the film’s working title is “The Drive,” and it’s the first production to come out of YouMatter Studios — a media venture founded by Ivey’s friend and fellow U of I student, Jewel Ifeguni, 21, of Naperville. The two women said they’re hoping to release the 10-minute film by next February, which is Black History Month. “I discovered that virtual reality is a really good tool for empathy because you can put people in someone else’s shoes,” Ifeguni said. “I really want this to be a way of healing communities by starting constructive conversations.” YouMatter Studios began as a gaming company that Ifeguni founded out of frustration with the lack of minority and female representation in the gaming industry. See FILM on page 14
TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER/Staff
SIGNING UP: Arti Walker-Peddakotla (left), founder of Oak Park for Racial Equity, solicits signatures for her village board candidacy at a Live Café meet-and-greet on Nov. 30.
New group urges women of color to run Oak Park for Racial Equity holds signature gathering event for candidates
By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
A new organization has emerged in Oak Park and is urging women of color to run for various boards up for grabs in the municipal election scheduled for April 2. Arti Walker-Peddakotla created the
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group Oak Park for Racial Equity to get more voices of women of color into positions of power. Walker-Peddakotla is running for one of three open seats on the Oak Park Board of Trustees – she faces 10 opponents in that race. She said a lot of women of color don’t run because they don’t have a support system.
“We don’t have a huge network of people who are influential at a higher level,” she told Wednesday Journal. Her group held a ballot petition signature signing party at Live Cafe on Nov. 30. Five candidates for local office – Walker-Peddakotla; Cheree Moore for See WOMEN OF COLOR on page 13
SAY Connects presents our next installment in a series of community conversations. Come hear what our young people have to say. January 17, 2019 • Julian Middle School Auditorium: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Registration is Required - RSVP at oakpark.com/sayconnects Email advance questions to: sayconnects@oakpark.com