Chicago Defender

Let’s Eat: 14 Parish By The Black Foodies

Chef Kenneth Harris (far left) and Owners, Racquel Fields and Tim Bradshaw

Something new and exciting is cooking in the Motor Row District of Chicago’s South Loop.  Racquel Fields has opened 14 Parish, an upscale Caribbean fusion restaurant, located at 2333 S. Michigan Ave.  FYI, the Caribbean Island of Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, hence the name.  When we strolled into 14 Parish on a…

Victory Gardens Theater Presents

BREACH: a manifesto on race in America through the eyes

of a Black girl recovering from self-hate

By Antoinette Nwandu

Directed by Lisa Portes

February 9 – March 11, 2018

There is an adage that states one must learn to love oneself before loving someone else; but what happens when you are the one plagued with so much self-hatred you don’t even know what love is?…

Angelique Collins hopes to be the voice for the next generation in Springfield while representing Illinois’ 25th district in the state house.

The first-time candidate recently stated what’s needed in the state’s capital is a “young mind.” She said an individual without a jaded past, without loyalty to any party, and a willingness to work on both sides of the aisle is what’s necessary moving…

Chicago Non-Profit Raises Funds for “Black Panther” Screenings

Non-profit organization Go for Yours Foundation held an online fundraiser to give youth in Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles an opportunity to attend screenings of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.

Go for Yours Foundation’s founder Erika McCall launched the organization after speaking to students at Julian High School, 10330 S. Elizabeth St., where she shared about her book entitled, Go For Yours.…

As we closeout February, a month that celebrates two things that I hold close to my heart—Black History and Love– I think it apropo that I focus on a combination of the two: Black Love.

Shanita Baraka Akintonde

Black Love comes in many forms and fashions; many shapes and sizes. But for this column, I am going to focus on one type of Black Love: the “say my name, say my name” kind of vibe that…

Donald L. Chatman, M.D. was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1934, the middle son of Dr. Aristotle Lorenzo Quincy Chatman and Eulacie S. Chatman. He was reared in Baton Rouge, LA along with his two brothers, Alfred “Lorenzo” Chatman and Franklin “Lister” Chatman. At the insistence of his parents, who were committed to providing their children with stellar educations, Dr. Chatman attended Mount…

Chicago Defender’s Top 20 Most Influential Political Figures

Chicago’s political environment has had an interesting and dramatic history since the days of the first Black Elected Cook County Commissioner John Jones in 1871. Nearly four decades later during the Great Migration, Blacks relocated from the South bringing with them the red dirt under their shoes from Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. With high expectations of…

This conversation was held as part of the series Defender vs. Offender: Gun Violence; this series attempts to breakdown why gun violence continues to be a prevalent issue in Chicago and what steps we need to take as a community and in politics in order to address and resolve this issue. Feel free to be a part of the conversation on the Chicago Defender website, Facebook page and Twitter. 

JaShawn…

“Chuy” Garcia Campaign Receives Bernie Sanders’ Support

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s race for Congress felt “the Bern” of support that only Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) could provide at a recent campaign rally in Chicago.

The political rally entitled “America’s Progressive Future: Rally with Bernie Sanders and Chuy Garcia” was a standing room only affair by the time Garcia made his way to the podium as he was showered with chants of “Chuy!” The event was held…

Elle Smith

#OnBlackPanther: 10 Takeaways To Think On

If you have a blood Sister, don’t ever sleep on her creative skills and what she can pull off, just for you! Blood is so much thicker than water, and your blood relatives, especially your Sister, can “outfit” you for things that no one else is able to do. PLEASE never fall asleep on your Sister!

You have some people who aren’t blood relatives,…

In the Mix: Rauner and Chocolate Milk Doesn’t Mix Well, Willie Wilson For Mayor?

As we enter the ‘do or die’ stretch of the primaries, media is on standby for pertinent soundbites by the characters of this political drama.

At last week’s Governor Rauner’s Difference Makers Awards during their Black History Month program at the Thompson Center—scrutiny surrounded a special demonstration of diversity in the workplace. The keynote speaker, Tyronne Stoudemire, Global V.P. of…

A South Side hospital has helped itself save more lives of community residents.

South Shore Hospital, located at 8012 S. Crandon Ave., recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening and expansion of its Chemical Dependency Unit from 14 beds to 22. South Shore Hospital president/CEO Timothy Caveney said the project had been in development for a year. The wing was formerly a…

Black girl magic filled the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in downtown Atlanta this week as prominent African American women gathered to discuss ways in which they can continue to grow their political and economic power at the Power Rising Summit, NBC News reported.

Power Rising, a national summit that’s been planned by, and for black women, has kicked off in Atlanta with a roster of celebs,…

Last  week, Mo’Nique appeared on The Breakfast Club  and The View to discuss her Netflix boycott. Both interviews were intense, but Mo’Nique’s talk with  Charlamagne from The Breakfast Club was downright vicious — she compared him to a slave master allowing his wife to be raped by the master. She also continued her harsh comments of Will Packer, who she worked with on 2016’s Almost Christmas(Pack…

Students at Loyola University in Chicago are demanding accountability after campus police took a Black student into custody when he intervened in the police search of two Black men on campus Saturday.

See Also: SMH: College Campuses Are Breeding Grounds For Racism

The incident that prompted the student’s arrest involved the campus police searching two men who were allegedly scalping tickets…

Many Black folks are thinking about the upcoming 2020 election as a boxing match.

They want to bet their odds on a powerful fighter who will knock out Trump and take his heavyweight U.S. president’s title. They envision someone who is fit for the challenge. They want someone who is training for the position. And they need someone who will be a solid champion for people of color.

There are several…

Abeautiful voice is on the horizon, breaking through the Jazz scene with a fresh new sound. Chantae Cann hails from the South Side of Chicago but has called Atlanta home since her childhood, relocating there with her parents at 8. She’s created a name for herself over the years throughout the burgeoning music scene in Atlanta, traveling on the road as a background singer for R&B singer India Arie…