Roots (Community) Archives

Clusters: The Key to Success for Chicago’s Innovation District

Tia Carol Jones - May 15, 2019

“Chicago’s South Side is home to the University of Chicago and its highly-ranked medical center, and the Illinois Medical District on the Near West...

Growing Up Chi Covers City with Comedic Spin

Tia Carol Jones - May 15, 2019

In a nondescript building in an industrial park that sits next to a residential area in the Avondale neighborhood, two men sit at a...

Reverend James Bryson Jr. Reluctantly Answers God’s Call

F. Amanda Tugade, Contributing Writer - May 15, 2019

Reverend James Bryson Jr. didn’t want to answer God’s call to serve the First Church of Deliverance. He said he thought about it, but...

On the Table community engagement event set for May 14

Tia Carol Jones - May 14, 2019

Chicago-area residents and neighbors will gather in conversations across the city and region on Tuesday, May 14, working together to create a memo to...

Chicago Defender Celebrates Milestone Anniversary

Tia Carol Jones - May 14, 2019

The Chicago Defender is celebrating its 114th Anniversary on May 5. It was founded on May 5, 1904, by Robert S. Abbott. The newspaper was...

Mothers, Allies Honor Incarcerated Moms Ahead of Mother’s Day

Pat Nabong, Contributing Writer - May 13, 2019

A week before Mother’s Day, formerly incarcerated moms and their allies stood in solidarity with women in jails and prisons and talked about the...

50 Men of Excellence Shine at Chicago Defender’s Annual Awards Program

Pat Nabong, Contributing Writer - May 10, 2019

50 men dressed in suits and ties strutted and strode into a banquet hall in downtown Chicago as their family members clapped and whistled...

Rap Sheet Day Looks to Help Formerly Incarcerated

Site Editor - April 26, 2019

In 1991, Otis Monroe founded the Monroe Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to educate, link and fund development projects within low-income communities in...