"We should not be refugees from our community seeking asylum in spaces intentionally excluding us. And we should not be demonized for what we do with nothing, either." - Eva Maria Lewis, "Chicago: A Land of Wilderness and Oasis" TEDxTeen TEDxTalk Eva Lewis has carefully observed and documented the quest for a grocery store in South Shore, a

St. Sabina Annual Peace March & Rally brings together a cross section of anti-violence voices There was lots of star power amid the hundreds gathered at 78th Place and Throop Street Friday evening for the Faith Community of Saint Sabina's Annual End of the School Year Peace March & Rally. Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Hudson, Will.i.am and former

Arts exposure ain't just about entertaining In a city fueled by a prodigious cultural output — museums, plays, concerts and more — many local youth have never experienced a part of what makes Chicago a world-class city. Jamani, 17, is one of the lucky local teens who have tapped into the Teen Arts Pass Program (TAP) sponsored by

"Party for Peace" memorial brings together leaders, victims, survivors, family, friends and activists January 29, 2013, a young student was shot, her life devastatingly cut short: Five years later, Hadiya Pendleton's story remains an important symbol in the movement to end gun violence — National Gun Violence Awareness Day was established June 2, 2015, what would have

David Rojas, the founder of The Alliance 98 will use the $10,000 grant it received from the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities to remove barriers to employment for young people of color. The Alliance 98 is one of the 132 organizations that received grants to help reclaim public spaces and build community cohesion. Rojas and

By The Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities With summer upon us, Chicago continues to address gun violence with comprehensive approaches that go beyond policing to include employment, education and political activism. JP Morgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and Chicago CRED Managing Director and former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan call on the business community to

Chatham art installation recognizes first responders where they live and serve As a child, Nedra Sims Fears would take a sobering ride to a Joliet cemetery. Her father, a police officer, was shot and killed in an armed robbery more than five decades ago. "Unfortunately, he was killed in the line of duty, and every Memorial Day we

Student organizer shares her thoughts on the day's event As an organizer for the Chicago Die-In, a sister demonstration to the National Die-In on the Capitol Lawn, I was so happy to see how many people actually participated — I did not expect so many students to come from all different parts of Chicago, and to see

Leon Ford, a motivational speaker, social activist and author of "Untold," recently spoke at Northwestern University. He is also a BMe Public Voices Fellow — BMe is an award-winning network of community builders known nationally for defining people by their positive contributions to society. I was at a car wash not too far from my home in

Chicago youth present ideas for advancing and protecting the black community Lisa Beasley, with the Nova Collective corporate learning and communication firm, was calming a team before their pitch. "It's very scary to talk in front of people. If you start to get nervous and your heart starts beating fast, that's perfectly normal. That's human," she said. "I've