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October, 2007
It is a story of triumphs and setbacks, of lofty goals and earthly accomplishments earned at an agonizingly slow pace, of substantial change and overriding continuity.
It is a story of Chicago in 1966 and 2006. The story started 40 winters ago in North Lawndale on the city's West Side and spread throughout Chicago's neighborhoods. It ends, for now, in many of the same communities where the...
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September, 2007
Last year, Aaron Bowen was dubbed a "future gay hero" by The Advocate, a national gay and lesbian magazine, but there was a time when he felt more like a victim. The 21-year-old Chicago native spent the past six years living on his own ever since his family found out he was bisexual. "My mom had issues with my lifestyle---which resulted in confrontation and constant conflict," he said.
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September, 2007
"Fighting the Odds" provided insight into the problems of many urban men but included little about their lack of job skills. "There aren't any jobs out there. –¦ If that's what we got to resort to, I'll sell some drugs out there," said one. No jobs? Allstate and Sprint turned down new locations in Chicago and Cook County, offering 1,500 new jobs, in part due to a lack of qualified workers....
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September, 2007
Helen Zia traces the evolution of Asian Americans from a politically impotent ethnic group into a mature and influential voice in her new book, "Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People." The 48-year-old daughter of Chinese immigrants uses her personal journey as activist and writer to chronicle the transformation. "Our demographics and achievements, trials and tribulations,...
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September, 2007
Daniel Seals' bronze complexion has left many people guessing when they try to determine his racial background.
"People will walk up and start speaking Hebrew to me sometimes. They assume I'm Israeli," said Seals, 34, the Democratic Party nominee for Illinois' 10th Congressional District. "An Egyptian guy thought I had this whole kind of North African type of thing. Who knows, but all my...
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September, 2007
Last May, Anthony W. Williams, a longtime pastor in Englewood, met with about 10 residents from Roseland on Chicago's South Side. The residents were upset that a local company was allegedly hiring undocumented immigrants, instead of community members, to staff its meat packaging plant.
Williams' first move was to turn to Rick Biesada, co-founder and director of the Chicago Minutemen Project...
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September, 2007
It was 11 on a warm September evening, and Wayne Hillier was one hour away from the end of his shift. He had spent the last seven hours on his feet, standing guard in Home Depot's garden section on North Avenue. As usual, his right leg was swollen. "My leg swells up every time," he said, shifting from his right foot to the left. A customer approached the door, and Hillier reached out for his bag...
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September, 2007
Everybody's doing it. Throughout Illinois, government workers are bankrolling the campaigns of elected officials. The practice is widespread, the money involved sometimes immense, and the implications potentially troubling: While, by law, anyone can contribute any amount, critics wonder if more than the democratic spirit motivates public employees to give to officials.
The Chicago Reporter...
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September, 2007
Jornell Holley's apartment has been without heat for more than a year, since health problems and surging prices left her with an $836 gas bill. (Photo by Jean Clough)
Jornell Holley has been without heat for a year now. One day late last fall, she came home from work to find the gas in her apartment had been cut off. Although discovering the apartment cold was initially a shock, she realized it...
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