Scouting for a seat in the crowded lecture hall of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, it’s difficult not to notice the unusual heterogeneity of the people who are making the task so difficult. Their nametags identify them as University students, neighborhood schoolteachers, pastors, and parents, and all of them are here to learn about a new organization known as the Woodlawn Children’s Promise Zone. Read the rest of this entry »

Juan and Jonathan Zaragoza in their restaurant (Ron Kaplan)

Once in a while, you run across a little gem of a family restaurant that treats its patrons like family. Birrieria Zaragoza is that kind of restaurant, and the first time I visited, I had a hard time believing that they hadn’t confused me for a regular. On my second visit, I was one. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of Taylor Mallory)

“Why not put food and entertainment all under one bun?” Taylor Mallory asks, reciting the slogan of his new food and music webshow, “Music Burger.” Wearing a smart sport jacket and his signature black baseball cap backwards, Mallory doesn’t look stressed, but the musician and teacher has a lot on his plate. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of Court Theatre)

Though only two actors command the stage and the set consists of little more than chairs and a backdrop, Court Theatre’s production of “Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” is filled with an energy and charm that belies its spartan setup. Deftly directed by Ron OJ Parson, the play is served well by the intimate nature of the Abelson Auditorium. Although more obscure and seemingly dated than other work by Athol Fugard (best known for “Tsotsi,” which was made into an Academy-Award winning film), “Sizwe” carries underlying themes of alienation and identity that move the piece beyond its 1970s South African setting. Read the rest of this entry »

(courtesy of Carla Brown)

Primly dressed and smiling in the doorway of her Hyde Park apartment, Carla Brown ushered me in with the warmth and familiarity of a grandmother. Sunlight made the hardwood floors of her apartment glow, and the pink couches in the living room looked cheerful and inviting. She showed off recent finds of reused lamps and rugs with unsuppressed glee. Her kitchen was amply stocked with Indian tea and ghee, and she proudly declared that her students feel free to use it as their own. Brown teaches transcendental meditation (TM), a technique based on reciting mantras that has attracted scores of followers for its purported positive effects. She spent the next hour describing it to me. Read the rest of this entry »

“Baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up.”

–Bob Lemon, Hall of famer, White Sox manager 1977-78

On Sunday, May 2nd, the players and parents of the Canaryville Little League gathered on the corner of 42nd Street and Union Avenue to begin marching in the annual season-opening parade through their neighborhood. Boys’ and girls’ teams gathered amid clouds of red, white, and blue balloons, and SUVs painted with such slogans as “Let’s Go Thunder” and “Brewers Rock.” With the exception of the addition of the University of Chicago pep band, the traditional opening day parade looked much the same as it has for the past 50 years. This year, however, the Little Leaguers had more to celebrate than usual, for the players were marching to a newly restored baseball field, rehabilitated after years of neglect. Read the rest of this entry »

Pasted to the front door of Pilsen’s Casa Aztlán is a handwritten sign that reads, “Donation $15—if unemployed, $5.” Inside the performance space, Benito Juárez and Pancho Villa stare grimly from the mural that covers the walls. Their vibrantly rendered figures are barely visible in the darkened room—every few moments their faces appear from behind a dancing audience member or a community volunteer. The presence of two icons of Mexican progressivism in this makeshift ballroom is fitting: May Day, known as International Workers’ Day outside the United States, is a commemoration of the fight for the eight-hour workday and a reminder of the oppressive conditions that persist for many laborers. In collaboration with Portoluz and Rockotitlan, Casa Aztlán hosts the annual May Day Blast, which celebrates Pilsen’s rich culture while raising awareness of the conditions of migrant workers. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Man Who Saved New Orleans” is the latest play at eta Creative Arts Foundation. Written by Thomas Meloncon, it returns the narrative of New Orleans to the people who were kicked out of the city when Katrina moved in. It tells the story of the Prejeans, an African American family from the Lower 9th Ward who have been relocated to the Houston home of an evangelical cousin. A blind grandfather, a broken mother, a tormented son, and a silent daughter populate the cast list of the family drama that unfolds over two lengthy acts. A host of supporting characters, most notably a snarky, seductive fellow refugee named Eva (played by Ina Houston), add commentary but little complexity to the Prejeans’ struggles. Read the rest of this entry »