Sometimes it seems like there are two different versions of this side of Chicago. Media portrayal of the “mean streets” of the South Side can sometimes look like a whirlwind of shootings and low-income housing controversy, but this sensationalized portrait is not the South Side that residents know—as many can attest, life south of the Loop doesn’t always read like a police blotter. And perhaps no one is more aware of this than journalist Natalie Moore: she, like many of its residents, sees in it an area that definitely has its problems, but one that is burgeoning with change and home to a kaleidoscope of people living a wide spectrum of lifestyles. Read the rest of this entry »

In their eagerness to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago, four of the city’s largest foundations have created a multimillion-dollar fund to help neighborhoods on the South and West Sides. These areas would likely see the greatest improvements in infrastructure as a result of the Games, yet they are home to the strongest opposition to hosting them. With this in mind, the fund aims to bring residents into the planning process for the Olympics while offsetting some of their potentially adverse effects. Read the rest of this entry »

“Who here is the next Oprah Winfrey?” Hands pop up around the room. Ron Carter, editor of the Chicago-based South Street Journal, is addressing a room filled mostly with ninth-grade girls from the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School, who are gathered alongside a handful of volunteers, journalists, and activists at the Swift Mansion in Bronzeville. Next, a man named Storm steps to the front of the room and performs a song. He raps about the strength of the individual in making social change. “Music is a movement!” he repeats. Now and then, the sound of chattering around the room drowns out the performance and teachers begin fervently shushing, trying to quell the noise. Beauty Turner’s voice cuts through the cacophony: “We can sing together, but we sure can’t speak together!” This seems to quiet everyone down, and Turner begins to lead the crowd in chanting “No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!” Soon, the crowd is led outside to a yellow school bus. The Ghetto Bus Tour begins. Read the rest of this entry »