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The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 18, 2022
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Ald. Cicely Fleming departs from Council She stepped down after five years serving 9th Ward By OLIVIA ALEXANDER
daily senior staffer @oliviagalex
Iris Swarthout/The Daily Northwestern
Prominent African American figures were painted on a canvas on the first floor of The Black House.
New Black House mural unveiled “Undivided Legacy” highlights Black past, present and future at NU By IRIS SWARTHOUT
the daily northwestern @swarthout_iris
Growing up, artist and creative consultant Dwight White
(Communication ‘16, Medill ‘17) used art as an escape — a way to express himself beyond words. But White only started to take painting more seriously after a kidney contusion forced him to stop playing varsity football at Northwestern.
“While I was at NU, I started exploring other … things that helped me with mental health,” he said. “Art — painting — was one of them.” Now a full-time artist based in Chicago, White has painted
“Undivided Legacy” over the course of six months for NU’s Black House, a place he frequented while a student. The mural represents the past, present and future of NU’s Black students, White
» See MURAL, page 6
Ald. Cicely Fleming (9th) stepped down from her City Council role after Monday’s meeting. She announced her decision to resign in December, citing the job’s toll on her mental health and the recent passing of her mother. “I have been reminded that life is short,” Fleming wrote in her resignation letter. “We forget that as we are busy living. My mother was a fighter and unfortunately, she usually only had time to fight for her own life against the many systems designed to keep her oppressed.” Fleming wrote that her mother would want her to “balance the never-ending fight with the needed rest.” Fleming’s political impact In 2014, Fleming founded the Organization for Positive Action and Leadership, which aimed to achieve racial equity in Evanston through advocacy and civic engagement. The group elevated equity-focused council
and school board campaigns and held education systems accountable for racial achievement gaps before it disbanded in 2021. During her tenure as an alderperson, which started in 2017, Fleming worked on racial equity and community building initiatives, including improving the city’s police complaint process and reworking the Citizens’ Police Review Commission. Early on, she worked to make it easier for people with criminal records to get hired in the city. Fleming was the sole councilmember to vote against the city’s Restorative Housing Reparations Program in March. She told The Daily that while some people couldn’t believe she made this decision, for her, the program doesn’t live up to her moral standards, or “North Star.” “I stand for what I think is free and right and good for Black people, and good for all people,” Fleming said. “That doesn’t always mean that I’m going to support someone just because we have the same African lineage.” Fleming told The Daily she didn’t accomplish everything she wanted to during her council career. She wished she could have made more progress to increase citizen participation in local
» See FLEMING, page 6
NU students talk Public art to color Evanston this July Winter Olympics The Evanston Fourth of July Association planned the citywide project The U.S. has won 21 medals at the Games thus far By IRIS SWARTHOUT
the daily northwestern @swarthout_iris
McCormick junior Jesse Ji first started paying attention to the Winter Olympics in 2018 because of his love for figure skating. “It’s a very musical and artistic sport,” Ji said. “As someone who’s been playing violin for a long time, I like that a lot of the programs that figure skaters skate to was some of the music that I play and enjoy.” The 2022 Winter Olympic Games began Feb. 2, allowing Ji to watch some of his favorite athletes compete. Ji said he has spent the Games rooting for Japan but also enjoys watching U.S. skater Alysa Liu. While he watches skating yearround, Ji said the Olympics is an event everyone enjoys. For some students, like Weinberg junior Greta Lunder, the Olympics are
a time to watch sports not typically showcased on a large scale. “I’m not normally a big fan year-round of any of these sports … I’m mainly a basketball and a football person,” Lunder said. “(The Olympics are) a nice little interval where I can watch sports I wouldn’t necessarily know about or keep up with.” Both Lunder and Ji said they often have trouble finding people on campus to watch the Games with, as Ji said figure skating, for instance, is a relatively niche sport. However, 15-year-old Russian athlete Kamila Valieva’s recent doping scandal garnered national attention. After testing positive for a drug that increases blood flow to the heart, therefore increasing stamina, Valieva was banned from competing at the Games on Feb. 13. A day later, however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed her to return for the remainder of the event because she is a minor. Lunder said she thinks the Olympic committee should either bar minors from competing or change the way minors are
» See OLYMPICS, page 6
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881 Recycle Me
By WENDY KLUNK
daily senior staffer @wklunk
In an attempt to spread color to the least expected places, the Evanston Fourth of July Association is sponsoring a public art project to be displayed throughout the city from July to October. The organization is recruiting nine artists, who will each create a unique design in their assigned ward. Fourth of July Association Celebration Manager Jamie Black proposed the project. He said it was time for the organization to become more involved in the Evanston community beyond hosting Independence Day festivities. “This is really out of my comfort zone,” Black said. “I felt like I needed to step up and take the lead on something because we’re not as relevant as we should be. I feel like we need to do more in the community.” Anyone is eligible to apply to be an artist in the project. Applications are open until Feb. 28 and artists will receive $1,000 for their contributions.
Courtesy of Joshua Valdovinos
One of Valdovinos’ pieces for the public art project in Elgin. The Evanston project is based on Elgin’s storm drain art.
There are three possible locations in each ward for the art pieces, which will be painted near storm drains. Artists will submit original designs based on one of three themes: community, diversity or the Fourth of July. Evanston residents will take precedence, and artists who identify as people of color or members of the LGTBQ+
community are especially encouraged to apply, Black said. Black got the idea for the project from Elgin, where storm drain art decorates the city streets. He said artists beautified storm drains and sewer grate spaces that are often overlooked. Freelance artist Joshua Valdovinos, who was one of the artists for
the Elgin project, said art is a way for him to express himself and let out his energy in a constructive way. “(Art) is something vital for people to have for when they need some creative expression,” Valdovinos said. “Art and painting is just one of the expressions that I use to balance myself out as a person.”
» See PUBLIC ART, page 6
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