Status for South Side Weekly NFP

The organization that publishes South Side Weekly and Hyde Park Herald is now classified as a charitable organization.

BY WEEKLY/HERALD STAFF

The IRS has issued 501(c)(3) taxexempt status to the nonprofit that publishes the South Side Weekly and Hyde Park Herald, ending a nearly tenyear-long journey to become a federally recognized nonprofit. The status takes effect retroactively, as of April 1, 2022, when the organization filed its application.

South Side Weekly NFP incorporated as an Illinois nonprofit in 2014 but had not received federal approval due to restrictions around advertising income that, until recently, disqualified many print newspapers from becoming tax-exempt entities.

They join a growing cohort of newspapers in the Chicagoland area making the transition. Notably, the Chicago Reader completed their nonprofit transition last May.

Jason Schumer, the organization’s managing director, thanked the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which paired the nonprofit to law firm Mayer Brown for pro-bono legal assistance for the merger and acquisition of taxexempt status.

“It’s been a long time coming,”

Schumer said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without their support.”

Longtime publisher Bruce Sagan transferred the Hyde Park Herald to South Side Weekly NFP, which publishes the Herald and Weekly as sister news organizations, on July 1, 2022.

The organization is now classified as a public charity and has received nearly $200,000 in foundation support to grow their editorial coverage and build an investigations hub that will work across both papers to source stories from South Side communities. Support comes from Builder’s Initiative, Square One Foundation, Google News Initiative, and the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

Jacqueline Serrato, the Weekly’s editor-in-chief, said, “Joining the growing non-profit journalism ecosystem was the logical next step for the South Side Weekly in its path to becoming a more sustainable, independent and equitable publication.”

Together the Herald and the Weekly reach tens of thousands monthly on the South Side through online and print publishing. ¬

115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St. Saturday, February 25, 3 PM–8 PM. $40 per person, which includes draft beer, wine, pop, water, food and entertainment. Purchase tickets in advance or at the door. bit.ly/SSIrishParadeKickoff

Kick off the 2021 South Side Irish Parade with a party with live musical guests Pat Finnegan & Friends, Liam Durkin and 4 Cast. (Zoe Pharo)

Sacred 4th Sunday: Rooted Ritual and the Practice of Shared Spirituality

4445 S. King Dr. Sunday, February 26, 10 AM–12 PM. Free. bit.ly/ sacred4thsunday

Toni Anderson and MindfulRant are hosting a workshop surrounding what it would be like to come together to co-create a spiritual experience with dialogue, embodying tools, sharing thoughts and ritualizing spirit care. To use a monthly communal time to set an intention and center gratitude around how we’re becoming more whole. Join them every Sunday at the Space Share Lab for sacred grounding and lovecentered sharing. Monthly. (Zoe Pharo)

Quinn Chapel AME Church: History and Preservation

2401 S. Wabash Ave.. Sunday, February 26, 2 PM–3:30 PM. Free, but reservations are requested. bit.ly/ QuinnChapelAMETour

In honor of Black History Month, co-sponsors Glessner House, Friends of Historic Second Church, Second Presbyterian Church and Quinn Chapel AME Church will offer the and it played an important role in the abolitionist movement and as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Many distinguished individuals have spoken from its pulpit, including Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and presidents William McKinley and William Taft. The program will include a presentation on the history of the congregation, followed by a tour of the building (currently undergoing restoration). (Zoe Pharo)

Let it Be Us’ Introduction to Foster Care

Blackstone Branch Meeting Room, 4904 S. Lake Park Ave. Sunday, February 26, 2 PM–4 PM. Free, but registration required. bit.ly/fostercareintroBlackstone

Nonprofit Let it Be Us, in partnership with the Healing Academy, is hosting a series of virtual educational events on topics surrounding foster care and adoption in Illinois. The introduction will be given by event host and artist Lawrence “Binkey” Tolefree, and the hosts of “Black to the Beginning: the Black and Adopted Podcast,” Dr. Samantha Coleman and Sandria Washington, who will discuss their own journeys through adoption and in search of their birth families. Let It Be Us’s Vanessa Baie and Karron Shaw, co-directors of Foster Care Licensing Coaching and Placement Support, and foster care licensing coach Cathy Newbury will also walk you through how to become a licensed foster parent and what it’s really like to be one.

(Zoe Pharo)

Chicago History Museum, 2057 W. 18th St. Saturday, February 25, 11 AM–1 PM. Free. bit.ly/preservingheirloomsandhistories

The Chicago History Museum (CHM) is partnering with 18th Street Casa de Cultural for tips on preserving your own collections of personal photographs, negatives, documents and more. CHM’s curator and civic engagement and social justice Elena Gonzales and director of collections Julie Wronlewski will lead the chat, which will include the best ways to store and care for family history items as well as community dialogue on how to preserve Latinx local histories. RSVP appreciated but not required.

(Zoe Pharo)

Bronzeville Bus Tour

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Pl. Saturday, February 25, 12 PM. Tickets $45. bit.ly/Bronzevilletour

Join Chicago historian and TikTok sensation Shermann “Dilla” Thomas for a deep-dive into the history of Chicago places with a two-hour Bronzeville Bus Tour that kicks off from the south lot of the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The tour covers sites from Provident Hospital—said to be the first place where an open-heart surgery was successfully performed—to Pilgrim Baptist, the birthplace of Chicago music. Come learn about the history of gospel music, house music, the Black “Y,” the Harlem Globetrotters, the South Side Community Arts Center and more.

(Zoe Pharo)

UChicagoBlackConference

The inaugural Black Conference, “Our Future: Envisioning The Black Community Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” will be held at Ida Noyes Cloister Club. The event will begin with an opening reception with food and refreshments, the meeting, and a community fair and mixer with Black organizations within the U. of C. and in the community. The meeting will recognize the proposal for a Black Community Center at the U. of C., and serve an annual reunion for mentorship, strengthening community among students, alumni, faculty, staff and community. The conference is held in collaboration with the Organization of Black Students and the African and Caribbean Student Association and University of Chicago Association of Black Alumni, among others. (Zoe Pharo)

Story time with Author

Theresa A. Hickman: Celebrate Black Children's Book Week

Richard J. Daley Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. Saturday, March 4, 10:30 AM–11:30 AM. Free. http://bit.ly/41sAsj8

In celebration of Black Children's Book Week, join us for a special story time with Theresa A. Hickman, author of I Can.. Just Try! I Can.. Just Try! is about a young girl named Terri who thought she could not do anything because she was just too little. This inspiring illustrated book shows how young Terri learns that she can do anything she sets her mind to, all she has to do is “Just Try.” Terri is now ready to inspire more children just like her, leading by example. Following the reading, there will be enrichment activities and games for children. (Richard J. Daley Library)

Join Peter Honigmann in this selfdefense class designed especially for seniors. The class will focus on being observant, using verbal skills to deescalate a situation, complying with demands for property, and then only as a last resort using very simple selfdefense techniques to disable an attacker, including: the use of a cane or walking stick, improvised weapons such as pens, flashlights, and magazines, and the use of pepper spray. Peter has been involved in the martial arts since 1984. Peter's background includes kenpo karate, aikido, hapkido, escrima, krav maga, and martial blade concepts. Using the techniques from these various arts, he has taken what he believes are the simplest and most effective techniques to create an easy to learn from of self-defense. Peter also works with those individuals who have physical limitations to provide them with options that will work for them. (Richard

J Daley Library)

Chicago Living Legacies Black History Month Concert

Schulz Auditorium at the Paul Galvin Tower, Illinois Tech, 10 W. 35th St.

Friday, February 24, 7 PM. Free. bit.ly/ ChicagoLivingLegacies

Bronzeville Diva Productions and the Office of Community Affairs at Illinois Tech are hosting the second annual Living Legacies Awards and Concert featuring the Frank Russell Band. The honorees are Chicago-based artists and journalists Robert Irving III, Candice Hunter, Dwight McKee, Cheryl Manor Norman, Frank Russell, Mary A. Young and Kai El’Zabar. Free parking is available across the street in parking lot D4, below the Green Line tracks. (Zoe Pharo)

Loyola University, 1110 W. Sheridan Rd. Saturday, February 25, 9:30 AM–6 PM. Free. bit.ly/Andeancarnival

Sponsored by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Loyola University, this all-day festival celebrates Andean heritage in Chicago, and will include free authentic Andean food and drinks, games, activities and Quechua language lessons for all ages. Dance performances will feature Renacer Boliviano and the Center of Peruvian Arts. Quechua language, cultural and spirituality lessons will be taught by Peruvian linguist Agustín Panizo, Quechua educator and Andean spiritual activist Hipólito Peralta Ccama and Peruvian indigenous arts educator Rubén Pachas. (Zoe Pharo)

Live Young Brunch Music Industry Seminar

The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, February 25, 12 PM–3:30 PM. Tickets $40. bit.ly/liveyoungbrunch

The Promontory is hosting the Live Young brunch, intended as an “annual music seminar for Chicago’s music talent.” The event will gather music industry intellectuals, personalities and gatekeepers in a room to create an atmosphere of networking, collaboration and sharing of knowledge on how to navigate and advance a career in the music industry. (Zoe Pharo)

Recaudación de Fondos

Casa de Cultura, 2057 W. 18th St. Saturday, February 25, 4 PM. Los boletos cuestan $10.

Casa de Cultura tendrá una recaudación de fondos con comida, arte y rifas. Las

Feeling Good: A M.A.D.D.

Rhythms Tribute to Nina Simone

Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701

S. King Dr. Sunday, February 26, 4 PM.

Tickets $40. bit.ly/FeelingGoodCIVLFest

M.A.D.D. Rhythms, a tap group that pays homage to the founders of the art form, are returning for a tribute to Nina Simone. Sponsored in part by

Isaiah Spencer, bass by Will Howard and guitar by Curtis Robinson. With guest appearances by Arthur Barnes, Ian Archer and Micah Alyce, and a fireside chat with Global Director Jimalita Tillman and Creative Director Brit Barrett. (Zoe Pharo)