February 21 - 27, 2024 by StreetWise_CHI

february 21 - 27, 2024 Vol. 32 No. 08

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4 Arts & Entertainment 6 SportsWise 8 Cover Story: the underground railroad Event highlights of the week!

The SportsWise Team chats about the NBA All-Star game.

Thanks to geography and settlement patterns, Chicagoans were active in the Underground Railroad long before Blue State status. A new book, "Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northeastern Illinois" notes that the system was shaped by the freedom seekers and makes them the protagonists in their story, a fitting end to Black History Month

13 Inside Streetwise

StreetWise Vendor Cora Rambert performed her "Perspectives" poem as part of the Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations storytelling performance workshop for adults 55+. On her Instagram page, (@corarambert4) she terms herself a leader and a motivational speaker who loves to empower. She sells StreetWise magazine in Lincoln Park, Rogers Park and Edgewater.

13 From the Streets

Sarah's Circle hosts its annual Winter Walk to highlight the harsh reality of women's homelessness during the cold winter months.

15 The Playground

ON THE COVER: "The Underground Railroad" by Charles T. Webber. THIS PAGE: A common image used in runaway slave advertisements (artist unknown). DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of StreetWise.

Dave Hamilton, Creative Director/Publisher

dhamilton@streetwise.org

StreetWiseChicago @StreetWise_CHI

Suzanne Hanney, Editor-In-Chief

suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Amanda Jones, Director of programs

ajones@streetwise.org

Julie Youngquist, Executive director

jyoungquist@streetwise.org

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Dave Hamilton

An Artistic Experience!

Micah Schippa: ‘Negative Ecstasies’ “Negative Ecstasies” is a sculptural composition for six vocalists by Chicago-based artist Micah Schippa. The work is built around motifs of labor, despair, capitalism, and the way these systems stress the subjects they encounter. Configured in response to the interior floor plan of the MCA, the score is based on the history and architecture of The Midland Building (“The Great Central Market”), the suicidal poetry of Foxconn factory worker Xu Lizhi, and historic coal mining labor songs. The performance takes place at The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., February 24, across the museum’s public spaces, including the restrooms, stairwells, elevators, Kovler Atrium, and fourth-floor lobby. “Negative Ecstasies” is a performance in three movements, which may be enjoyed independently. Movement one begins at 10 am, movement two at 1:30 pm, and movement three at 3:30 pm. Each movement lasts approximately 1.5 hours. Included with museum admission. mcachicago.org

The Process of Creation!

‘Bold Moves for Bold Voices’ Led by Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell (pictured), Hubbard Street presents a curated conversation on the process behind creation with Oscar-winning writer, producer, and educator, Tarell Alvin McCraney and acclaimed choreographer and Hubbard Street Resident Artist, Aszure Barton, whose newest work will premiere during the program. "Bold Moves for Bold Voices" is a one-nightonly event, February 22, that brings together rising artists and innovative leaders in our community to celebrate their inspired vision for our city and beyond. At the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave. An elevated dessert and open bar reception will take place following the program. Tickets are $150 at hubbardstreetdance.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Abracadabra!

Alexandra Duvivier: ‘Extraordinaire!’ Considered one of the world’s greatest “Magiciennes,” award-winning Paris-based magician Alexandra Duvivier will debut her new full-length production, “Extraordinaire!” at The Rhapsody Theater Chicago, 1328 W. Morse Ave., for 3 weeks only, February 22- March 9. Thursdays Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday. “Extraordinaire!” features Duvivier at her best, performing original magic created by her, and bringing to American audiences a taste of Paris with a touch of never seen before magic. Alexandra’s performances are filled with elegance and themed to iconic Parisian destinations such as The Moulin Rouge. Duvivier, one of the very few female practitioners of the magic arts, has conquered the stages of magic with awards and accolades; notably, she has been the winner of the major Mandrake d’Or award in France and was the first French female magician to fool Penn and Teller on their television show “Fool Us.” Tickets start at $30 at rhapsodytheater.com.

Shakespeare's Universal Truths!

‘Shakespeare’s R & J' Four young female prep school students, tired of going through the usual drill of conjugating Latin verbs and other tedious school routines, decide to vary their very governed lives. After school, one breaks out a copy of William Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet," and they all take turns reading the play aloud. The Bard’s words and the story itself are thrilling to the girls, and they become swept away, enmeshed in the emotion so much so that they break school rules in order to continue their readings. Perceptions and understanding are turned upside-down as the fun of play-acting turns serious, and the words and meanings begin to hit home and universal truths emerge. Playing February 22- March 23 at Pride Art Center, 4139 N. Broadway. Tickets are $35 at pridearts.org

Watching Creativity!

Artist in Residency at Pendry Chicago: Hailey Losselyoung Multimedia artist Hailey M. Losselyong of HML Design captures the intricacies and strength of the feminine form through portraits. Meet and watch the artist work from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24. Come back Sunday, February 25 between 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. for the gallery showcase and artist’s talk, with champagne. FREE at Pendry Chicago, 230 N. Michigan Ave.

Get Into the Groove!

Winter Open Dancesport Competition Winter Open Dancesport Competition is a thrilling celebration of grace, rhythm, and artistic expression at Loews Chicago O’Hare, 5300 N. River Road, Rosemont. Dancers from across the globe will gather to showcase their talent, passion, and dedication to the art of competitive ballroom dancing. Evenings will be set for professional events, and every night will have different divisions and styles where professional dancers will try to win and be crowned as the 2024 Champions. Get ready to witness captivating performances and fierce competition as dancers take the stage to dazzle and inspire in this prestigious winter event. Event tickets are $25. For tickets and a full schedule, visit winteropen.net

Shop Til You Drop!

Black Makers Market Explore the vast creativity from neighborhoods across the city, and choose from hand-crafted creations, one-of-a-kind jewelry, apparel, spices, artwork, literature, accessories, soaps, and more. Saturday, February 24, noon - 6 p.m. at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. FREE admission.

Black History Concert!

Imani Winds The Music Institute of Chicago presents Grammy-nominated quintet Imani Winds performing “Black and Brown: A celebration of composers of color” February 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston. This trailblazing ensemble offers a playlist that includes traditional chamber music repertoire and newly commissioned works that reflect important historical events, as well as current times. Composers on the program include Paquito D’Rivera, Wayne Shorter, Billy Taylor, Damien Geter, and works that have been commissioned as part of the Legacy Commissioning Project, including socially conscious music by Andy Akiho reflecting on mass incarceration and a work by Carlos Simon celebrating iconic figures of the African-American community. Tickets start at $30 at nicholsconcerthall.org

The Runaway Bride(s)!

'Big Love’ Last seen on a Chicago stage 10 years ago, 50 brides flee their 50 grooms and seek refuge in a villa on the coast of Italy in this modern re-making of one of the western world's oldest plays, "The Danaids" by Aeschylus. And, in this villa on the Italian coast, the 50 grooms catch up with the brides and mayhem ensues. “Big Love” through March 17 at Chicago Dramatists, 798 N Aberdeen St., at 7:30 p.m. Thursday - Sundays. Tickets are $9 - $30 at www.tickettailor.com/events/producingbody/1067046

Meet the Authors!

Author Talk with Lisa Bunker and Yvonne Zipter Gerber/Hart Library and Women & Children First Books present an author conversation with Lisa Bunker (pictured) and Yvonne Zipter. Lisa will be discussing their 2023 book, “Almond, Quartz, and Finch,” an all ages read featuring palace intrigue, cultural strife, family drama, romance, and more. This literary golden-age-of-fantasy style book asks the question - "W hat if there was a culture where children were raised without gender and got to choose?" Yvonne will be reading from her 2021 historical novel “Infraction" featuring lesbian romance, and mathematics, set in 19th century St. Petersburg. At Gerber/Hart Library, 6500 N. Clark St., February 24, at 1 p.m. Women & Children First will be on site to sell copies of the books for signing. FREE. .

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Vendors (l-r) John Hagan and Russell Adams and Michael Moore chat about the world of sports.

The NBA ALl-Star Game 2024

SPORTSWISE

John: I am John Hagan with Russell Adams, co-host and founder of SportsWise, and very special guest, first time he’s been here, Michael Moore. Some people call him Money Making Michael Moore. The NBA All-Star Game was on February 18. There was a twist to this All-Star Game. From 2018 to 2023, you had Team LeBron [James] versus either Team Steph [en Curry] or Team Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or Team [Kevin] Durant. In those six years, it was all Team LeBron: 5-1. Two other years, Team Durant went 0-2. One year you had Team Steph 0-1 and Team Giannis 1-2. This year, the NBA went back to a traditional East versus West lineup: All-Stars from the East versus All-Stars from the West. I think it makes a lot of sense.

Russell: I’m glad they went back to the East versus West. They need to quit changing things. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The old format, the first team to get to the Elam Ending – a target score of 145 or 165, instead of a 12-minute fourth quarter -- the game was all over with. Fans pay to see four quarters, not a certain score. Michael: Russell is the man, so I agree with him to a certain extent, but I enjoyed Team LeBron versus Team Durant. It was good. John: So pickup ball is the way to go? Michael: Yeah. John: I like East versus West. It’s a pride thing: your best from the East, for example, like back in the 80s: Glenn “Doc” Rivers, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and I see

a timeless Michael Jordan versus Magic [Johnson], Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and don't forget Clyde “the Glide” Drexler. The reason I like the East versus West format better than Team LeBron vs Team Steph is because you have more of a one-on-one thing instead of winning for your conference, less of a carnival atmosphere, more structure, team-oriented. I think the ratings were down too. Nobody was really watching Team LeBron, because you get to see LeBron 100 times a year at least, also Team Giannis, in commercials, in NBA games. Why not give those who might not have the notoriety a chance? What if they had done that when you had Team Michael [Jordan] versus Team Magic

[Johnson]. Would you have seen a guy like Tom Chambers, a Cinderella story in 1987? He was a late-roster fill-in for the All-Star Game that year and won MVP with 13 assists from Magic, when the West beat the East in the highest-scoring All Star Game in history: 154-149 in OT. You might not see these unsung heroes. Russell: I just want to say, the old format was OK, but the ratings were down and like John said, we were not really interested. But now, it’s going on! Any comments, suggestions or topic ideas for the SportsWise team? Email StreetWise Editor Suzanne Hanney at suzannestreetwise@yahoo.com

Staying healthy in Cold & flu season When the weather shifts in temperature, the cold and flu season has begun. The flu (influenza) and the common cold share many of the same symptoms. Both are contagious illnesses that affect the respiratory system and are spread through viruses. How can you tell if your symptoms are a cold or the flu? Here’s how: Cold symptoms are usually milder, develop over time, and can include: • Fever • Runny or stuffy nose • Sore throat • Cough • Sneezing • Fatigue • Muscle aches • Headaches

by Dr. Marina Claudio

Flu symptoms can be more severe, appear suddenly, and can include: • Fever (often higher than one that’s due to a cold) • Stuffy nose • Feeling like you want to vomit (nausea) • Chills • Sweats • Fatigue • Muscle aches • Cough • Headaches • Loss of appetite • Vomiting and/or diarrhea (more common in children) Whether or not you have a cold or the flu, be sure to take steps to feel better while your body fights the virus: • Get lots of rest • Stop smoking • Drink lots of fluids • Avoid alcohol • Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to help your sore throat feel better • Use saline (saltwater) nose drops or sprays to help loosen mucous and hydrate dry nasal passages • Use a humidifier • Take medicine recommended or prescribed by your provider • Get the annual seasonal flu vaccine early in the season!

Call your provider if you have the following symptoms: • High fever that lasts for more than a few days • Symptoms that last for more than 10 days or get worse instead of better • Trouble breathing or shortness of breath • Severe sinus pain in the cheeks or forehead • Severe or constant vomiting • Confusion https://familydoctor.org/is-it-a-cold-or-the-flu/

Dr. Marina Claudio is a board-certified family physician who has been in practice since 2003. She is currently a Medical Director at Molina Healthcare of Illinois/Wisconsin. She's a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the UIC/Advocate Illinois Masonic Family Medicine Residency Program.

HEALTHWISE

Viruses that cause colds and the flu have no cure. Over-the-counter medicines help to lessen symptoms. There are a few prescription anti-viral medications available to help treat flu symptoms. Here is what you can do to protect yourself and others from getting sick: • Wash your hands frequently to stop the spread of germs • Eat healthy, exercise and get enough sleep to boost your immune system • Cough and sneeze into your elbow to avoid the spread of germs • Clean surfaces like countertops, door handles and light switches with antibacterial products • Stay home when you are sick • Avoid contact with people who are sick • Get a flu shot early in the season.

The Chicagoans Involved in the Underground Railroad by Suzanne Hanney

Chicagoans were active on the Underground Railroad, due to Illinois geography and settlement patterns that predate its Blue State status, according to a new book, “Onward to Chicago: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad to Northeastern Illinois,” by Larry A. McClellan (Southern Illinois University Press, 2023). McClellan is emeritus professor of sociology and community studies at Governors State University, and has been instrumental in adding listings to the National Park Service Network to Freedom register of the Underground Railroad. More than 8,000 of the 35,000 to 45,000 “freedom seekers” who escaped slave states and headed to Canada before the Civil War passed through Illinois. An estimated 3,000 to 4,500 of them crossed northeastern Illinois on their way to Detroit, just a short boat ride from Windsor, Ontario. “Chicago sits at the transition between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River Valley,” McClellan said in a telephone interview, and this location spurred the city’s growth in the era when water was the fastest means of travel and transport.

COVER STORY

Illinois also has a long border along the Mississippi River. Slaves in Missouri or Kentucky could gaze across the river and see a free state, McClellan said.

In addition, the Mississippi’s tributaries flow north towards Chicago. Freedom seekers could be confident that following rivers from towns like Cairo, Chester, Alton and Quincy would bring them to Chicago. From there, Indian trails (and later, roads and railroads) headed under Lake Michigan to Detroit.

New people, new ideas Settlement patterns tell the other part of the story. Southern Illinois pioneers came from slave states like the Carolinas and Georgia, but northern Illinois settlers were from New England and New York. More than half of them were active members of the Congregational Church. These men and women were in their 20s and 30s, coming to make new homes on cheap land here. But these early abo-

litionists were not all white. When Chicago became a village in 1833, there were 350 people overall and 33 Blacks. When it was incorporated as a city in 1837, there were 4,066 people, including 77 Blacks. By 1850, the city numbered 29,640 people, including 323 Blacks; 1860 saw the numbers zoom to 109,260 and 955, respectively. Philo Carpenter and his wife came from Massachusetts when Chicago had only 200 people in 1832. The Rev. Flavel Bascom, 33, arrived with his wife in 1833. Dr. Charles Volney Dyer, 29, and his wife Louisa arrived from Vermont in 1835 and he soon became a doctor for the military post as well as a real estate investor. Calvin DeWolf, 22, came from Pennsylvania in 1837 as a teacher, and then started doing office work and law. West of Chicago, Joseph Naper brought 12 families from New England in 1831; his Naper Settlement became Naperville. Meanwhile, the most prominent African-American, John Jones, and his wife, Mary Richardson Jones, arrived in 1845 and he built a successful tailoring business. Barber Lewis Isbell came in 1838 and from his shop at the Sherman House, he eventually served all the mayors of Chicago, along with Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant and Stephen Douglas. His wife, Margaret, was Mary Jones’s youngest sister. Other notable figures include: Henry Wagoner, a grain miller and writer for both Frederick Douglass and the Western Citizen in Chicago; the Rev. Abram Hall of Quinn Chapel and his wife, Joanna; Joseph and Anna Hudlin, the Rev. Byrd and Jane Parker.

An abolitionist ‘martyr’ The year 1837 was a watershed because Elijah Lovejoy, editor of the abolitionist Alton Observer newspaper, was killed

while trying to prevent a pro-slavery mob from again damaging his third, newly shipped printing press. Lovejoy became a martyr to both the abolition movement and – much like today – to First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. Lovejoy had called for a state anti-slavery society and so antislavery groups sprang up across the state. They became the base for the Underground Railroad; the name was taken from the speedy new transportation begun in the late 1820s that really started to take form in the 1850s.

“At the Chicago History Museum, they have the subscription books of the Western Citizen, which is essentially a list of all the Underground Railroad people,” McClellan said. “When you get to the late 1840s, all the anti-slavery people are connecting through Congregational Church networks.” And as might be expected with women asked to shelter unexpected guests, a Chicago Female Anti-Slavery Society started in 1844, with Ann Carpenter, Louisa Dyer, Ruth Bascom, Mary DeWolf and Esther Freer.

The Chicago Anti-Slavery Society met for the first time in Immigrants sympathetic to the 1839 at the home of Joseph Meeker, a founder of the First cause Presbyterian Church. Bascom was elected president, George Manierre treasurer and DeWolf secretary. Carpenter also par- To a lesser degree, Chicago’s immigrant community – Gerticipated. man Jews, Dutch, Scots --supported the cause. Failed revolutions against monarchies across Europe ended in represThe Chicago men played key roles in the first state Liberty sion in the late 1840s, so the immigrants had reason to be Convention in 1842, after which the National Anti-Slavery sympathetic to freedom seekers. Standard newspaper said that the people of Chicago, and most of Illinois were, “generally, nay, almost wholly,” opposed George Schneider escaped warfare in the German states, to slavery. The state society, in turn, had wanted a newspa- settled in St. Louis, and then came to Chicago to edit the Staper, McClellan said, so Dr. Dyer, James Collins and Carpenter ats-Zeitung. The German language paper established several invited abolitionist editor Zebina Eastman to come to Chicago years earlier, second only to the Western Citizen in its stance to develop the Western Citizen. Starting with the 400 names for abolition. In his memoir, he later admitted to deep involveof Eastman’s previous Genius of Liberty newspaper, its sub- ment with Underground Railroad networks. scription list grew to about 1,000 by the end of its first year. A Map shows the path Freedom Seekers took through Illinois (from "Onward to Chicago," courtesy of Larry McClellan and Southern Illinois University Press). Portraits of Chicagoans: Top row: John and Mary Jones (Bruce Purnell photo). Philo Carpenter (source unknown). Bottom Row: Dr. Charles Volney Dyer (Source Unknown). Lewis Isbell (Johnson photo).

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Above: The Cover of "Onward to Chicago" by Larry McClellan (Southern Illinois University Press). Center: A set of cards created by H.L. (Henry Louis) Stephens of working in the field to reaching freedom (Library of Congress image). Right: The dedication of the Ton Farm Site in September 2022, including Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, far left, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, third from right and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller. Standing behind Stratton is Ron Gaines, owner of Chicago's Finest Marina, which now occupies the Ton Farm site and standing behind Kelly and Miller is the Consul General in Chicago for the Kingdom of the Netherlands Bart Twaalfhoven. At far right is Tom Shepherd, coordinator for the Little Calumet River UGRR Project. (photo courtesy of Larry McClellan)

Abraham Kohn, one of the first German Jews in Chicago, was elected city clerk in 1860, when he was also one of three Jewish delegates to the Republican convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. Publicly abolitionist, Kohn may have helped liberate a freedom seeker who had been arrested at a railroad station. He was also among activists who called a mass meeting for Germans to join the abolition movement.

“I think we can talk about this phenomenon of freedom seekers coming to Chicago and being welcomed by Black and white abolitionists really as Chicago’s first real Civil Rights Movement,” McClellan said.

Parallel work was going on in the Black community. Quinn Chapel started as a prayer group in 1844 affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Wood River Baptist Association of Black churches started Zoar Baptist Congregational in 1847. The latter was formally organized in 1850 and merged with another church to become Olivet Baptist in 1860. Dr. Dyer was friends with organizers of both churches.

“The Underground Railroad did not organize the flight from slavery but was organized by it. Thousands of people were in such oppression that they had to escape and seized their own freedom, got out of their enslavement.”

Jones, meanwhile, had been writing in the late 1840s to convince state leaders to repeal “Black Laws.” These restrictions, for example, excluded Blacks from voting and serving in the militia; newcomers had to obtain a certificate of freedom and post a $1,000 bond saying they would not be a burden to the state.

Black leadership key from mid-1840s Starting in the mid-1840s, the Underground Railroad increasingly took its lead from Black leaders, McClellan said. In the early 1860s, the New York Daily Herald furtively wrote that the Chicago station on the Underground Railroad was headed by “two men of means,” one white and one Black. McClellan said he thinks this would be Jones and Dyer. They lived near each other at Dearborn and Monroe, and could easily have crossed paths on the street.

The term “freedom seekers” instead of “fugitive slave” to describe people using the Underground Railroad is new in the last 15 years, McClellan said.

This reframing of the old narrative makes the Black freedom seekers the protagonists of the story and whites the responders. They’re still courageous, because assisting freedom seekers meant breaking the law, an act of civil disobedience. After the Fugitive Slave Act was passed by Congress in 1850, there was also a potential six months in jail and fines of $1,000 for people who helped freedom seekers instead of turning them in to slave catchers. Meanwhile, an average day laborer’s pay was just 85 cents. Responders to freedom seekers would have heard the intellectual argument that slavery was “part of the Southern economic system, blah, blah, blah,” McClellan said.

Personal conscience follows ‘higher law’ “All of a sudden, these fugitives show up on their doorstep. Instead of philosophical arguments, they realize, ‘these are people who risked everything and walked 400 miles to get here. I’ve got to help them.’ The law becomes artificial com-

pared to human emotions: 'We are working on behalf of a higher law,’” they reasoned. “There were real consequences if you were convicted,” McClellan said. “However, in Chicago, what’s amazing is that abolitionists were pretty public about what they were doing. It’s like those of us in the ’60s when marijuana was very, very illegal. Everybody knew somebody you could go to and they would know what to do. [In the same way] people would show up. A white person or Black might not help them, but could easily direct them.” Three girls who had been enslaved in Missouri, for example, showed up at the home of Jones and his wife Mary, hidden under straw in a wagon. The girls stayed with the couple through the winter before heading to Canada. When 16-year-old Caroline Quarlls ran away from her slavers in St. Louis in 1843, ultimately to freedom in Canada, she traveled up the Mississippi to Galena, across northern Illinois to Milwaukee. Keeping west of Chicago, she stopped at the First Congregational Church of Naperville, whose founding members included Israel and Avis Blodgett. The Blodgetts had bought property in 1836 in what is now Downers Grove and built a frame house by 1849. “They were always helping groups of three to 14 get to Chicago,” their daughter recalled later. Aurora to Downers Grove was one night’s journey; Downers Grove to the home of Philo Carpenter, hidden under a load of hay or corn, was another night’s journey. The Carpenter home, on Morgan between Randolph and Washington, was surrounded by shade trees that provided “great protection” for arriving guests, she noted. Dr. Dyer and attorney De Wolf shared the same suite of offices in the center of Chicago. Harvey Hurd, an apprentice to DeWolf, recalled that several escapees were brought there,

given new clothes, and taken to another location in 1846. When the U.S. marshal arrived, Hurd showed that they were gone, but the marshal deduced that they might try to escape on a lake steamer headed for Canada. As a crowd of people gathered dockside to watch the escape – possibly at the lumberyards of Lake Forest College founder Sylvester Lind – Hurd saw the escapees blend in with Black workers loading wood, until they were “safely stowed away.” Isbell responded to a U.S. marshal who came to his barbershop in the Sherman House hotel seeking two freedom seekers by recruiting a dozen strong Black volunteers. They ultimately overwhelmed the slavecatchers at the deserted cabin where the duo had been taken. At his funeral, Isbell was credited with gaining freedom for 1,000 persons.

What has changed today The migrants of today are also seeking freedom, and the response to them has to do with both their overwhelming numbers and decreased human connection, McClellan said. A century and a half ago, “we were living in a small town and farming communities. People were dealing with each other at a human level. Someone being homeless was a personal problem, not a statistic. When you get to the scale of 2024, the social environment is so huge that people end up as statistics. The loss of religious community is a piece of this whole puzzle. When you have a very rich religious sector, it has the capacity to absorb more of the social dilemmas. One of the great tensions in American history is the focus on individuals or the community. At a different time in American society, we were community-based. Now we are focused more on the individual than the community.”

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The National Park Service's Network to Freedom Sites in Illinois The National Park Service Network to Freedom program has received site reports on 16 Illinois communities, with the potential for 3 to 4 times that number. At least 40 of these communities are in northeastern Illinois, says historian Larry McClellan. Here are three of them. www.illinoisundergroundrailroad.info/introduction-to-the-ugrr/

The Ton Farm Underground Railroad site,

557 E. 134th Place At the modern-day south edge of the City of Chicago, the Cal-Sag channel flows east, following the path of the Little Calumet River. From the 1830s until the Civil War, those escaping enslavement fled into the Calumet region. From here, they moved on to Chicago, Detroit and Canada. This meant that freedom seekers were frequently using the Dolton Ferry once located near the present-day Indiana Avenue bridge, which was itself replaced by a bridge in 1842. Just north of this ferry was the farm of Jan and Aagje Ton. The Tons were Dutch immigrants who had arrived in 1849, and settled this land in 1853. The original 40-acre farm once extended to Beaubien Woods Forest Preserve. Recognized by the National Park Service in 2020 as part of the Network to Freedom, the Ton Farm site is now on the grounds of the Black-owned Chicago’s Finest Marina. Tour dates are April 27, June 29, August 3 and October 12. www.undergroundrailroad.org

Israel and Avis Blodgett House, 831 Maple Ave., Downers Grove

Israel (1797-1861) and Avis (1796-1882) Blodgett were abolitionists who acted as conductors on the Underground Railroad at this home. According to first-person accounts from their children, newspaper articles and booster publications written in the 19th century, including the Western Citizen, the Blodgetts provided aid and shelter to freedom seekers before Israel transported them secretly to the home of Philo Carpenter, in what is now Chicago’s West Loop. The couple moved to Illinois from Massachusetts and settled in Downers Grove in 1836; the Greek Revival House was built by 1850. It is located near its original location on the Downers Grove Park District Museum campus and has been open to the public since 2020. www.1846blodgetthouse.org

Graceland Cemetery, 4001 N. Clark St.,  Chicago

Founded in 1860, Graceland (StreetWise Oct. 24-31, 2021) is the final resting place of at least 28 Underground Railroad activists. John (1816-79) and Mary Richardson Jones (1820-1910), as well as her sister Ailey Maria Richardson Bradford (1810-86) are just 30 yards from the family monument for lifelong friends Lemuel Covell Paine Freer (1813-92) and Esther Wickes Marble Freer (1819-78). Others include Philo Carpenter (1805-1886) and Ann Thompson Carpenter (1806-1866), Judge George Manierre (1817-63) and Ann Hamilton Reid Manierre (1825-1900) and Joseph H. Hudlin (1830-94) a member of Quinn Chapel and a porter at the Board of Trade; he and his wife Elizabeth Anna would later open their home on what is now Plymouth Court to refugees of the Chicago Fire. www.gracelandcemetery.org -Suzanne Hanney, from online sources Top: Jan Ton House looking east in 1880. Printed from a lantern slide taken by H. R. Koopman (courtesy of Larry McClellan). Center: Blodgett House in 2023 (courtesy of Downers Grove Museum) Bottom: Graceland Cemetery's entry plaza in 2023 (WTTW photo).

'Perspectives'

A Poem by StreetWise Vendor Cora Rambert

Cora performed her "Perspectives" poem as part of the Goodman Theatre’s GeNarrations storytelling performance workshop for adults 55+. On her Instagram page, (@corarambert4) she terms herself a leader and a motivational speaker who loves to empower. She sells StreetWise magazine in Lincoln Park, Rogers Park and Edgewater.

INSIDE STREETWISE

Perspective: As we all journey through life as one. I often have to remind myself that I have so much more in common with others than differences. See just like others we have lost who were very near and dear to us in so many ways. Never once could you have told me just the thoughts of my loved ones would pull on my heartstrings when I hear a certain song or the last conversation we shared. Heard a street name we visited together. “Perspective” What’s it all about? Why Must I move on? I don’t want to let go! I must remind myself to cherish all those beautiful moments that were mine, God-give! “Life or People do not have to change only my Perspective and how I view the situation” Now I am learning what life is all about. Enjoy the Precious moments of others who share them. “Time Is The Greatest Gift You Can Share With Others. I must remind myself to be gentle with Myself and others. Blessings follow us all.

Sarah's Circle Winter Walk Sarah’s Circle’s 32nd annual Winter Walk enables the public to “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, February 25. The annual event highlights the harsh reality of women’s homelessness during the deadly cold of Chicago’s winters.

Founded more than 40 years ago, Sarah’s Circle provides services to individuals who identify as female and are 18 years of age or older. Its Housing First programs have no barriers to entry, and use a trauma-informed approach. The non-profit 501 (c)(3) serves over 700 women a year with: • a Drop-in Support Center open five days a week where women can access showers, laundry, two nutritious meals daily, winter coats, phone, mailing address, computers, arts and crafts, case management. • a 50-bed Interim Housing Program, a long-term shelter open 24/7 where women can access meals and case management • a growing number of Permanent Supportive Housing units; 113 at present and 28 more under construction in Uptown. • a Rapid Rehousing program to end an individual’s homelessness within 30 days with the help of a case manager. The program lasts 12-14 months.

FROM THE STREETS

The Walk starts with a short program, after which participants will split up into groups for a mile-long trek through Uptown. During four stops, they will hear different parts of a client’s story. The walk will end with food and refreshments at Uplift Community High School. Signups for the fundraiser are at https://www.classy.org/campaign/winter-walk-2024/c533004

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PuzzleJunction.com

Streetwise 2/22/16 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.

Puzzle

Crossword Across

66 Slice of lumber 70 Collar type 71 Zig or zag 72 Beautiful people 73 Fender blemish 74 Actresses Adams and Smart 75 Weighed down

9 Still-life 44 ___ Martin subject (cognac) 10 Horatian work 45 Banned 11 Motherless pesticide calves 46 Use a 12 Egg-shaped clothesline objects 47 Filmmaker 13 Withstand Francis Ford 19 Mythical bird ___ 21 Attribute 48 Separated 24 ___ Le Pew 49 Pontius ___ Down 25 Farm measure 50 Accord 26 Taxing trip 52 Courtyard 28 Pound, e.g. 1 Blackguard 55 Wood sorrel 2 Submachine 30 Cereal grain 60 Nick and gun 33 Dangerous Nora’s pooch driver 62 ___ Tasman 3 Carpet 36 Electrify 4 Extra studying 64 Big bang before a test 38 Samoan staple maker 5 Cal. page 41 Cobblestone 65 Dash widths 6 Secretive org. 42 Betting game 67 Pitch in 7 In sumCopyright ©2016 43 Residents 68 Map abbr. PuzzleJunction.com 8 Latke ingredient (Suffix) 69 Scout group

lastSudoku week's answers Solution

Solution

Sudoku Solution

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1 In the thick of 5 Cotton bundle 9 Word of possibility 12 Female demon 14 Baker’s need 15 Nephrite 16 Shameful 18 Constellation animal 19 Calendar abbr. 20 First family’s home 21 Yearn 23 Flawlessly 25 On the train 28 Effortless 29 Smitten 32 Aussie hopper, briefly ©2016 PuzzleJunction.com 33 Decline 35 Impressionist 7 Moldovan 59 Cave dweller 36 “C’___ la vie!” 60 Destroy cash 37 Coin in 62 Fruit dish 8 Subjugate Cancún 65 Young newts 9 UK’s Thatcher 39 Dog command 66 Libertine 10 Personals, e.g. 40 Bone (Prefix) 11 Vote of 67 Backpacker 42 It may be 68 Kind of sauce support picked 69 Soil 13 Gulf port 43 Pellets, 70 Clutter 15 Daughter of possibly Saturn 45 Bed-and17 Improvise Down breakfast 22 Moon of 46 Air hero Uranus 1 ___-Lorraine 47 Finn’s pal 2 Central area of 24 Yes votes 49 Egg on 26 Wine choice the retina 53 Land unit 3 Pictures 27 Flyspeck 55 Prattles 30 Flock 4 Racket 57 Offensively 31 Select 5 Second wife inquisitive of Henry VIII 34 Supervisors 58 ___ good 37 Type size 6 Stratford’s example 38 Forever river

39 Spread seeds 41 Social slight 42 Brief time out? 44 Nautical rope 45 Boiling mad 48 Lace place 50 Chastise 51 Adorns 52 Fragrant compounds 54 Hoodwinks 56 Quite a party 58 Cowboy boot attachment 60 Legal matter 61 NASA concern 63 Polynesian paste 64 Fire preceder?

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