June 13 - 19, 2022 Vol. 30 No. 24
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$1.10 + Tips go to vendor
Starting
June 27 Streetwise will cost
$3 + Tips
We Are Giving Our Vendors a Raise! Beginning June 27, StreetWise costs $3.00+ tips. Vendors will now earn $1.85 per issue instead of $1.10 for every magazine sold.
Why now? StreetWise has not increased the price of our magazine to the vendors or customers since 2008! It was only the second increase in the 30-year history of StreetWise. The cost of living has gone up 34% since 2008. A dollar in 2008 is worth $1.34 today. Our vendors deserve more money in their pockets to offset the rising costs of food, transportation and housing. StreetWise magazine is an award-winning weekly publication that also serves as a platform for people with lived experience to share their stories and their views as writers and more. Post-COVID inflation has hit us hard. Our production costs have increased 25% over last year.
Selling StreetWise is a Job Selling StreetWise isn’t begging, and it isn’t asking for charity. It’s a job. Our vendors are self-employed microentrepreneurs who build relationships and create connections between and across communities that change perceptions about homeless and low-income individuals. The new price of $3, with vendors paying $1.15 for their papers, means each paper sold nets the vendor a solid $1.85. It raises the floor so that our vendors earn a wage that is worth their while. It’s time for this to happen. We talked with our vendors and received feedback from some of our customers and supporters. We have nearly unanimous support for the price increase. Now is the time. The price increase, by expanding one of the most reliable income sources we have, will give StreetWise vendors an income they need to thrive, and not just survive.
Our Vendors Deserve a Raise!
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Arts & (Home) Entertainment
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SportsWise
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Cover Story: Juneteenth
More and more events are happening in Chicago, and we want you to know about the best of the best!
The SportsWise team discusses student athletes facing mental health issues.
Juneteenth -- a contraction of June 19, 1865, is the second U.S. independence day, the day that Union Gen. Gordon Grange and 2,000 troops rode into Galveston, Texas and told the last Confederate hold-outs that the Civil War was over and slaves were free. It was 2 1/2 years after Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Propelled by activism after the death of George Floyd, Congress passed legislation signed by President Biden last year that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. The holiday also epitomizes the path African Americans have trudged in the face of whites who begrudged them freedom.
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From the Streets
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The Playground
The 36th annual Interfaith Memorial for Indigent Persons was held May 25 at the First United Methodist Church.
ON THE COVER: The "Absolute Equality" mural in Old Galveston Square in Galveston, Texas (Old Galveston Square Facebook). THIS PAGE: A woman stands before a decorated carriage. Photograph by George McCuistion of Juneteenth celebrations in in Corpus Christi, Texas, 1913. (SMU Digital Collections photo). 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
Ph: 773-334-6600 Office: 2009 S. State St., Chicago, IL, 60616
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Compiled by Dave Hamilton
Celebrating South Asian Culture!
4th Annual Mandala Makers Festival Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, which connects audiences and students with the vibrancy, flavors, and colors of the performing arts traditions of South Asia, presents its fourth annual Mandala Makers Festival June 16–26, returning to in-person performances in the Devon Avenue community and concluding with an Artist Showcase June 24–26 at Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt Ave., including indoor and outdoor spaces. All events are free and open to the public. The festival features nationally recognized and emerging artists who reside in the community in and around Devon Avenue, a hub for immigrants and members of the South Asian diaspora. “One of the festival’s goals is to amplify voices and draw attention to the generations of artists, communities, and culture in the neighborhood to promote positive change through better representation of and advocacy for artistic communities of color,” said Mandala Associate Artistic Director Ashwaty Chennat, who is curating the festival. For a full schedule of artists, visit makersfestival.mandalaarts.org.
Beauty in Nature!
‘Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design’ “Nature’s Blueprints: Biomimicry in Art and Design,” opening June 18 and running through August 14, at Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst, includes an installation by Chicago architect Alicia Ponce telling how her architectural structures emulate patterns, forms, and processes found in nature. Two additional exhibitions at the museum will complement the nationally traveling show: a solo show by Chicago painter Raúl Ortiz within the Museum’s historic McCormick House; and approximately 35 local artists in the Elmhurst Artists’ Guild Summer Members Show. The Museum has also announced exhibition-related programming for all ages, including STEAM-focused family programs plus architecture and gallery tours to reveal how art, design, and environmental science can lead to extraordinary inventions that improve lives. $15 general admission, $12 for seniors, children under 18 visit free, at elmhurstartmuseum.org.
See it All Around!
ENTERTAINMENT
'Immersive Monet & The Impressionists' Step inside the works of some of the world’s most famous painters at the premiere of this one-ofa-kind art experience. The "Immersive Monet & The Impressionists" invites guests to view these iconic artworks in a whole new way, via stunning projections custom designed for the historic venue. These moving images fill each room with color and light, immersing the viewer in every brushstroke and detail of paintings by Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and many more. Showing June 17 through September 25 at Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, inside Germania Place, 108 W. Germania Place. Tickets start at $44.99 at immersivemonet.com/chicago.
One Night Only!
Make Music Chicago 2022 in Bughouse Square Go to Washington Square Park, 901 N. Clark St., June 21 at noon for a celebration of Chicago Blues with performances by Mississippi Heat and John Primer & The Real Deal Blues Band. Hear sounds from the Mississippi Delta that made their way to the Windy City as part of the Great Migration. Inspired by the Newberry Library’s spring exhibition “Crossings: Mapping American Journeys,” this outdoor concert presents Chicago Blues songs with southern roots. Mississippi Heat is a world-class Chicago Blues Band. Their name reflects their reverence for Mississippi’s blues culture and music. John Primer was a band leader for legends like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Magic Slim & The Teardrops. FREE.
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Delicious!
Taste of Randolph Commemorating the iconic street festival’s 25th anniversary, Star Events and WLCO will bring together the biggest and brightest names in Chicago dining, featuring over 16 restaurants known for delectable menus and irresistibly unique flavors. StarEvents has curated a list of the nation’s hottest up-and-coming bands and musicians, as well as the biggest names in Chicago house music, performing on two stages and a DJ stage, to entertain guests on their culinary adventure. Entrance to the festival is a suggested $10 donation, to benefit the West Loop Community Organization, which has been advocating for the West Loop neighborhood since 1991, supporting local businesses and economic development. June 17 - 19, Noon - 10 p.m. daily at 900 W. Randolph St.
A Father's Day Tradition!
Real Men Cook Real Men Cook® – Urban America’s premiere Father’s Day charity event – will host its fun-filled, food-tasting celebration for men 3-6 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at the Quarry Event Center, 2423 E. 75th St. Men will cook and serve their favorite dishes to the community with proceeds going to Real Men Charities. Now in its 33rd year, Real Men Cook's longevity makes it one of Chicago's most eagerly-awaited and most popular Father's Day events. It has remained true to its original mission to emphasize fatherhood and father engagement as well as men’s health and family wellness. The Quarry will transform its entire Event Center into stations where chefs will serve their delicious samples. This will take place at the main banquet hall and the adjacent dining area. Chefs will also spill out onto the back patio for additional food tasting, mostly from grills, as well as programmed activities. Register at realmencharitiesinc.org.
Laugh Out Loud!
“Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” taping “Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me!,” NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program, will resume live audience recordings this summer in a new Chicago home: the historic Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, 401 S. Michigan Ave. “Wait, Wait” audiences will be among the first to experience the Studebaker Theater’s multi-million dollar restoration, which is near completion under the direction of property owner Berger Realty Group. Among key enhancements and modernization are all-new seating, updated lobbies, a newly designed VIP lounge in the second balcony, and a state-of-the-art technical booth. Tickets for the inaugural taping at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16, start at $36, at www.npr.org/waitwait or www.fineartsbuilding.com; guest panelists will be announced soon.
The World is Your Runway!
Drag Me to the Fairmont Drag yourself to the Fairmont Chicago, 200 N. Columbus Drive, at 7:30 p.m. June 18, to spend the night with some of your favorite Queens in partnership with the AIDS Foundation Chicago! Featuring show-stopping performances by drag legend Lady Bunny (pictured) as well as RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Miz Cracker, Mimi Marks, Mayhem Miller and more. Tickets start at $45, with all proceeds to benefit AIDS Foundation Chicago, at www.exploretock.com/fairmontchicagomillenniumpark/
A Centennial Celebration!
A Moveable Reading of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ W here would Leopold Bloom have wandered in the city of Chicago? During a movable reading of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” in honor of the centennial of its publication, the Newberry Library's experts will round up performers, scholars, and Joyce enthusiasts and visit Chicago spots inspired by the novel. For this event, participants will visit four locations within walking distance of the Newberry Library, with lively readings from select chapters at each location. Participants should meet at Oak Street Beach, 1000 N. Lake Shore Drive, at 2 p.m. June 16 (Bloomsday, the day in the novel). Register for FREE and learn full details of speakers and locations at newberry.org/06162022-movable-reading-james-joyce-s-ulysses .
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Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.
SPORTSWISE
Patrick: “Balancing athletics, academics and the demands of everyday life overwhelmed her in a single, desperate moment.” Sarah Shulze’s family released this statement in mid-April following her suicide. Sarah was only 21, fellas, and, sadly, isn’t the only student-athlete to succumb to the weight. John: She was a top runner for University of WisconsinMadison. This is a topic that’s tough for me to talk about. Nothing personal or anything—just tough. I believe it’s the isolation these athletes—student and others— feel when it comes to ownership and the school heads. Often, the heads are only concerned with victories and/ or the money that the athletes are helping bring in, and not the athletes themselves.
ey—I agree. From what I’ve read, student-athletes feel as if there’s just too much on their plates, and they put a pressure—some from the outside—on themselves to perform at near-perfect levels.
Russ: And while there are very few suicides compared to overall number of athletes, many are suffering the same— just better at containing it.
Russ: A couple more I’ve recently read about: Katie Meyer, who was a star goalkeeper on Stanford’s soccer team and Lauren Bernett, a standout softball player for James Madison University.
Donald: One suicide is just too many. Means someone went through a journey… and nobody caught it in time to help stop it. Depression and mental illness is real, y’all, and it’s sad. Patrick: John, what you said about the schools and the ownership simply being concerned about victories and money—especially the mon-
Donald: And it’s just not possible. It’s not.
John: I heard about Katie Meyer. Her parents said they had no idea she’d been struggling like that. They didn’t notice any red flags; they said she did have a lot on her plate, what with classes, sports, relationships, but she was in great spirits the last time they spoke to her, just hours before her suicide.
Donald: Man, that’s horrible. To speak with your kid hours just prior to such a decision. And to be unable to stop it; let alone, not to be let in to stand with her in her greatest time of need. Patrick: That’ll definitely stick with them for the rest of their lives.
edge: Arlana Miller. A freshman cheerleader for Southern Rashanah Baldwin University in Baton Rouge, LA., social media in the form of Instagram allowed us access to her mind. She posted statements such as “[I’ve] been dead inside for too long,” and “…it isn’t anyone’s fault for the decision I’m making.”
Russ: Lauren Bernett was a powerhouse of a player for James Madison University (JMU). She was catcher, one of the most important positions on the softball field and what many call the field-manager. She helped JMU, for the first time in school history, make it to the Women’s College World Series. I don’t know if losing the overall series or, perhaps, the 21-21 record in the current season, played a major part in her decision to end her life, but it does fit that pressure to be the best.
Donald: I read, too, where she said “I gave this life all the fight I had,” and also mentioned that she hadn’t been okay for a while.
Patrick: One other studentathlete I’d like to acknowl-
Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org
Russ: People, take care to take care of your family, your neighbor, the random stranger who you can tell is going through something. Say or do what you feel would help you if you were on the other side. John: Rest in peace, Sarah, Katie, Lauren, and Arlana.
The current outbreak of COVID-19 has led to stressful times for many of us. Our routines have been disrupted and there may be a lot of anxiety about what is happening.
Stress & COVId-19
Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) to help reduce stress for you and those around you.
Tips to help yourself • Give yourself a break. Remember, it is important to take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories and social media stories about the pandemic. It is important to stay informed, but, practice moderation. Over-consumption of the news on the pandemic can be upsetting or stressful.
by Dr. LaTonia Sweet
• Take care of yourself and try to stay healthy. Try to eat healthy, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol and drugs. • Stay active and make time to relax. Try relaxation techniques such as stretching, meditating, praying or engage in activities you enjoy. Take breaks between stressful activities and do something fun after a hard task. This will help you maintain a sense of hope and keep you thinking positive. You may also keep a journal to write down your thoughts and things you are grateful for. • Stay in touch. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling. Reaching out to people you trust is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety, depression, loneliness, and boredom during social distancing, quarantine, and isolation. You can use the telephone, email, text messaging, and social media to connect with friends, family, and others.
Tips for your child, family and others
• Listen and teach coping skills. Let your child know it is okay to feel upset. Share with them how you deal with your stress so that they can learn coping skills from you. • Monitor your family’s exposure to news coverage. Children may misinterpret what they hear and can be frightened about something they do not understand. • Establish a schedule or routine. It is important to keep a
• Check in with others often. Staying in touch can help you and your family feel less lonely and isolated. Use telephone, email, letters, text message, video chat and social media options to stay in touch.
Get Help If You Need It If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911. If you think you have questions or need help that and it is not an emergency, please contact your provider. You may also contact the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline toll-free at 1-800985-5990. Dr. Sweet is a Psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine specialist. She has been a leader in community mental health and integrating mental health care within hospital systems. Since 2018, Dr. Sweet has lead Molina Healthcare of Illinois and Wisconsin behavioral health operations.. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/ managing-stress-anxiety.html
HEALTHWISE
• Keep your child informed on what is going on with the pandemic. Answer any questions they may have and teach them ways of staying safe.
routine. Create a schedule for homeschool learning activities and be sure to make time for fun activities and relaxation.
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JUNETEENTH The second u.s. independence day by Suzanne Hanney
“What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” Frederick Douglass asked in an 1852 speech to the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester, N.Y.
day. Federal workers observed the holiday on Friday, the day after the ceremony, since Juneteenth was on a Saturday last year.
“I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all the other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim….your shouts of liberty and equality, [are] hollow mockery; mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.” Douglass (1818-1895) was a former slave-turned-abolitionist newspaper editor and an orator, the most influential African American of his era.
Juneteenth is a holiday to embrace, President Biden said, because “Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments. We come to terms with the mistakes we made. And in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger.
Juneteenth, on the other hand, marks the actual independence date for the last slaves in the South. A contraction of “June” and “19th,” Juneteenth “marks our country’s second independence day,” according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The holiday also epitomizes the path African Americans have trudged in the face of whites who begrudged them freedom. On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and read aloud General Order No. 3, which began, “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
COVER STORY
Slaves had been free on paper for more than 2½ years, thanks to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863. But because the Civil War was fought on Confederate soil, the Proclamation couldn’t be enforced until Union troops had conquered all of the South. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, although it had long been celebrated in Texas and as a state holiday across the U.S. The Black Lives Matter movement, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020, catalyzed efforts of both politicians and individuals to create this federal holiday, the first enacted since Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday in 1983. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on Thursday, June 17, 2021, following its approval by a 415-54 vote in the House on Wednesday, the previous day, and a unanimous vote in the Senate on Tues-
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“The truth is, it’s not – simply not enough just to commemorate Juneteenth. After all, the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans didn’t mark the end of America’s work to deliver on the promise of equality; it only marked the beginning.” Policies the United States enacts, President Biden said, should put the promise of equality into action. This means combatting racial discrimination in home ownership, bringing more funds to Black entrepreneurs and more research dollars to historically Black universities. The nation must stand for equity in schools, health care, water systems – and it must protect voting rights. Among those at the signing ceremony were U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago), who had offered a resolution to the 109th Congress in 2005 recognizing the significance of Juneteenth Independence Day. His resolution had expressed the same thoughts as Biden: that history “should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the challenges of the future.” Others at the ceremony were the musician Usher and Opal Lee, “the Grandmother of Juneteenth.” A 94-year-old former teacher, Lee had made symbolic 2½-mile walks every Juneteenth around the U.S. for 40 years to publicize the 2½-year gap between Lincoln’s proclamation and the slaves’ actual freedom. Between September 2016 and January 2017 at the end of President Barack Obama’s second term, Lee began Opal’s Walk 2 D.C. in order to petition his administration and Congress to grant Juneteenth an official position on the calendar. She traveled the U.S., marching the symbolic 2½ miles in cities that invited her to take part in Juneteenth festivities. “I went to Madison, Wis; Milwaukee, Atlanta, the Carolinas. I was all over the place,” she told Variety.
Above: Group on Emancipation Day, circa 1880s, in Houston's Emancipation Park. Reverend Jack Yates, who led the community purchase of the Park in 1872, is pictured on the far left, and his daughter Sallie Yates dressed in black in the center (Houston Public Library photo). This Row: On June 17, 2021 President Joe Biden signed, with Members of Congress (including Danny K. Davis, far left), the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act at the White House (Evan Vucci/AP). Opal Lee (opalswalk2dc.com photo)
Sean “Diddy” Combs hosted a conversation with Lee on his Revolt network and helped her gain signatures. According to Variety, Combs called Lee one of the “elders in the tribe that want something done while they’re alive to see that.”
“I think it was ‘enough is enough.’ I think losing that man’s life just pushed us over the edge,” Lee said. “How long must we put up with people being killed in the street like that young man George Floyd?
Hip-hop artist/producer/actor Niko Brim marched alongside Lee in Washington, D.C. when she had only 12,000 signatures in early 2020.
“It hasn’t been so many years that they stopped having lynchings, but it’s a different kind of lynching. When I think about what our ancestors had to put up with before the Emancipation – before that General Order No. 3 was declared down in Galveston – the situations aren’t that different.”
When Lee began her journey, her goal was to collect 100,000 signatures on her petition with change.org. She wound up with 1.5 million.
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General Order No. 3, issued by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger (inset, Library of Congress photo), June 19, 1865. The order was written in a volume beginning on one page and continuing on the next. (National Archives).
In 1863, Texas newspapers had explained the Emancipation Proclamation. But Texas was part of the Confederacy, and its constitution forbade freeing enslaved people. In addition, since the fall of New Orleans in 1862, planters from Mississippi and Louisiana had been bringing their slaves to Texas to evade the Union Army, according to Henry Louis Gates Jr. on PBS.org, so the Proclamation was ignored until Granger arrived with 2,000 troops. Granger’s ornate cursive decree freed 250,000 enslaved people in Texas, in addition to those freed earlier by Union troops: about 4 million in all. The decree continued: “This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages.” Some slavers withheld the news of freedom until after the harvest – or until a government agent arrived. A few owners reacted angrily to the news of emancipation and told their slaves to leave immediately, but most did ask the freedmen to stay and work for wages, according to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) online. Most former slaves in the South entered into informal agreements with their former owners, although many requested contracts, which they heard about from Union soldiers. There was little cash in the South in 1865, so sharecropping became the norm, according to historian Ed Ayers on PBS’s
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"The American Experience: The Civil War and Reconstruction." Former slaves whose loved ones had been sold did not remain at their present homes, but went looking for their families. Still others celebrated – if whites allowed it, according to the TSHA. They dressed up in new clothes, because under slavery, they had only been permitted to wear what their owners gave them. They threw their old rags into rivers. In Houston, four former slaves – Rev. Jack Yates, Rev. Elias Dibble, Richard Allen and Richard Brock – exercised their new right of property ownership. In 1872, they raised $1,000 to purchase 10 acres where they could host Juneteenth celebrations. In 1916, the open field with a racetrack around its perimeter and an open-air pavilion was donated to the City of Houston. During the Great Depression, the Public Works Administration constructed a swimming pool, bathhouse and recreation center on what had become known as Emancipation Park. Separated by a freeway from the rest of Houston, the park was neglected by the 1970s. However, in 2006, neighborhood natives formed the “Friends of Emancipation Park.” The next year, they won protected historic landmark status from the Houston City Council. African American architect Phil Freelon, who also designed the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C., led a $33 million reconceptualization of the park, completed in 2017.
Vendor A. Allen on Juneteenth Juneteenth, a great day, is observed on June 19th. The holiday commemorates the day that the last slaves were freed in the United States, in 1865, 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln ordered their independence with the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered.
Above: Group of elderly people on Juneteenth. Photograph by Grace Murray Stephenson of celebrations in Eastwoods Park, Austin, 1900 (Austin Public Library photo). Left: An aerial view of Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas (courtesy photo).
Emancipation Park is located in Houston’s Third Ward, home to both Beyonce – and George Floyd, who played football at Jack Yates High School. In September 2021, the Yates H.S. football field was renamed in Floyd’s honor. This June 19th, Emancipation Park will host its 150th Juneteenth celebration. And in Galveston, the Juneteenth Legacy Project (JLP) has unveiled a 5,000-square-foot mural overlooking the site where General Granger issued Order No. 3. The public art installation, “Absolute Equality,” depicts Granger as well as Black troops. Sam Collins, JLP co-chair and National Trust advisor, told the Galveston Daily News that as JLP met with the property owner, local nonprofits and the community, he realized that in telling the full story, the public art piece was repairing the cracked foundation on which America is built. “No one living today is responsible for the cracks in the foundation or the errors of the past, but as current stewards of our American home, it is our responsibility to do the work to fix the problem in hopes of creating a better future for the next generation.”
But what does freedom mean if you have no education, no property and no economic tools to be self-supporting after the trauma of being taken from your homeland (Africa), stripped of your identity, culture, and manhood, and forced into slavery for hundreds of years? It’s not just enough to say, “OK, now you are free.” How can you be free with no means of being economically independent and self-supporting through your own efforts? Blacks were put in a lose-lose position, “between a rock and a hard place,” because they had no independent survival skills and no economic support. The only means of survival was to look to the slave owners for support. This is where another form of slavery came into existence. It was called sharecropping, but it is really a form of indentured servitude. This arrangement was only marginally better than slavery. Sharecroppers were kept in an endless cycle of debt and poverty. I personally agree with Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s plan to give 40,000 newly freed families 40 acres (the Army threw in mules where available). Without property, money or an education, most did not have a clear, immediate path toward economic independence. President Lincoln OK’d the idea to distribute land confiscated from Confederate landowners. But after Lincoln was assassinated, his successor, President Andrew Johnson, reversed this policy. In January 1865, after he had conquered Savannah, GA, Sherman asked 20 Black ministers, “In what way can you best take care of yourselves and how can you assist the Government in maintaining your freedom?” They responded, “The way we can best take care of ourselves is to have land and turn it and till it by our own labor.” Much like StreetWise. We don’t just tell a panhandler or cup shaker with their hand out to get a job. We help them to become self-supporting through their own contribution. The opportunity to become an entrepreneur – by having a hand up, not a hand out – is like the old Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. But teach a man how to fish and he can eat for a lifetime.” www.streetwise.org
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Clint Smith (Carletta Girma photo).
Juneteenth Special Events June 16-17
'Racial Equity' Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Thurs Noon-6:30 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The offices of Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer (2nd district), Bill Lowry (3rd), Stanley Moore (4th), State Rep. Lakesia Collins (9th), Cook County Juneteenth Joint Planning Committee, the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago sponsor second annual event aimed at education, health, justice and wealth-building, particularly through home ownership. www.juneteenthillinois.com June 16
Voices for Justice: Clint Smith Chicago Public Library YouTube and Facebook channels The Library hosts Smith, author of The New York Times bestseller, “How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery,” 6-7 p.m., as part of its Voices for Justice speaker series. Some of the nation’s most essential stories are hidden in plain view: from Juneteenth celebrations to places we drive by on the way to work. Smith discusses monuments that are
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honest about the past and those that are not, from Monticello Plantation in Virginia, where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing liberty while enslaving 400 people; to Whitney Plantation, which has preserved the work experience of the enslaved people who sustained it. Smith will converse with Candace Moore, City of Chicago chief equity officer, and Dr. Obari Cartman, president of the Chicago Association of Black Psychologists. WBEZ reporter Natalie Moore will moderate. The program will be archived for future viewing. June 17 & 18
Live the Spirit Residency & Drums for Peace Columbus Park, 500 S. Central Ave. 5 p.m. Fri Englewood Village Market, 5822 S. Halsted St., 6 p.m. Sat. Ernest Dawkins directs the Young Masters, the most promising and creative high school and collegeaged musicians developed through the Residency's free jazz education programs on the West Side and around Englewood. Friday event is part of Night Out in the Parks. There will also be a participatory Drum Circle for Peace. FREE. www.Livethespiritresidency.org Saturday, the Live the Spirit Residency joins with Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities in a Summer Soulstice celebration, a Drum Circle for Peace designed to build community through music.
Massamba Diop at "Black Panther in Concert" (Chicago Philharmonic photo).
June 18
June 18
Douglass Park, on California, 12th Place to Ogden Noon-6 p.m. It Takes A Village family of schools celebrates its part in renaming this park after Anna and Frederick Douglass. Inaugural Fest will provide space for ITAV students and families, partner organizations & businesses - and the broader community -- to commemorate the liberation of African ancestors from slavery. There will be a main stage for adults, a youth stage, games, carnival rides, horseback riding, petting zoo, rock climbing wall, inflatables, community vendor booths, face painting, giveaways, and more. FREE.
Douglass Park Fieldhouse, 1401 S. Sacramento Noon -3 p.m. The Brown House Experience will provide interactive fun for those age 5-11 and an opportunity for those age 12-21 to participate in handson exploration of three trades of their choice. Local businesses, entrepreneurs and trade colleges will provide participants info on furthering their education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and in alternative colleges or programs where they can work with their hands. There will also be fitness stations, art, community organizations, a performance by the Original Sixty Fourth Street Beach Drummers at 1:30 p.m. and by Final Explosion Entertainment at 2:30 p.m. Register at TheBrownHouseExperience.com
Juneteenth Village Festival
June 18
Emancipation Ball Willlis Tower Skydeck, 233 S. Wacker Drive Style yourself “Liberated Chic” and soar to the 99th floor for this inaugural ball. Enjoy a scenic sunset toast, open bar, passed appetizers, stunning views, works by Black artists, Chicago-based, Black-owned beer and alcohol brands, and more. 7-11 p.m., $150 at Eventbrite. com
Juneteenth Trade Day
June 18
Juneteenth #ClearTheShelves Semicolon Bookstore, 1714 W. Division St. Noon-6 p.m. Black woman-owned bookstore invites Chicago Public School students to visit and take home whatever books they like -- FREE of charge. Investing in community and youth, one book at a time. semicolon.com
Father’s Day Grill-Off will be at Noon Sunday at the Circle. FREE.
June 18
Black Panther in Concert Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St. 7:30 p.m. The Chicago Philharmonic Society will synchronize its live performance of Ludwig Goransson’s Oscar- and Grammy-winning score to a screening of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther. Watch T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) become king and battle Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Both main characters have “leitmotifs,” a classical music tradition, notes Chicago Philharmonic Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Scott Speck. T’Challa’s leitmotif is a talking drum rhythm, which world-renowned Senegalese tama drum player Massamba Diop created and recorded for the original score; Diop will reprise that role with the Philharmonic. Killmonger’s theme employs the Fula flute, which will be played here by Steve Kujala, a Chicago native and expert in ethnic flutes. Tickets $49+ at chicagotheatre.com
June 19
Juneteenth Block Party 1200 E. 79th St. Annual event at The Woodlawn will feature activities for kids and adults, with local vendors, a 360-degree photo booth, karaoke, games, prizes, food and live music. 1-5 p.m. or 6-10 p.m. General Admission $50/ rooftop $75 at woodlawn1200.com June 19
Thank You Chicago Juneteenth Market The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West Pop-up market celebrates Black business with 30 vendors, from beauty to fashion; 2 DJs, and food for sale. 2-7 p.m. FREE. tycjuneteenth.eventbrite.com June 19
June 18-19
1865 Fest Music Court Circle (Central Park/ Hamlin/Madison/Jackson) and Athletic Field, Garfield Park The 1865 Coalition provides space for cultural activities, live music, arts and entertainment and more at the Circle, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sat & Sun. Free food for the public 2-4 p.m. both days, and food for sale afterwards. Enjoy Friday Night Light Football 6-8 p.m. Friday at the Athletic Field.
Lawndale Juneteenth/ Father’s Day Douglas Blvd. between Kedzie & Albany Join a “back-in-the-day, old-skool kickback” from 4-9 p.m. with Light Up Lawndale: hula hoop, hopscotch, double-dutch contests, potato sack races, live DJs, free food, re-heading and unveiling of “One Family, One World” statue, mini car show, tribute to seniors
Ayodele Drum and Dance at Festival on the Square (courtesy photo).
and long-time residents, and more. FREE, but RSVP to lawndalejuneteenth2022.eventbrite.com. June 19
Festival on the Square & Vision Benefit Zhou B. Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St. Congo Square Theatre achieves its long-term goal of celebrating Juneteenth with two “Homecoming” programs. From 1-4 p.m., Festival on the Square, which takes its name from Congo Square in New Orleans, will feature family-friendly entertainment aimed at healing and Black joy. Ayodele Drum & Dance will perform and teach a dance class for all ages and skill levels. Congo Square ensemble member Aaron Todd Douglas will read August Wilson’s “How I Learned What I Learned” followed by Chicago blues star Melody Angel. FREE congosquaretheatre.org Starting at 6 p.m., the 2022 Vision Benefit will help support the theatre’s mission and its return to live shows. Entertainment will include a “Hit ‘em on the Blackside Watch Party” with talkback; performances from Hawkins House of Horton, Ayodele Drum & Dance, Melody Angel, and Alexis Roston & Friends. Jeffery Beckham Jr. will do a live painting to be auctioned off. A dance party hosted by DJ Retro will conclude the evening. Vax proof and photo ID required. Tickets $250 at congosquaretheatre.org/visionbenefit. .
June 19
Let’s Party for the Culture Juneteenth Edition The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Five DJs to keep you dancing, plus food vendors. Tickets $15+ at tycfortheculture.eventbrite.com June 20
Juneteenth Pop-Up Shop at Momentum Coffee Momentum Coffee, 2119 S. State St. Momentum Coffee is hosting its second annual Juneteenth Pop-Up Event on June 20 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. A variety of small businesses will be at the 2119 S State St location all day. Support small business by choosing to #siplocal and #shopsmall. There will $6.19 special menu items and deals to honor the day to #celebratefreedom! June 21
Juneteenth at Buttercup Park 4901 N. Sheridan Road Crossing Borders Music commissioned new music to tell stories of the ongoing journey from slavery to justice. Performers will include the Honorable Elizabeth A. Baker, Jordyn Davis, and Jessica T. Carter. 11:30 a.m.-1245 a.m. FREE.
www.streetwise.org
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Momentum Coffee (courtesy photo).
36 Annual interfaith memorial for indigent persons Draws 'friends' th
by Suzanne Hanney
When someone is faced with poverty, incarceration, addiction, domestic violence or social injustice, they can’t heal and reach their full potential on their own. They need someone to walk alongside them, a “friend” – “cara” in Irish Gaelic, said Dr. Kathleen St. Louis Caliento. W. Earl Lewis was a doorman in Chicago in the mid-1980s who heard about the burial of indigent persons in mass graves; he worked more than a year to organize the first interfaith memorial service for them in 1986. Tom Owens was a successful businessman who retired in the 1980s and went from shelter to shelter meeting people, becoming friends with them and using his connections to help people find jobs — 8,000 people since he founded the Cara Program in 1991. “Mr. Lewis and Mr. Owens…, these two men answered a call so much greater than themselves,” said Caliento, president & CEO of the Cara Collective and keynote speaker at the 36th annual Interfaith Memorial for Indigent Persons, May 25 at the First United Methodist Church. “They saw an injustice, set out to correct it, and thousands of lives have been transformed. There’s power in community. We see it every day in the work we do, our participants, our alumni. And we see it today in this room.”
FROM THE STREETS
The Interfaith Memorial Service gives the community a chance to stand in as “surrogate family”—or friends—for people who were cremated by the Office of the Cook County Medical Examiner. The roughly 60 persons at the lunchtime service were able to mourn individuals who died poor – not necessarily homeless – but with no one to claim their remains. This year, there were more than 400 names of diverse ethnicities listed in the memorial service program. Eight people spent 25 minutes reading them. “Each of them has a life story and belongs in this world, an inherent dignity,” said Dave Becker, a ministerial intern at the Third Unitarian Church of Chicago. “Let us not turn away from the 1 in 6 people in the U.S. who lives in poverty, the 40 million who will not find food. We are connected in mystery, tied together in a single garment of destiny.” There was also a welcome from the Rev. Dr. Myron F. McCoy, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church; greetings from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, speakers from the Sikh Religious Society and the Archdiocese of Chicago and a benediction from the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago. The KAIA String Quartet, comprised of violinists Victoria Moreira and Naomi Culp, violaist Amanda Grimm and cellist Hope DeCelle, played the prelude, interlude and postlude. The KAIA Quartet are the first ensemble in residence at classical music station, WFMT.
Andrew Kilens found out about the service as a member of First United Methodist after he lost both grandmothers the previous week. “It was a blessing to be able to celebrate their lives at the memorial, like God was calling me to be present with these individuals who are no longer present on Earth anymore but who celebrate eternal life with the Lord.” Karina Fruin had just started working in Cook County government and saw an email about the service. “I thought it was quite beautiful to have a service like this. I am an Orthodox Catholic and we have a big heart for people who died unknown.” Fruin was going to send the list of names to Mother Nectaria at St. Paul Skete in Grand Junction, Tenn., so that she could pray for them. “This gathering is a way to say these individuals mattered,” said Sheila Rogers, who has worked in social services for nearly 30 years. “We want to close our eyes and throw them a dollar. But if we are God’s people, this is a way of taking care of one another.”
The KAIA Quartet plays at the 36th annual Interfaith Memorial for Indigent Persons on May 25 at First United Methodist Church (Suzanne Hanney photo).
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e1 to 5/15/17 Sudoku 9.
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Streetwise 5/15/17 Crossword To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the Sudoku numbers 1 to 9.
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53 ___ out (manages) 54 Indicated 56 Agony 59 Buddhist shrines 60 Expect 61 Mixes up 62 Lets out
10 Causes hearing 36 Indian loss honorific 13 Be a go37 Hardens between 38 Short 14 “I’m outta magazines here!” 39 Drift 15 Unsophisti41 Muzzle cated loaders 17 Ice cream 42 Poplar variety favorites 43 Brewer’s need Down 20 Impress clearly 46 The other lead 1 Riga native 23 Expression 49 Senegal’s 2 Pasty-faced 24 Percolate capital 3 Letter after chi 25 Originates 52 Pueblo 28 Metallic 4 Sidekick dweller element 5 Wooded 53 Give off 6 Police specialty 30 Way too 55 Wall Street squad weighty order 7 Canonical hour 32 Speeder’s bane 57 Be behind 34 Out on the 8 Individually 58 Managed, as a ©2017 streetPuzzleJunction.com 9 Shade of Copyright blonde business
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last week's Solution Puzzle Answers
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Solution
Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at
PuzzleJu
Crossword Across 1 Junk E-mail 5 Lofty lines 9 Stave off 14 Inadvisable action 15 Champagne designation 16 “Norwegian Wood” instrument 17 What’s more 18 Gold medalist Lipinski 19 Tubular pasta choice 20 Like sushi 21 Second fiddle 23 Greek god of darkness 25 Mountain lake 26 No very often 29 Didn’t just criticize 33 Good Book 35 Caught congers 37 Gibbon, for one 38 Uzbekistan’s ___ Sea 39 Sharpened 40 Urgent request 41 Anita Brookner’s “Hotel du ___” 42 Before Barbara or Clara 43 Nursery rhyme boy 44 Printer type 46 On the beach 48 Use acid
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50 Shortens, in a way 53 Don’t take responsibility 58 Encountered 59 Fit to be tied 60 Frisbee 61 Get bushed 62 Blender setting 63 Highlander 64 Settled down 65 Mideast leaders 66 They, in Trieste 67 Luau strings Down 1 It’s catching 2 Kind of cap 3 Be impudent, as a child 4 Jersey call
5 Dense 6 Lackluster 7 Coin with 12 stars on it 8 Maze word 9 Aimed for 10 ___ sausage 11 It’s active in Sicily 12 Diatribe 13 Genealogist’s work 21 Without a doubt 22 Challenged 24 Event attended by Cinderella 27 Writer Uris 28 Busybody 30 Fountain order 31 Fencing sword 32 Letter opener?
33 Indonesian island 34 Persia, now 36 Grasslands 39 Down the ___ 40 Persian spirit 42 Sofas 43 11th President 45 Motley fool 47 Badger 49 Circumvent 51 Spooky 52 Printer’s directives 53 Snowman prop 54 Starch 55 Hindu garment 56 Partiality 57 Brings into play 61 Ancient cross
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