June 6 - 12, 2022

June 6 - 12, 2022 Vol. 30 No. 23

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Arts & (Home) Entertainment

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SportsWise

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HealthWise

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Cover Story: Jackie Robinson

More and more events are happening in Chicago, and we want you to know about the best of the best!

The SportsWise team talks about Jackie Robinson, in conjunction with our cover story.

Molina Healthcare of Illinois and Wisconsin's Dr. LaTonia Sweet shares tips on how to manage stress during the pandemic.

It has been 75 years since the start of Jackie Robinsons career, and history has sanitized the adversity he faced.

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From the Streets

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The Playground

Traditional pottery and beadwork are not just objects in the Field Museum's new permanent exhibition, "Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories," but vehicles for understanding Native Peoples, in their own words. The Bring Chicago Home coalition hand-delivers a letter signed by more than 80 religious leaders to Mayor Lightfoot's office, seeking support for a City Council resolution for a November referendum on the Real Estate transfer tax. Urban Prep Academies celebrates the 13th straight year of all its graduates — low-income, African American males — finishing high school and being accepted to four-year colleges and universities.

ON THE COVER: Jackie Robinson, ca. 1949 (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution). THIS PAGE: Jackie Robinson swings his bat at Ebbetts Field on May 9, 1951 (Associated Press).

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

An Historical Play!

‘The Chinese Lady’ This true story of the first Chinese woman to arrive in the United States unearths hidden history with humor and insight, asking us to explore the way we consider both ourselves and others.

Brought to the United States at age 14 in 1834 by enterprising American merchants, Afong Moy is put on display so the American public can get its first view of an authentic “Chinese Lady.”

Over the course of 55 years, she performs an ethnicity that both defines and challenges her own views of herself, as she witnesses stunning transformations in the American identity. As these dual truths become irreconcilable, Afong must reckon herself and the history of her new home with startling discovery and personal revelations. During this piercing and darkly poetic portrait of America as seen through the eyes of a young Chinese woman, “this quiet play steadily deepens in complexity,” wrote The New York Times. “By the end of Mr. [Lloyd] Suh’s extraordinary play, we look at Afong and see whole centuries of American history. She’s no longer the Chinese lady. She is us.” Playing through June 18 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., 7:30 p.m. Wed & Thurs; 8 p.m. Fri & Sat; 2 p.m. Sun. Special distance seating performance 2 p.m. Tues, June 14. Tickets start at $42 at Timelinetheatre.com

Party Like It's 1999!

'Prince: The Immersive Experience' Chicago will glow purple this summer when "Prince: The Immersive Experience" makes its worldwide debut on June 9, and continues through October 9 at The Shops at North Bridge, 540 N. Michigan Ave. (the corner of N. Michigan and E. Ohio). Presented by Superfly in partnership with the Prince estate, it will immerse attendees in the music and life of Prince. Guests can reserve timedentry tickets starting at $39.50 at PrinceTheExperience.com. VIP and Flex-access tickets, as well as corporate and private group bookings, will also be available.

An Oral History!

ENTERTAINMENT

'In Our Voices: Stories of Survival & Resilience' The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Navy Pier host an insightful evening of discussion and storytelling from descendants and survivors of genocides in Armenia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. Participants will include: Ida Sefer, survivor of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and president of Bosnian American Genocide Institute; Mark Akgulian, a third-generation descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors; Immaculee Mukantaganira, a survivor of 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda and founder and president of Global Survivors for Peace, Inc.; Kelley Szany (moderator), vice president of education & exhibitions at Illinois Holocaust Museum and co-chair, Illinois Holocaust & Genocide Commission. The conversation will be at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. The event will begin with a pre-program reception June 8 at 6 p.m. FREE. An online broadcast is available.

Register at https://ihm.ec/sos-iov

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One Night Only!

Giordano Dance The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, hosts Giordano Dance Chicago's annual summer engagement for one night only, Saturday, June 11, at 7:30 p.m. Audiences can expect a sizzling mixed repertory program of six works showcasing the company’s continual expansion of the boundaries of jazz and contemporary dance. All works debuted in the 21st century. Highlights are Ray Mercer’s “Shirt Off My Back,” which originally premiered at the Auditorium Theatre in 2015, and Christopher Huggins’ “Pyrokinesis,” marking the last performance of this audience favorite before it goes into the vault. Attendees will be among the first to see Autumn Eckman’s “Retroverse,” which debuted in April. Tickets start at $38 at auditoriumtheatre.org

A Celebrated Chicagoan!

Nick Cave: Furthermore The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., presents the first career-spanning retrospective of the internationally renowned Chicagoan Nick Cave, an artist celebrated for projects that blend communitybuilding with vibrant works of art across disciplines: immersive installations, textural sculptures, impeccably crafted fashion, and dynamic videos and performances. Highlights include never-before-seen works, a continuation of the artist’s popular Soundsuits series with the premiere of "Soundsuits 9:29" and a mesmerizing, site-specific installation, "Spinner Forest," made of thousands of kinetic spinners that will hang in the museum’s two-story atrium and fourth-floor lobby. Presented through October 2, and included with standard museum admission at mcachicago.org.

Taking It To the Streets!

43rd Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade Chicago’s annual Puerto Rican People’s Day Parade will return for its 43rd year on June 11. The Parade will go from Division Street and Campbell Street; then west on Division St. through the heart of the Puerto Rican commercial and cultural community - Paseo Boricua in Humboldt Park - and culminate on Sacramento and Division.

Kick off at noon. FREE.

Coming of Age!

'The Luckiest' Lissette and Peter are best friends living their best lives. But when an out-of-nowhere diagnosis shatters Lissette’s world, Peter is left trying to pick up the pieces. Suddenly finding herself at odds with both her best friend and her mom – who each come bearing strong opinions wrapped in good intentions – Lissette is forced to navigate between the two while unflinchingly forging her own path for her future. This tender, funny, and keenly-observed play explores the uncertain and sometimes heartbreaking territory of how we choose to take ownership of our lives. Playing through June 19 at Raven Theatre Company, 6157 N. Clark St, 7:30 p.m. Thurs - Sat, 3 p.m. Sun. $40 at raventheatre.com

Meat-Free!

Vegandale Chicago The highly anticipated 7th annual Vegandale Festival is headed back to Chicago June 11, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. at Grant Park, Butler Field, 100 S. Lake Shore Drive. Experience an epic party with food, drinks, music, contests, and art installations featuring nearly 100 vendors from across the continent and beyond. Fest-goers can expect the best in vegan comfort food, including deep fried watermelon, beer-cheeze battered burgers, quarter-pound cookies, and more! Tickets are $15 for full-day or $10 for after-3 p.m. admission, at vegandalefest.com/chicago

One-Woman Show!

‘Unveiled’ Award-winning Chicago-based playwright, actress and performance artist Rohina Malik was born and raised in London, and has performed in theaters across the United States, Europe and South Africa. In her critically acclaimed one-woman play "Unveiled," she demonstrates her power as a storyteller by portraying four veiled Asian women whose lives have been drastically impacted by 9/11. In a performance laced with humor, she tackles the issues of racial bias, bigotry and negative stereotyping that continue to trigger violence nationwide. Playing June 11, 7 p.m. at South Asia Institute, 1925 S. Michigan Ave. General admission is $25, $10 for students at saichicago.org/calendar/unveiled.

A Kick Off to Summer!

Andersonville Midsommarfest The yearly event, which, according to ChicagoPride, will “help kick off the Chicago summer neighborhood street festival season,” will gather enthusiastic Chicagoans for a weekend filled with international food, energetic entertainment, exclusive artisans and vendors, and a family-friendly array of interactive activities. Born out of Andersonville’s Swedish heritage, Midsommarfest will transport you back to the old-world Swedish traditions. Family-friendly activities include a pet parade and face painting. $10 Suggested donation. All proceeds benefit the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. June 10: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday & Sunday: June 11 & 12, Noon-10 p.m.

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Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Russ: As I sat watching the White Sox and Yankees jaw at each another due to perceived racist comments from Yankees player Josh Donaldson to White Sox player Tim Anderson, I couldn’t help but be reminded that racism is still here and not going anywhere. Not soon at least. It’s sad.

SPORTSWISE

John: Now, just so our fans understand, April 15 marked the 75th anniversary— 70-friggin-5th—of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color line. He became the first Black Major League Baseball player on April 15, 1947, signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He had an interesting path as he had to learn to deal with two “perceived” enemies: One, foreign enemies, as he was an Army second lieutenant; Two, prejudice and racism in the United States.

Donald: Listen, the one thing I want to give props to when it comes to Jackie Robinson is that he didn’t “sell out,” so to speak. And when I say “sell out,” I mean he didn’t sign a contract and become a puppet of those who didn’t feel the same way he felt.

Jackie Robinson walked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., helped out at the NAACP headquarters and other organizations that dealt with civil rights and equality. He uplifted the Black race not only with the strength in his back,

but, also, with his voice full of intelligence and love for his people, as well as for all connected. He knew without an uplifting of one segment of the population, there would be no complete solution.

Patrick: I learned from The Conversation website that Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey had Robinson promise that he’d—for at least a season—not respond to verbal abuse from anyone on the field. First big test: Philadelphia Phillies manager, Ben Chapman, called Robinson the n-word and shouted: “Go back to the cotton field where you belong.” Although he was pissed, Mr. Robinson kept his cool and, over the year, endured the abuse.

But, following that season, he spoke his peace.

Donald: He did. This man defeated the roadblocks. He got around 'em, under, over, and through 'em, and, even

more important, got through to the masses. Wore them down a bit. The abuse he received was a way to minimize the story-flow of the history that he was rewriting for white America. It wasn’t understood—definitely not accepted—how a Black man could do such a thing.

However, for me, to realize the heights Jackie Robinson climbed for us, I’m uplifted to no end.

Russ: In touching back on the current incident between the White Sox and Yankees, the perceived racist comments were in reference to Jackie Robinson. A white ballplayer—twice in one game— called a Black ballplayer “Jackie,” and it wasn’t taken well, despite a seemingly decent history between the two in relation to the topic.

That Jackie Robinson, in 1947, became the face of MLB Rashanah Baldwin integration is kind of trippy.

Patrick: John, you ain’t never lied. Makes it a little bit tougher to swallow. Especially when we realize the high-level of talent in the Negro Leagues. I understand separate --if equal-- ideology. However, I still think how much more competitive MLB would have been with the early inclusion of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Turkey Stearnes— Russ: John Henry “Pop” Lloyd.

Donald: Mule Suttles.

John: Willie Wells.

Patrick: Ray Dandridge.

Donald: Cool Papa Bell, baby.

John: Y’all realize it’s been only 75 years since MLB became officially integrated?

Any comments or suggestions?

Email pedwards@streetwise.org

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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JACKIE ROBINSON

WAS A RADICAL — DON'T LISTEN TO THE SANITIZED VERSION OF HISTORY

by Peter Dreier / The Conversation

In our new book, “Baseball Rebels: The Players, People, and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed America,” Rob Elias and I profile the many iconoclasts, dissenters and mavericks who defied baseball’s and society’s establishment.

But none took as many risks – and had as big an impact – as Jackie Robinson. Though Robinson was a fierce competitor, an outstanding athlete and a deeply religious man, the aspect of his legacy that often gets glossed over is that he was also a radical.

The sanitized version of the Jackie Robinson story goes something like this: He was a remarkable athlete who, with his unusual level of self-control, was the perfect person to break baseball’s color line. In the face of jeers and taunts, he was able to put his head down and let his play do the talking, becoming a symbol of the promise of a racially integrated society.

COVER STORY

April 15 marked the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breaking baseball’s color line, Major League Baseball celebrated the occasion with great fanfare – with tributes, movies, TV specials, museum exhibits and symposia.

However, these celebrations downplayed his activism during and after his playing career. Did they delve into the forces arrayed against Robinson – the players, fans, reporters, politicians and baseball executives who scorned his outspoken views on race? Did any Jackie Robinson Day events mention that, toward the end of his life, he wrote that he had become so disillusioned with the country’s racial progress that he couldn’t stand for the flag and sing the national anthem?

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LAYING THE GROUNDWORK Robinson was a rebel before he broke baseball’s color line.

When he was a soldier during World War II, his superiors sought to keep him out of officer candidate school. He persevered and became a second lieutenant. But in 1944, while assigned to a training camp at Fort Hood in Texas, he refused to move to the back of an army bus when the white driver ordered him to do so.

Robinson faced trumped-up charges of insubordination, disturbing the peace, drunkenness, conduct unbecoming an officer and refusing to obey the orders of a superior officer.

Voting by secret ballot, the nine military judges – only one of them Black – found Robinson not guilty. In November, he was honorably discharged from the Army.

Describing the ordeal, Robinson later wrote, “It was a small victory, for I had learned that I was in two wars, one against the foreign enemy, the other against prejudice at home.”

Three years later, Robinson would suit up for the Dodgers.

His arrival didn’t occur in a vacuum. It marked the culmination of more than a decade of protests to desegregate the national pastime. It was a political victory brought about by a persistent and progressive movement that confronted powerful business interests that were reluctant – even opposed – to bring about change.

Beginning in the 1930s, the movement mobilized a broad coalition of organizations – the Black press, civil rights groups,

First baseman Jackie Robinson (right) makes his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, with teammates (from left): third baseman John Jorgensen, shortstop Pee Wee Reese, and second baseman Eddie Stanky (Harry Harris / AP photo).

the Communist Party, progressive white activists, left-wing unions and radical politicians – that waged a sustained campaign to integrate baseball.

BITING HIS TONGUE, BIDING HIS TIME This protest movement set the stage for Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey to sign Robinson to a contract in 1945. Robinson spent the 1946 season with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers’ top farm club, where he led the team to the minor league championship. The following season, he was brought up to the big leagues.

Robinson promised Rickey that – at least during his rookie year – he wouldn’t respond to the verbal barbs from fans, managers and other players he would face on a daily basis.

His first test took place a week after he joined the Dodgers, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Phillies manager Ben Chapman called Robinson the n-word and shouted, “Go back to the cotton field where you belong.”

Though Robinson seethed with anger, he kept his promise to Rickey, enduring the abuse without retaliating.

ed about race. They thought he was too angry, too vocal.

Syndicated sports columnist Dick Young of the New York Daily News griped that when he talked to Robinson’s Black teammate Roy Campanella, they stuck to baseball. But when he spoke with Robinson, “sooner or later we get around to social issues.”

A 1953 article in Sport magazine titled “Why They Boo Jackie Robinson” described the second baseman as “combative,” “emotional” and “calculating,” as well as a “pop-off,” a “whiner,” a “showboat” and a “troublemaker.” A Cleveland paper called Robinson a “rabble rouser” who was on a “soap box.”

The Sporting News headlined one story “Robinson Should Be a Player, Not a Crusader.” Other writers and players called him a “loudmouth,” a “sorehead” and worse.

Nonetheless, Robinson’s relentless advocacy got the attention of the country’s civil rights leaders.

In 1956, the NAACP gave him its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal. He was the first athlete to receive that award. In his acceptance speech, he explained that although many people had warned him “not to speak up every time I thought there was an injustice,” he would continue to do so.

But after that first year, he increasingly spoke out against racial injustice in speeches, interviews and his regular newspaper columns for The Pittsburgh Courier, New York Post and the New York Amsterdam News.

‘A FREEDOM RIDER BEFORE THE FREEDOM RIDES’

Many sportswriters and most other players – including some of his fellow Black players – balked at the way Robinson talk-

After Robinson hung up his cleats in 1957, he stayed true to his word, becoming a constant presence on picket lines and at civil rights rallies. www.streetwise.org

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That same year, he publicly urged President Dwight Eisenhower to send troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect Black students seeking to desegregate its public schools. In 1960, impressed with the resilience and courage of the college students engaging in sit-ins at Southern lunch counters, he agreed to raise bail money for the students stuck in jail cells.

Robinson initially supported the 1960 presidential campaign of Sen. Hubert Humphrey, a Minnesota Democrat and staunch ally of the civil rights movement. But when John F. Kennedy won the party’s nomination, Robinson – worried that JFK would be beholden to Southern Democrats who opposed integration – endorsed Republican Richard Nixon.

He quickly regretted that decision after Nixon refused to campaign in Harlem or speak out against the arrest of Martin Luther King Jr. in rural Georgia. Three weeks before Election Day, Robinson said that “Nixon doesn’t deserve to win.”

In February 1962, Robinson traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, to speak at a rally organized by NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Later that year, at King’s request, Robinson traveled to Albany, Georgia, to draw media attention to three Black churches that had been burned to the ground by segregationists. He then led a fundraising campaign that collected $50,000 to rebuild the churches.

In 1963 he devoted considerable time and travel to support King’s voter registration efforts in the South. He also traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, as part of King’s campaign to dismantle segregation in that city.

“His presence in the South was very important to us,” recalled Wyatt Tee Walker, chief of staff of King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King called Robinson “a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a freedom rider before the Freedom Rides.”

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Robinson also consistently criticized police brutality. In August 1968, three Black Panthers in New York City were arrested and charged with assaulting a white police officer.

At their hearing two weeks later, about 150 white men, including off-duty police officers, stormed the courthouse and attacked 10 Panthers and two white supporters. When he learned that the police had made no arrests of the white rioters, Robinson was outraged.

“The Black Panthers seek self-determination, protection of the Black community, decent housing and employment and express opposition to police abuse,” Robinson said during a press conference at the Black Panthers’ headquarters.

He challenged banks for discriminating against Black neighborhoods and condemned slumlords who preyed on Black families.

And Robinson wasn’t done holding Major League Baseball to account, either. He refused to participate in a 1969 Old Timers game because he didn’t see “genuine interest in breaking the barriers that deny access to managerial and front office positions.” At his final public appearance, throwing the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2 of the 1972 World Series, Robinson observed, “I’m going to be tremendously more pleased and more proud when I look at that third base coaching line one day and see a black face managing in baseball.”

No major league team had a Black manager until Frank Robinson was hired by the Cleveland Indians in 1975, three years after Jackie Robinson’s death. The absence of Black managers and front-office executives is an issue that MLB still grapples with today.

Left: Jackie Robinson, to the right of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., appeared at a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, in May 1963 (Bettmann / Getty Images).

Right: Jackie Robinson addresses civil rights supporters protesting outside the 1964 GOP National Convention (Ted Streshinsky / Corbis via Getty Images).

ATHLETE ACTIVISM, THEN AND NOW Athletes still face backlash for speaking out. When NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested racism by refusing to stand during the national anthem, then-President Donald Trump said that athletes who followed Kaepernick’s example “shouldn’t be in the country.”

In 2018, after NBA star LeBron James spoke about a racial slur that had been graffitied on his home and criticized Trump, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham suggested that he “shut up and dribble.”

Even so, in the past decade, athletes have become more outspoken on issues of racism, homophobia, sexism, American militarism, immigrant rights and other issues.

They all stand on Robinson’s shoulders.

It was Robinson’s strong patriotism that led him to challenge America to live up to its ideals. He felt an obligation to use his fame to challenge the society’s racial injustice.

However, during his last few years – before he died of a heart attack in 1972 at age 53 – he grew increasingly disillusioned with the pace of racial progress.

In his 1972 memoir, “I Never Had It Made,” he wrote: “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a Black man in a white world.”

Peter Dreier is E. P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics at Occidental College and co-author of "Baseball Rebels: The Players, People. and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed America." Courtesy of The Conversation.

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Field Museum Presents 'Native truths: Our Voices, Our Stories' Traditional pottery and beadwork are not just objects in the Field Museum’s new permanent exhibition, but vehicles for better understanding Native peoples’ resilience and continuity. The grand opening May 21 of “Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories” featured a Menominee Peace Tree ceremony and a Blackfeet Posting Dance.

“Native Truths” breaks the traditional museum mold by focusing on backstories told by individuals. It was created over four years with an advisory council of 11 Native American scholars and museum professionals, in partnership with 130 collaborators from more than 105 Tribes. The Chicago Native community will have a special section, while other galleries will rotate, to allow new stories from across the United States and Canada.

“This required the Field Museum to fundamentally change the process of how we co-curate exhibitions with communities,” said Field Museum Head of Exhibitions Jaap Hoogstraten.

Visitors will see items from the Field’s collection like traditional regalia and pottery and understand their historical significance. Exclusive artwork – poetry, music and murals – was also created especially for this exhibition

by Native artists showcasing their experiences today. Visitors will experience music-making through the eyes of a young Lakota hip-hop artist, follow Meskwaki efforts to revitalize heirloom plants, delve into the importance of Chaco Canyon and visit a Pawnee earth lodge, in a new context.

Multimedia interactives will illustrate unique skills like California basket weaving passed through generations, as well as some of the most pressing contemporary issues Native people face.

FROM THE STREETS

“I think visitors will be blown away by the way in which the items from our collection and the contemporary pieces we have borrowed, commissioned or purchased especially for this exhibition seamlessly work together to tell a vibrant story of resilience and innovation in the face of trauma and continuity of knowledge traditions across generations,” says Curator Emeritus of North American Anthropology Alaka Wali, PhD. “This is not a chronology of events, but rather a new and completely different perspective on Native American and First Nations experiences, world views and aspirations.”

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Curators intentionally told Indigenous stories that corrected stereotypes.

“For Native visitors, I hope there is an instant connection. I hope they see themselves, see their relatives, their grandparents, aunties and uncles,” said Debra Yepa-Pappan, community engagement coordinator for the project, who is Jemez Pueblo and Korean. “For non-Native visitors, we’ve been working to make this an immersive experience that allows them to come into our home—learning from us, not just about us.

Meranda Roberts, PhD, a co-curator and a citizen of the Yerington Paiute tribe, said she hopes that Native people telling their stories on their own terms will be a starting point for discussing colonization and the ways Indigenous communities have been harmed.

“This exhibition is as needed as ever,” Roberts said. “Our country is at a precipice thinking about how to come to terms with the horrendous ways it has treated our people, how to address that history, and how to ensure that it never happens again. I think this exhibition does a beautiful job at highlighting the way Native people should be celebrated and talked about in public spaces, like the Field Museum.”

–Suzanne Hanney, from online materials

(Jay Young photos)

Urban Prep Religious leaders support 'Bring Chicago Signing Day with 100% Home' Campaign graduation rate & college acceptance Advocates of raising the Real Estate transfer tax to create a new fund for permanent housing hand-delivered a letter signed by more than 80 religious leaders to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office May 23, seeking her support for a City Council resolution that would put the issue before voters in November.

“The Interfaith Roundtable on Homelessness is a proud supporter of the Bring Chicago Home campaign, because we know that homelessness is a failure of our system, not a failure of individuals,” the Rev. Dr. Jacqueline TricheAtkins, minister at Christ Universal Temple, said. “Homelessness is a product of decades, and, in fact, centuries of systemic racism, and Chicago has a moral obligation to do something about it.”

The Interfaith Roundtable on Homelessness is a group of faith leaders from across Chicago, with representation from Islam, Judaism, Protestant Christianity, Baha’i, New Thought Christianity, Buddhism and Roman Catholicism.

The Real Estate transfer tax is now $3.75 for every $500 of valuation of properties sold in Chicago. The proposal would retain that fee on sales of up to $1 million; above that, it would raise the transfer tax to $13.25 for every $500.

BCH coalition members say that raising the transfer tax on higher-valued properties would generate $163 million for a Homeless Transfer Fund, which would provide permanent supportive housing and wraparound services to 12,000 families over the next 10 years. The priority would be people with barriers to housing: those returning from prison, living doubled up, or undocumented.

An estimated 58,000 people are homeless in Chicago, according to the BCH Coalition, which includes the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Communities United, ONE Northside, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, SEIU-HCII and United Working Families.

Precise operational guidelines for the Homeless Transfer Fund await first a successful November referendum and then passage of a City Council ordinance, said Anna Gaebler, economic justice organizer at ONE Northside. Administration of the fund would likely be through the Chicago Department of Housing and the Department of Family and Support Services, not the Chicago Housing Authority. One scenario is that the City would spend more money on housing and would make grants to non-profits.

Advocates also want people with lived experience of homelessness to serve on whatever forum would drive spending of the new revenue stream, Gaebler said.

Urban Prep Academies celebrated the 13th year in a row of all its graduates gaining admission to fouryear colleges and universities with "Signing Day" May 19 in Daley Center Plaza. Dressed in the school uniform of khaki pants, black jacket and red-andgold striped tie, each senior announced his final college choice from the more than 1,200 college admissions the class cumulatively received. This year marks the first time since the pandemic began that Urban Prep was able to publicly acknowledge and celebrate its seniors, with the theme, #100PercentIndomitable.

The school’s motto is "We Believe."

(Michael Kardas photos)

“Our objectives remain affordable housing across the city, not continuing to segregate our city by pushing affordable housing only on the South and West Sides,” she said. “Our other priority that is non-negotiable is looking to create or maintain permanent housing with supportive services, not shelter beds, but single units and family-size units that include wraparound services that keep people housed.”

Advocates are ramping up action toward the City Council resolution to meet an August deadline for getting the referendum on the November ballot, she said.

The resolution now has 11 supporters on the 50-member City Council, with the recent additions of Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th ward) and Ald. Harry Osterman (48th ward).

-Suzanne Hanney

www.streetwise.org

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1 to 9.

Streetwise 5/8/17 Crossword

Sudoku

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

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59 Dye-yielding shrubs 60 A Judd 61 Friend of Frodo 62 Diarist Samuel 63 Ethyl acetate, e.g.

12 Stops sleeping 38 To the ___ 13 Building degree material 39 Music genre 18 Encounter 41 Saffron22 Look after flavored dishes 24 Wipeout?

42 Lone-Star State 25 Vatican City city 26 One of the 43 Large lizard own Clantons 44 Swindled 27 Extinct flightless 1 Gadfly larvae person 2 Atmosphere bird 45 St. Paul’s 3 Don’t draw, in 28 Infamous 1972 architect poker hurricane 47 Salad ingredient 29 Abbr. after many 49 Crackerjack 4 Urban ___ 5 Pitches a general’s name 50 Smart-alecky 6 Scale 30 Peruvian coin 51 Without 7 Pro ___ 32 Auxiliary purpose 35 Mandela’s org.

8 Dead against 53 Prison term 9 Highlander 36 Design item on 54 Prince of Wales, 10 Word said with a dress, maybe e.g. a salute 37 It’s often left 56 Mountain pass hangingPuzzleJunction.com 11 Tubular food 57 Early afternoon Copyright ©2017

Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

©PuzzleJunction.com

last week's Solution Puzzle Answers

Solution

Solution

Find your nearest StreetWise Vendor at

PuzzleJu

Crossword Across 1 Arctic dwellers 6 Position 11 Analyze 12 Ermine 14 Garden annoyance 16 Primitive 18 Crockett or Jones 19 Climbing plant 21 ___ Schwarz 22 Sundial number 23 Nebraska river 25 Bridle part 26 Lab eggs 27 Therefore 28 Washer cycle 29 Madam, in Spain 31 Irritates 33 “Goldberg Variations” composer 35 Fabricated 36 Carnival attraction 40 Despair 44 Biscotto flavoring 45 Former Portuguese province 47 Bring into play 48 Enormous 49 Contort 50 Place to relax 51 Boiling blood 52 Quashes

©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

10 Causes hearing loss 13 Be a gobetween 14 “I’m outta here!”

15 Unsophisticated 17 Ice cream favorites 20 Impress clearly Down 23 Expression 1 Riga native 24 Percolate 2 Pasty-faced 3 Letter after chi 25 Originates 28 Metallic 4 Sidekick 5 Wooded element 6 Police specialty 30 Way too weighty squad 7 Canonical hour 32 Speeder’s bane 34 Out on the 8 Individually street 9 Shade of blonde 53 ___ out (manages) 54 Indicated 56 Agony 59 Buddhist shrines 60 Expect 61 Mixes up 62 Lets out

36 Indian honorific 37 Hardens 38 Short magazines 39 Drift 41 Muzzle loaders 42 Poplar variety 43 Brewer’s need 46 The other lead 49 Senegal’s capital 52 Pueblo dweller 53 Give off 55 Wall Street order 57 Be behind 58 Managed, as a business

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