19 Sep 2018

Death Of Jon Burge: Commander Set Standard For Police Terror In Chicago

Former Chicago police commander Jon Burge was involved with several officers in the torture of more than 110 black men. He was never held fully accountable for the trauma inflicted on black communities and died on September 19. At the trial for former Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is accused

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17 Sep 2018

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Prayer Song’ By Noname Featuring Adam Ness

Noname is the moniker of Fatimah Warner, a 26-year-old indie rapper from Chicago. She recently released her first official album “Room 25,” a much-anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed 2016 free mixtape, “Telefone.” The album is already receiving wide praise. Her music couples inventive musical arrangements with an insightful lyrical flow.

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11 Sep 2018

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Would You Take My Blood?’ By Shemekia Copeland

Shemekia Copeland is a blue musician who has been part of the Alligator Records family in Chicago since her debut in 1998. Her latest album, “America’s Child,” grapples with the resurgence of hate in the United States, particularly since the election of President Donald Trump. One of the more moving

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04 Apr 2018

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Hard Times’ By Curtis Mayfield

Singer-songwriter Curtis Mayfield’s “Hard Times” is a raw articulation of what it was like to witness the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement turn into a nightmare. From Mayfield’s 1975 album, “There Is No Place Like America Today,” the funk and soul musician sings,

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10 Oct 2017

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Black Is’ by The Last Poets

The NFL commissioner and owners of NFL teams are moving at this hour to restrict and clamp down on football players, who are predominantly black, so they do not protest during the national anthem. This is happening as former coaches like Mike Ditka babble on about not knowing of any

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25 Sep 2017

A Team-By-Team Guide To NFL Players Who Protested National Anthem In Week 3

In the NFL’s third week, players responded to Trump’s comments against those who kneel during the national anthem to protest injustice and systemic racism.

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24 Sep 2017

Upcoming Execution Of Keith Leroy Tharpe Illustrates Legacy Of Lynching In US

Court filings from juror interviews reveal that one juror voted for Tharpe’s death because he was black.

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13 Mar 2016

How Bernie Sanders Has Built A Multi-Racial Anti-Austerity Campaign

Bernie Sanders won a huge upset in Michigan last week. It helped position him to potentially win some of the states with primaries this week, particularly Ohio, Missouri, and even Illinois. Results also showed that he had convinced a higher percentage of black voters to vote for him than in

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02 Mar 2016

Kartemquin Films 50: ‘Winnie Wright, Age 11’

A number of films from Kartemquin go into working or lower class neighborhoods and humanize the people living in those neighborhoods. “Winnie Wright, Age 11” is a short film about a working class family living in Gage Park, Chicago. The neighborhood’s population is shifting from white to black. Winnie’s mother is

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29 Feb 2016

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘T.H.U.G.S.’ by Mysonne

The “Justice For Flint” concert benefit was exceptional counter-programming to the Academy Awards on Sunday night. From Janelle Monae to Vic Mensa to Ledisi to Robert Glasper, there were some incredible performances. It also featured young poets and local residents, who came up on stage to share their stories about

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