Another DePaul discrimination suit, a potential CTU strike and Chicago's vaccine rollout
And a virtual Writing Center event (tonight!) you won't want to miss
Hey y’all! Welcome back to another week of 14 East’s COVID-19 Updates newsletter. Your team – Francesca, Grace, Justin, Robin and Aneesah – are back with updates, insights, recommendations and more for your Monday.
Let’s get into it!
A Celebration of Black Music at UCWbL
Tonight, DePaul’s University Center for Writing-based Learning (UCWbL) is hosting their annual Writing Matters event. This year, the event, titled “A Night with Black Music,” will feature two Black artists – Mo and Smba.
R&B and hip hop publication Fashionably Early called Smba “one of the best teenage artists making music” in late 2019. The Southfield, Michigan-native and recent high school graduate has been deeply involved with music for years, writing their own songs since they were six years old. Smba (@notsmba), who also goes by their surname Tyrone Jordan and currently resides in Illinois, has plans to forge their own company to develop and produce new artists, called 2db. In addition to making music, SMBA dabbles in event producing, video directing and cooking. They recently released a self-produced single called “Bleeding out,” and anticipates the release of their new project titled “EP2” soon.
Writing Matters’ other feature artist, Mo (@moswrldd), has spent most of his life between his parents’ homeland of the Gambia and the suburbs of Seattle. Mo – whose real name is Muhamad Faal – is currently a third-year student at The Theatre School at DePaul, and seeks to tell stories through his music by incorporating lived experience and his performance skills.
The event is free and will be streamed on Instagram Live from 7 to 8:45 p.m. –– register for the event here: https://lu.ma/y1tqm0ro
Chicago headlines
Chicago Public Schools halted learning today as they continued bargaining with the Chicago Teachers Union, which is opposed to students and teachers returning to in-person learning. If the two parties reach an impasse, this will mark the second CTU strike in 15 months. Nader Issa and Tom Schuba of the Sun-Times have the story.
Over 4,500 Chicagoans have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the last year. The Block Club Chicago staff spoke with the families of 27 of the virus’s victims to mark the one year since COVID-19 touched down in Chicago.
As the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming readily more available, there is a glaring inequity between who in the city has been impacted most by the virus and who is getting the vaccine. The South Side Weekly staff broke down COVID-19 deaths and vaccines by Chicago zip code.
Thursday, February 4, at 6 p.m. the TRiiBE will host the return of its YouTube program, “We Real Chicago” featuring Fred Hampton Jr. who will be discussing his new film, “Judas and the Black Messiah” and his fight to preserve his father’s legacy.
DePaul News
Sydney Dillard, PRAD graduate program academic director, has become the most recent professor to file a lawsuit against the university over allegations of discrimination. Among her allegations, Dillard accuses the university of paying her lower wages compared to her male counterparts, denying her leadership roles within the College of Communication because of her race, failing to accommodate her disabilities and of placing unnecessary challenges in the way of her acquiring tenure. Cited in the case were other pending racial discrimination lawsuits against the university: Terry Smith v. DePaul University, Sumi Cho v. DePaul University and Lisa Calvente v. DePaul University.
“It is our practice to not comment on pending litigation, but what we can provide is that DePaul University has a long standing commitment to the diversity of its faculty, staff, and student body,” university spokesperson Russell Dorn told The DePaulia in an article published last Tuesday. “It is the policy of DePaul University that no person shall be the object of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, family relationship status, physical or mental disability, military status, genetic information or other status protected by local, state, or federal law in its employment or its educational settings.”
The faculty council announced DePaul’s goal of forming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) task force. This task force is aimed at qualifying DePaul to be nationally recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution. To qualify, DePaul would have to raise the amount of Latinx students in its undergraduate program from 21 percent to 25 percent. The initiative is aimed at better serving the Latinx community through higher education and would make the university eligible to receive federal funding for its Latinx programs, should the application be successful.
Though those 65 and older, frontline essential workers, and those in non-healthcare residential settings are currently the only ones eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, DePaul has released plans to survey the campus community to gauge interest in and access to the vaccines. Results are anonymous and will be used by the university for informational purposes. There is currently no plan in place for a university-wide vaccination, though DePaul administrators have said that they are working with the city to develop the best course of action regarding the vaccine.
DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban entered the Big East conference today. However, you won’t see him dunking on Butler this Saturday. Esteban was appointed to the conference by the NCAA to serve on its Division I Presidential forum for a three-year term. In this role, Esteban will join 31 other leaders from Division I conference teams and meet throughout the year to reflect on and discuss the values of the NCAA and its mission statement.
National Headlines
The Associated Press reports that former President Donald Trump appointed two new lawyers to his impeachment defense team. David Schoen, a television legal commentator, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney joined Trump’s team a day after his former attorneys parted ways.
The Los Angeles Times reports that COVID-19 numbers are leveling off as the state eases restrictions. Currently, California officials have lifted its stay-at-home orders and returned to the color-coded tier system to assess risk, but Barbara Ferrer, L.A county’sdirector of public health suggests residents continue to maintain social distancing while the vaccine is rolled out.
Essential workers are in limbo for the coronavirus vaccine as states focus on the elderly, according to The Washington Post. As the elderly are pushed to the front of the line, essential workers continue to work without access to the vaccine and this leaves workers open to catching and transmitting the virus. Experts say that focusing on the 65-and-over crowd overwhelmingly puts white people at an advantage since Black men, in particular, die younger. Biden’s advisers said “equity will be central to their efforts” and a “moral imperative” during the vaccine rollout.
The White House is open to scaling down stimulus checks to families making more than $150,000, according to CNN. While the White House is considering scaling down stimulus checks, the administration will not cut off unemployment insurance access or money for schools. This decision is happening during negotiations between Democrats and the GOP who want a $1.9 trillion and $600 billion plan, respectively. Despite the GOP’s push for the $600 billion plan, Democrats aren't considering it. Senator Bernie Sanders said the COVID-19 relief package could be passed with a simple majority.
Recommendations
This week, Half-Acre Beer Company has partnered with Grow Greater Englewood (GGE) to release a new IPA. Grow Greater Englewood is a Black-owned social enterprise that works with Englewood residents and developers to create sustainable food economies and green businesses to empower residents to create wellness and wealth. This is the third brew of the beer and the can was designed with GGE and Black History Month in mind, hence the Afro-Centric color scheme and the incorporation of the aya fern, a symbol of endurance and resourcefulness, which embodies the organization.
The ale is a bright yellow-orange with haziness to it and it tastes very citrusy along with bitter and earthy tones. It’s a great brew and a portion of the proceeds go directly to Grow Greater Englewood. Check it out!
Resources
This is your quarterly reminder that The University Center for Writing-based Learning is open! With midterms approaching, keep in mind that the writing center is a resource free to all DePaul students with a flexible schedule and format for editing essays, writing tutoring, portfolio-making assistance and more. Check it out: https://condor.depaul.edu/writing/index.html
COVID-19 Testing
All of these testing sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all from us, folks. Have a great rest of your week –– we’ll see ya back next Monday.
Francesca, Grace, Justin, Robin and Aneesah
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