Inauguration Week, Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Day, and our 50th newsletter
Plus a look at what we've learned about Dr. King's legacy
Hey y’all! We’re happy to have you here for Dr. Martin Luther King Remembrance Day and hope that today can serve as a moment to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and support the fight for racial justice and equity in this country (and continue to support this fight every day). Check out our resources section for an updated list of anti-racism organizations to check out, donate to or volunteer with.
Before we forget, we’ll be holding our first public newsroom of the year on how to report on education in Chicago and beyond, tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19, at 6 p.m.. We’re thrilled to have some of Chicago’s best education reporters: Nader Issa of the Sun-Times, Samantha Smylie of ChalkBeat and DePaul alumna and independent reporter with the TRiiBE Kelly Garcia.
Sign up HERE!
Additionally, today is our fiftieth COVID-19 Updates Newsletter! Wild! It truly has been an honor to serve your information needs and keep in touch with our community through this newsletter and we’re excited for 50 more. So, without further adieu, your newsletter team – Francesca, Grace, Justin, Robin, Aneesah and Emmanuel – are here with the news. Let’s get into it.
Community Members Gather to Honor the Legacy of MLK and to Set the Record Straight
Grace Del Vecchio / 14 East
Today, community members gathered for a car caravan and rally at Federal Plaza in the Chicago Loop to honor Martin Luther King Jr. but to also ring in the end of the Trump administration.
The action was co-sponsored by over a dozen organizations, including Black Lives Matter Chicago, GoodKids MadCity, Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, United Working Families and more.
The many speakers, who represented a multitude of different organizations, spoke of the same mission: to correct the whitewashed legacy of MLK and make it clear that while Trump may leave office, his ideologies will not leave with him.
“They will use his words to accept their own reality,” said Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson of those who use MLK’s words out of context.
Others echoed this sentiment.
“Safety is not quotes and yard signs but in action and material,” said Illinois State Senator Robert Peters. “He [MLK] was committed to the struggle, we are committed to the struggle.”
State Senator Robert Peters, Grace Del Vecchio/14 East
While ensuring that MLK’s legacy was recognized for what it was, speakers also wanted to make it clear that while Trump and his administration may be exiting the White House on Wednesday, the racist and hateful ideologies that he stood for will remain.
“Our fight with white supremacy does not end with Trump’s term,” said Tamer Abouzeid of Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.
Chicago headlines
Illinois is loosening up many COVID-19 restrictions in Chicago, including those surrounding museums and sports, from Block Club Chicago’s Kelly Bauer.
Controversy re-emerges surrounding Kelly Golden, the wife of @properties CEO Michael Golden, who attended the January 6 insurrection in D.C. Golden owns a well-known clothing boutique in Winnetka that had a Q-Anon themed storefront window display last spring, from Chicago Sun-Times Matthew Hendrickson
Anjanette Young, whose home was raided by the Chicago Police Deparment while she was changing clothes as shown in a recently released video, speaks out against the misconduct by CPD and speculates about a cover up by City Hall, from Chicago Tribune’s Gregory Pratt.
DePaul News
“Not such a big issue,” said DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban to the idea of having mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for DePaul faculty. Esteban’s statement came during a question and answer session with the faculty council. Though faculty vaccinations may be of little concern, the president expressed that his focus is set on student vaccinations, but these are not currently planned on being required for students.
A new informational page is now available listing resources for students who have tested positive for COVID-19, know of someone who has tested positive, are in need of counseling services or are in search of additional university-sponsored assistance for COVID-19-related concerns.
Last April, DePaul announced that Stephanie Dance-Barnes was selected as the new dean for the College of Science and Health. Dance-Barnes, who officially began work as the college’s dean in July, has most recently been selected as one of Cell Press’ 1,000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. Dance-Barnes joins 999 others who were selected to highlight the work of Black scientists in hopes of beginning “to change the narrative of the definition of a scientist to be more representative of our larger society.” Dance-Barnes is recognized for her cancer research, specifically for her work on triple negative breast cancer which affects Black women at higher rates.
In other College of Science and Health news, the university has announced the Engage and Persist in STEM Project (EPISTEM). The program awards $10,000 yearly scholarships over the course of four years to eight freshman STEM majors across two cohorts. The scholarship is made possible through a $1 million grant given to the College of Science and Health by the National Science Foundation to meet the growing demand for scientists in the workforce. Students in the program will undergo a rigorous academic curriculum of mentorships, seminars, workshops and more designed to best prepare them for the scientific field.
National headlines
The Washington Post reports President-elect Joseph R. Biden will reverse the Keystone XL pipeline. The multibillion-dollar Keystone XL pipeline will be shut down as Biden takes a more aggressive stance against climate change and as banks have announced that they will no longer provide money to oil sands extraction projects.
The Associated Press reports that the FBI is vetting National Guard troops amid fears of an insider attack. U.S. defense officials are worried about an insider attack during President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration, so the FBI will vet all 25,000 guards coming into Washington for the event. The process began as soon as the first Guard troops landed a week ago and will be completed by Wednesday.
Vox reports Trump’s bans on Twitter and Facebook are working to reduce misinformation. Research from Zignal Labs suggests that misinformation about the election decreased by 73 percent following Twitter’s Trump ban on January 8. Hashtags affiliated with the riot also dropped. The hashtag #FightforTrump and #HoldTheLine fell more than 95 percent.
The Los Angeles Times reports another new coronavirus variant found across California. This new strain is different from the contagious variant in the United Kingdom and is linked to large outbreaks in Santa Clara County. The new strain has also been reported in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Diego, Humboldt, Lake, Mono, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.
Recommendations
Before the three-day weekend, I attended an online professional development meeting for the Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Partnerships. As we were wrapping up, someone brought up the movie Our Friend, Martin. I haven’t heard the title of this movie since I left elementary school.
I remember watching it on the VHS at the corner of the room; I believe our whole school watched it at the same time. There’s plenty to critique, for the movie highlights Dr. King being just “nonviolent” without including his anti-capitalist dialogue that I learned later on. Additionally, Randy, one of the side characters, compares his teachings to Mahatma Gandhi, and I learned those comparisons, too, in elementary and middle school. Mahatma Gandhi also had problematic attitudes on race and sex.
However, Our Friend Martin achieves its goal of being an educational video for children with its combination of science fiction and history. It’s a fast-paced story that I found myself invested in now as I rewatched it on YouTube. For all the low moments, I felt that the video and the production company missed a progressive opportunity, the cuts between actual footage and cartoon, narration, dialogue, and voice ensemble makes it suitable to understand the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. | Emmanuel Flores
Resources
Organizations to Donate to Today (and Everyday!):
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 this week, folks. Have a lovely rest of your MLK Day and stay safe this week!
14 East Newsletter Team