SGA supports Chartwells workers, city-wide university protests and 6 million COVID cases
And a resource providing insight into Fred Hampton's life
Happy last week of summer break, DePaul! It’s Francesca, Cam, Grace and Justin hoping that amidst, well, everything, you’ve been able to center some much needed rest, healing and joy in your lives. It’s looking like a very busy Fall Quarter ahead and the news doesn’t stop — so let’s get into it.
Oh, and by the way — 14 EAST IS HIRING! We need associate editors for 14 East and for Pueblo, our Spanish language publication, as well as web developers. Interested? Apply through our Google Form by September 17. Positions start in early October and you can direct any questions to our socials @14eastmag or to Francesca Mathewes via franmathewes98@gmail.com.
What’s happening in Chicago?
Chicago, once again, has kept us on our toes this week trying to keep up with all the news. Just last Wednesday, August 26, student protesters took to the CPS headquarters at 42 W. Madison to hold space as the Board of Education voted on whether to end its contract with the CPD. The protest went on for hours with protesters dancing and celebrating in the streets.
However, after months of protesting, the board voted 4-2 to keep its contract with CPD, although if the entire school year continues to be held virtually, no money will actually be spent on maintaining cops in schools.
On Friday, August 28, protesters with the conservative group #WalkAway gathered in Wrigleyville to protest the Democratic Party and leftist politics. The rally featured a wide range of conservative speakers, none of whom were from Chicago, speaking of their experience of “walking away” from the Democratic Party.
The next day, students from two major Chicago universities took to the streets to protest their schools’ policies and demand increased funding for cultural organizations.
On Saturday evening, students from multiple student-led organizations from the University of Chicago, including Care Not Cops and UChicago United, marched through the Hyde Park campus, culminating outside Provost Ka Yee Lee’s home in Kenwood. The protesters have since been occupying the street outside her home and say they won’t leave until their demands are met.
The protesters have been creating art, doing yoga and holding teach-ins since they gathered Saturday evening.
Other student protesters from Loyola University also created a stir on Saturday evening, which marked their ninth day of protesting at the Rogers Park campus. Updates on the protests, which are organized by the Black Lives Matter chapter at Loyola Chicago, can be found on Instagram at @ourstreetsluc. The group’s website also features a list of demands for which they are protesting.
The demands call for the university to cut ties with CPD, demonstrate more support for Black students and Black student organizations, provide further support for Black faculty, and to hold a public forum with President Rooney and issue an apology for lack of acknowledgement of Black struggles, both on campus and in our world today. Additionally, they demanded a statement from the university which declares support for the Black Lives Matter movement, a formal recognition of Black History Month and the creation of a of Black cultural center at Loyola.
Other Headlines In Chicago
Mayor Lightfoot announced a projected $1.2 billion shortfall in Chicago’s budget going into 2021 due to the impact of COVID-19, according to WBEZ’s Becky Vevea, and that the recovery could take “months or years.”
Claudio Velez, better known as Chicago’s “Tamale Guy,” has contracted COVID-19 and is on a ventilator, only two weeks after opening his restaurant in Ukrainian Village, according to Block Club Chicago’s Hannah Alani. Velez’s business partner created a GoFundMe to help with medical bills, and as of publication, it’s raised over $50,000.
Chicago Public Schools has announced that they are developing a plan for free child care for the first quarter of the school year, according to Chicago Sun-Times’ Nader Issa. The plan would prioritize children under 14, those in underserved communities and families who lack a permanent home. All of this is based on a survey to gauge need – the deadline is tomorrow, September 1. You can access the survey here.
“We put our life on the line, but the lack of power that we have to enforce the right to protect ourselves by asking people to wear a mask when they board the bus or asking them that the bus is too crowded, can they wait on the next one? We put ourselves in confrontational situations,” said CTA bus union President Keith Hill, regarding mounting issues CTA bus drivers face over social distancing requirements. Read and listen to Mariah Woelfel’s story for WBEZ here.
What’s happening at DePaul?
DePaul athletics will enter the new school year with a new face at its helm. DeWayne Peevy, who currently serves as the University of Kentucky’s deputy athletics director, has been announced as DePaul’s new director of athletics. The position has been vacant since early June when Jean Lenti Ponsetto announced her retirement. Peevy has 23 years of experience working in college athletics, 12 of those at the University of Kentucky (UK). He comes to DePaul on good terms with UK.
There’s another push for continued protections for Chartwells workers — this time from the Student Government Association (SGA). Since the university shut down in March due to COVID-19 concerns, many Chartwells workers have been laid off with little to no benefits. The SGA’s most recent plea for better conditions for those affected — which came in the form of an open letter — calls for the extension of benefits like quarantine pay and healthcare for those who were laid off. This aid was started in response to the coronavirus but is set to expire September 1. Negotiations are in place between the leadership of DePaul’s Chartwells staff and union representatives regarding benefits, but specific information regarding these is unavailable.
The deadline for students, staff and faculty to complete their COVID-19 training course is fast approaching. The online module, which covers basic practices to prevent the spread of the virus and DePaul’s precautionary measures, is due to be completed by September 4. For those planning to enter a campus building at any point or for any length of time during the quarter, make sure you download the #CampusClear app. The app walks users through a series of self-reporting questions to determine any health symptoms they may have that are consistent with COVID-19. It then gives a notification confirming whether users can enter campus buildings based on this information. Entry to any campus building requires this notification to be shown.
If you don’t want to read the news, here’s the headlines to know.
The United States officially passed the six million mark today for confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins and NPR’s Laurel Wamsley and Scott Neuman. Approximately 183,000 Americans have died since the start of the pandemic almost seven months ago.
Acclaimed actor Chadwick Boseman, best known for his role as the titular King T’Challa in Marvel’s Black Panther, died on Friday at the age of 43 from a multi-year fight with colon cancer. Announced on the actor’s Twitter account, a statement reveals that Boseman had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 which had progressed to stage 4. Read a tribute from filmmaker and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler here.
President Donald Trump is set to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, tomorrow, despite an outcry from Wisconsinites, including Governor Tony Evers. “I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state. I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together,” Evers wrote in a letter to President Trump, according to Quint Forgey at Politico.
Only a week after the devastation of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center is tracking four more possible tropical storms in the Atlantic, including one approximately 150 miles off the North Carolina coastline, according to CNN’s Judson Jones. While the storm isn’t projected to make landfall, it stands as a marker for the effects of warming oceans. “On average, there are only 11 named storms in a year,” wrote Jones. “This season isn’t even halfway through and there have already been 13 named storms.”
Your Educational Resource of the Week
Each week we will be using this section to highlight a different educational resource on race. It may come in the form of literature, film, art or anything that Black scholars and activists are centering at this time.
In honor of what would have been Black Panther founder Fred Hampton’s 72nd birthday on August 30, this week’s education resource is The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panter by Jeffrey Haas. In his book, attorney Haas details his conversation with Hampton’s fiancée when she talks about the moment he was murdered and about the movements that he ignited.
You can find this book online or in person at a branch of the Chicago Public Library or at Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery, an independent Black-owned bookstore in Chicago.
Resources for Returning Students
773-325-7290 and deanofstudents@depaul.edu
The Dean of Students’ Office provides a variety of resources like the Student Emergency Assistance Fund (SEAF) and academic assistance.
Provides financial assistance to students. Please note, applications are currently not being accepted due to a large number of submissions but are projected to reopen by the end of this month.
Located in the Lincoln Park Student Center, the student food pantry is free and available to all students during limited hours. DePaul ID required for access.
Provides funding for projects led by faculty, staff and student groups.
An online portal linking students to all sorts of virtual events on campus.
A database created by the Illinois Department of Health of all testing centers in the state.
The Chicago Queer Exchange is a network of individuals across Chicago working in collective unity to help those within the LGBTQ+ community. It offers a wide variety of services from cheap furniture to emergency housing and more. Please note, it is unaffiliated with DePaul.
Mental Health Resources
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. Disclaimer: although this is a Christian-founded organization, religion is not incorporated into the counseling practice at the sliding-scale clinic.
Where to Access Food in Chicago
Brave Space Alliance has a crisis food pantry for Black and trans individuals in need. If you would like to request assistance from Brave Space Alliance, fill out this form.
This spreadsheet highlights businesses and locations providing food. There are also links to donate to these organizations.
Check out the Greater Chicago Food Depository for food banks or donate.
Free Resources for Non-Black Allies
The NPR podcast “Code Switch” tackles a diverse array of topics centered around racial identities and racism in America.
Reading guide of texts about race. All PDFs are free.
Here’s a guide to protest safely during the pandemic
Here’s the ACLU’s Right to Protest guide for Illinois
If you think someone you know has been arrested – call the Chicago Community bail fund at 773-309-1198 to locate them (you need to know their birthdate and full legal name)
Want to increase your awareness about environmental racism, racism in the medical field or another specific subject? Here’s a database by activist and artist Angelina Ruiz, which details reading lists over a range of subject matter pertaining to race.
Where you can donate and actions to support
Today is #InternationalOverdoseAwarenessDay so for our donation/support section, we’re including West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force as a group to follow, support and donate to. They’re a harm reduction and overdose prevention group based on Chicago’s West Side that regularly hosts community events to promote safe usage and overdose prevention for West Side residents.
You can learn more about how harm reduction and how to equip yourself with and administer overdose-preventing drugs such as Narcan and Naloxone from the Chicago Recovery Alliance, “an organization for those interested in directly serving, supporting, educating and advocating with others for reducing drug related harm.” You can also donate through their site.
Some other groups to keep uplifting:
Brave Space Alliance: https://www.bravespacealliance.org/donate
Supports trans and gender non-conforming people of color
Marsha P. Johnson Institute: https://marshap.org/about-mpji/
Supports Black trans individuals
The Okra Project: https://www.theokraproject.com/
Supports the mental health of Black trans individuals
Autistic People of Color Fund: https://autismandrace.com/autistic-people-of-color-fund/
Supports autistic people of color
Circles and Ciphers: http://www.circlesandciphers.org
An art-based restorative justice organization
Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression: https://www.caarpr.org
Supports the push for CPAC, the Civilian Police Accountability Council.
Provides resources to underserved communities
Chicago Torture Justice Center: http://chicagotorturejustice.org
Supports survivors of police torture
A community-based organization representing Chicago’s South Side and South suburbs
Helps bring music education into schools where funding for it has been cut
And that’s it for our final newsletter of the summer. Our team will be taking off next Monday to enjoy the long weekend (as we hope many of you do, too). We want to thank you all for opening this newsletter each and every week. We’ve so thoroughly enjoyed popping up in your inbox each week of a summer that has felt just as memorable as it has fleeting. So, wherever you’re reading, thank you, and we’ll see you in September.
With love,
Francesca, Cam, Grace and Justin