It’s back to school for CPS students — we talk about the challenges ahead this school year. A new effort to reduce maternal mortality. And The Last Word on mentoring.

In her sophomore year of college, Jamila Trimuel became a mentor. In 2011, she started her own organization, Ladies of Virtue, which offers mentorship and support to girls ages 9-18.

The Deeply Rooted Center for Black Dance and Creative Communities will be a state-of-the-art facility on the Washington Park State Street Corridor.

Black and Latino students in health care career paths recently shared their findings on past experiments during a summer internship program at Rush University Medical Center.

The city of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office negotiated an agreement to shift oversight of CPD’s stop-and-frisk practices into a consent decree governing the department.

Not everyone agrees on new oversight for the Chicago Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy. A history of medical experiments on people of color. And remembering the creator of the “Cha-Cha Slide.”

According to Walgreens, which announced last year it was entering the clinical trials business, only about 5% of people in the U.S. participate in clinical trials and almost three-quarters of those participants are White.

Chicago’s historic Bud Billiken parade is the largest African American parade in the U.S., drawing in nearly 300,000 people and spanning almost 3 miles.

How a Chicago-based corporation is getting more Black patients into clinical trials. Remembering Henrietta Lacks. A preview of the Bud Billiken parade. And future storytellers on violence in the media.

Tissue taken from Henrietta Lacks became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells went on to become a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations.

The Dirty Laundry pop-up in Hyde Park offers a resident DJ, extended Thursday hours for BYOB, weekly discounts for seniors and craft activities for kids.

West Siders were hit particularly hard by floods nearly a month ago. More than 8 inches of rain flooded basements and ruined people's belongings.

How West Side residents are still recovering from flooding nearly a month after historic rainfall. We explore the media’s coverage of crime. And a national monument to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.

Today, the Silver Room Block Party is a massive event in Hyde Park: Tens of thousands of people gather to dance, eat, shop and celebrate. But it all began as a small customer appreciation party in a Wicker Park alley.

“There’s a gap between generations and passing knowledge,” said Alexandra Sims-Jones, Black Bench Chicago co-founder. The organization connects older generations with those younger to share lessons in civic engagement and organizing.

Considerations start with getting admitted and continue with questions of an institution’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion once students get inside the gates.