In a city known for its poets and poetry, being named Chicago’s first poet laureate is high praise and a tall order. But teacher, producer, composer, performer and poet avery young, who styles his name in all lowercase, said he can’t wait to get started serving as the city’s poetry ambassador.

About 26,000 people leave Illinois prisons each year, and many of them report having trouble finding employment once they’re home.

Higher education in crisis after four minority-serving Illinois universities face faculty strikes. The influence of the American Library Association. And housing residents returning from prison.

The grant from the Mellon Foundation will allow CPL to digitize and archive materials related to the city’s Black history, including items dating from the 1800s to the present day.

A wave of labor actions swept through Illinois public universities this month, with faculty at Chicago State, Eastern Illinois and Governors State universities on strike at various times throughout April.

The West Side nonprofit offers workforce development and mental health and substance abuse services, among other supports. Leadership said their recidivism rates are a fraction of the state average.

Tracie Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Chicago-based American Library Association, has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

The Black unemployment rate hits a new low. What the diversity of working journalists means for news coverage. And the Chicago Public Library partnering with a local barber.

A recent Pew Research Center study found that just 6% of reporting journalists were Black in a sample of nearly 12,000 journalists.

The Black unemployment rate hit a record low of 5% last month, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The news comes three years after the rate spiked to nearly 17% during the early months of the pandemic.

Public libraries can be a safe haven for those struggling with homelessness. That’s the story of a local barber who benefited from the library’s resources to turn his life around. From living in the streets to becoming a licensed barber, Samuel Brown is now on a mission to pay it forward.

Activist Aleta Clark has hosted “sleep outs” under a Pilsen viaduct to raise funds to support Chicago's homeless communities and open a shelter.

Norm Lewis stars as Capt. Richard Davenport in “A Soldier’s Play” at the CIBC Theatre through April 16. The show depicts a Black soldier’s experience during WWII.

The city elects its third Black mayor in history. Double standards in women’s basketball. “A Soldier’s Play” takes the stage. And the last word from a woman who sleeps outside to prove her friendship.

Louisiana State University women’s college basketball star Angel Reese has been in the center of conversations about double standards Black women face in sports, in light of the final moments of LSU’s national championship game against the University of Iowa.

Engaging the city’s youngest voters ahead of the mayoral election. Cash payments for Evanston’s reparations program. A local author traces her lineage back to Benjamin Banneker. And Glencoe's once-thriving Black community.