Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed Smart Start program would allow an additional 5,000 kids to go to preschool next year, eventually adding a total of 20,000 slots. The plan would also add money to increase wages for early education providers.

The state’s littlest learners might be getting more funding. Helping charitable donations reach overlooked organizations. And arts reporter Angel Idowu is getting inked!

Questions about representation at this weekend’s Oscars. Meet the priest who could become the first Black saint in the U.S. And making art out of unexpected items.

For young Black boys and men, Chicago can be a cradle and a crucible, a place where they can encounter both endless inspiration and endless despair. In “Chi Boy: Native Sons and Chicago Reckonings,” author Keenan Norris draws connections between the experiences of literary giants and those of his own father.

The 2023 Academy Awards will see historic Asian representation, but the Oscars are still coming under fire over issues of representation, even eight years after the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite led to a reckoning within the Academy.

The first recognized African American Roman Catholic priest is on the road to sainthood. Augustus Tolton’s journey from enslaved child to priest is the subject of a series of events happening at the Tolton Heritage Center in Bronzeville.

New research shows that childbirth is still much deadlier for Black women — even those with the highest incomes. A new podcast retells a Bridgeport hate crime. And the Green Book for Black motorists during the Jim Crow era.

In 1997, 13-year-old Lenard Clark was beaten into a coma simply for being Black in a White neighborhood. Chicago leaders began calling for racial reconciliation — a rapid turn that stuck with Yohance Lacour, then a fledgling journalist.

The program honors the life and work of Timuel D. Black Jr., the late City Colleges professor, activist and historian. The goal is to help 20 City Colleges students develop into community leaders in the mold of Black, who died in 2021 at the age of 102.

A new competition for STEAM educators (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) could net a Chicago school a $30,000 makerspace full of equipment to encourage problem-solving thinking. The deadline to apply is March 10.

A nearly decade-long study from the National Bureau of Economic Research looked at births in California. The study found that babies born to the richest Black women were still more likely to die than babies born to the poorest White women.

With just days until Election Day, what’s on the minds of voters. Black hair care products popular with non-Black women. And an underground lottery that helped Black Chicago bet on itself.

When the Black-owned hair care company Mielle Organics merged with P&G Beauty earlier this year, it sparked discourse in Black communities about the potential ripple effects that come as Black-owned businesses gain increased attention and support.

“Creating Black hair care products is important because I think most of the hair care on the market isn’t catered to us,” Vash Beauty Labs founder Karlene Davis said.

A nonpartisan poll from Northwestern University found the vast majority of likely Black voters support more funding for youth programs, more affordable housing and increased funding for all public schools.

For young Black book lovers, it can be tough to find books that reflect the readers and their worlds. In 2018, the local nonprofit Young, Black & Lit took it upon itself to make sure that Black children have plenty of options for their bookshelves.