For the last several years, the University of Chicago has faced calls to make reparations for its ties to the slave trade. The university says it was a prior iteration of the school that benefited from slavery, not its current incarnation. As Chicago Tonight’s Nick Blumberg reports, that claim hasn’t quieted calls for the university to acknowledge history and make amends.

As we commemorate Juneteenth, calls are growing louder for reparations, but here in Chicago, there’s been very little movement on the issue. A City Council subcommittee was created two years ago to examine how the city could pay reparations to descendants of enslaved African Americans. But since then, it’s met only twice.

The Africa International House is exploring the impact quilting has had on the African American community in a celebratory symposium this Juneteenth weekend. Arts Correspondent Angel Idowu learned about why the practice is about more than just a needle and thread, but documenting history instead.

After years of advocating and campaigning, Juneteenth is being recognized as a federal, state and local holiday for the first time this year. The day recognizes June 19, 1865, that's when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were freed, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Voter outreach efforts as Election Day approaches for the primary. Plus, raising awareness for missing women. Calls for safer prisons. And from the crowd to the stage, meet blues artist: Melody Angel.

Juneteenth will be recognized as a federal, state and local holiday for the first time this year. The day recognizes the freeing of the last enslaved people in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. 

Several organizations are teaming up for the fifth annual We Walk for Her event. Organizers say they hope the walk brings a sense of urgency to the dozens of cold cases and disappearances.

Civic engagement groups are ramping up efforts to get voters to the polls for the Illinois primaries on June 28. The effort comes as 73 Chicago precincts remain without a designated polling place due to pandemic-related closures.

Many survivors of gun-related violence and supporters of the Wear Orange Campaign believe part of the solution to saving lives is stricter gun laws. Groups like Moms Demand Action say the recent shootings make their movement more urgent. 

We take aim at the debate over gun reform. Plus, the state revives a commission to combat hate crimes. And a “Shark Tank” deal for a Chicago entrepreneur.

According to the FBI’s latest annual report, there were 8,263 hate crime incidents in the U.S. in 2020. That’s up from 7,314 in 2019 when the country experienced the highest number of hate crimes since 2008. Now the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes is set to examine how to prevent and address hate crimes across the state.

Raquel Graham started her company, Roq Innovation, in 2014 when she was looking for a scarf her kids would wear. What started out as a fix to a problem is now a booming business operating out of a West Town warehouse.

What started as a hobby to keep children active during the height of the pandemic, has since evolved into a sport that emphasizes the art of double Dutch.

George Floyd’s death reignited a movement for civil rights and calls for police to be held accountable. Since then, several states, including Minnesota and Illinois, have passed police reform legislation.

A South Side chef is on a mission to make classic comfort foods healthy. David Fuller is founder and president of Eating to Live, a vegan line of dishes that can be found in Chicago-area stores. 

Michael Hines’ book “A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools” is the latest selection in our Black Voices Book Club Series. It tells the story of how Black history came to Chicago schools.