Tech start-ups often rely on investors to get their business up and running, but tech entrepreneurs of color often don’t get the same amount of funding as their white counterparts. That unequal playing field is what led to the creation of TechRise, a Chicago initiative to support and fund Black and Latino-owned tech companies.

In a major announcement this week, longtime Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush announced he will not be seeking another term.

After the abduction and lynching of her son in 1955, Mamie Till-Mobley became a teacher and civil rights activist. Now her life and influence are the focus of a new limited series.

The exhibit titled “African Diaspora: Chicago” features 20 collage and acrylic mixed media pieces, all related to Chicago.  It opened in May, and a new collection of pieces just went up in November.  The current exhibit will run until May 22.

Parents react to this week’s shutdown of Chicago Public Schools. The story of civil rights legend Mamie Till Mobley gets told on the small screen. Plus, a downtown office building partners with a Black-owned art gallery.

Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union have been battling all week over whether it’s safe to have kids in the classroom as COVID-19 cases rise. The dispute has led to classes being canceled for three days as teachers refuse to work in-person, and the district refuses to go remote.

A look back at some of our favorite Black Voices stories of 2021— from a look at how tech leaves marginalized people behind, to the Chicago Sky’s history-making WNBA Championship  — and so much in between.

We dissect the nearly $3 million settlement for Anjanette Young from a police raid gone wrong. New leadership for the Metropolitan Planning Council. And a West Englewood food pantry has the Last Word.

Officers left Anjanette Young handcuffed and naked while they raided her home in February 2019, only to find out later they had the wrong home in the first place. The case and video of the raid sparked outrage across the country and once again raised concerns and questions around how police handle incidents in Black communities.

The Metropolitan Planning Council just hired its first Black president and CEO. The nonprofit, which began in 1934, is an independent planning and policy organization that seeks to build a more sustainable and equitable Chicago.

Resale is a multi-billion dollar industry and shopping secondhand is growing in popularity as an affordable and eco-friendly way for young fashionistas to carve out a style niche for themselves. Two shops in Logan Square are hoping they can capitalize on that trend.

As we celebrate the holidays, many people in need come to rely on local food banks. One food pantry in West Englewood has been around for more than 20 years.  It was started by Samella McKenzie who passed away last year. One of her final wishes was for her 10 children to continue her work and serve people.

Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were tried on murder charges about a month after Emmett Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. 

How Black developers are getting in on the city’s investment in affordable housing. A football coach is the first woman to drive a CPS team. And hockey’s toxic culture in our Black Voices Book Club.

Chicago will invest a billion dollars into the creation and preservation of 24 development projects, as a result of federal pandemic recovery money and the Mayor’s 2022 budget. The move not only aims to bring more affordable housing to the city but also looks to support developments led by people of color.

Sexual assault in hockey is just one topic explored in “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It.”  It was written by Chicago author Evan Moore, who is now the press secretary for Chicago Public Schools.