Urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas gives us the last word on how knowing the city’s past can change the energy of its future.

What’s being done to bring more Black and Latino developers into the real estate industry. Cook County’s new public defender. A call for more big brothers and sisters. Bringing energy to history. 

New arts leaders weigh in on the comeback of Chicago’s art scene. We remember Loyola’s 1963 championship team and the adversity they faced. Rare color photos of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Elmhurst.

Chicago’s most storied arts institutions have elevated Black leaders to the helm in the last year. We talk with some of them about how the Chicago arts scene is planning its 2021 comeback.

Evanston makes history by passing a reparations ordinance for Black residents. A “professional troublemaker” joins us for this week’s Black Voices Book Club. Remembering broadcaster Bill Campbell.

Evanston has become the first city in the country to offer reparations for Black residents. Last week, aldermen voted to distribute $10 million over the next 10 years, using tax money from the sale of recreational marijuana. We discuss the local and national outlook.

In this 1981 clip from “The Week in Review,” Bill Campbell, who was then in his third year as editorial director at WLS, talks with host Joel Weisman about his signature on-location editorials and deriving meaning from his work.

From jumping out of airplanes to zip-lining through the jungle, Luvvie Ajayi Jones has become an expert at challenging fear — but not all of her daring adventures involve leaving the ground. She tells us about her new book, “Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual.”

The Chicago-based comedian and actor talks about making the most of a year spent at home.

Looking back on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Black community. Remembering Breonna Taylor. The role of mental health care in fighting violence. Plus: 20 years of Congo Square Theatre.

This month marks the anniversary of pandemic-induced shutdowns across Illinois. As we close out a year of COVID-19, we assess the road behind us, and the journey ahead. 

A sweeping criminal justice bill becomes law in Illinois. The history of social reformer Ada S. McKinley. Black Voices Book Club checks out “BeBop Fairy Tales.” Plus, a throwback with Sammy Davis Jr.

A Chicago-based community organization established more than 100 years ago serves more than 7,000 people annually, but the story of its founder has largely been erased. 

Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed a criminal justice bill Monday that is massive both in its size – 764 pages – and scope. We discuss the the coming changes and what concerns the bill raises for opponents.

Jazz is the foundation of Mark Ruffin’s entire career as a music historian, journalist and broadcaster. In this week’s Black Voices Book Club selection, the principles of jazz composition also inspired his fictional takes on topics of race and intolerance.

In this recently rediscovered interview, the Grammy Award-winning actor talks with “Our People” host Jim Tilmon about how media representations affect popular perceptions.