WBEZ | Chicago Cultural Center

Budgetary Power to the People: Chicago's Experiment in Participatory Budgeting

Tue, 28 May 2013 14:40:00 -0500

In 2009, the 49th Ward became the first in Chicago to engage in a process known as participatory budgeting, in which community members vote directly on how to spent municipal funds. Since then, each year Alderman Joe Moore has turned over his ward’s $1.3 million in “menu money”—funds earmarked for infrastructure projects—to the community, which has voted for everything from sidewalk repairs to public murals. This year, four other Chicago wards carried out their own participatory budgeting programs.

This spring, in its series “Direct Democracy in Chicago’s 5th Ward,” In These Times Magazine has followed 5th Ward residents as they navigate the budgeting process. On June 11, series author Joel Handley will lead a panel discussion of the lessons to be learned from how the participatory budgeting program has worked in Chicago, and how effective it has been in empowering residents to take part in the fiscal decisions that impact their communities. The panel will also explore the possibilities for replication of on a larger scale and what it might look like if more of the city budgetary decision making was under the direct control of Chicago citizens.

5th Annual Peace on Earth Film Festival

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:59:00 -0600

The 5^th Annual Peace on Earth Film Festival showcases a captivating exploration of film in the areas of nonviolence, tolerance and social justice, with all screenings free and open to the public.

The riveting and inspiring film A Whisper to a Roar, which chronicles democracy activists around the world, premieres in Chicago March 7 after a recent showing at the U.S. State Department (where it was live-streamed for U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “The stories in A Whisper to a Roar demonstrate that democracy is a product of tremendous sacrifice and that we all share in the responsibility to secure its promise for future generations.”

Other 2013 Festival highlights include: the World Premiere of the powerful and timely immigration documentary The Second Cooler narrated by Martin Sheen; the U.S. Premiere of Mexico’s Altman-esque pastiche 180 Grados; and the World Premiere of the metaphysical student short film Historias.

Of note, Latino Night, featuring films, filmmakers and issues about people in Mexico, Central and South America takes place Friday, March 8.

Started in 2008, the Peace on Earth Film Festival has been an annual event shining a light on filmmakers’ challenging perspectives regarding issues such as human rights, neighborhood violence, food deserts, domestic violence, bullying, war, world politics, environment, economics and more. The festival strives to put Chicago at the forefront of international efforts for peace and environmental recoveries, while bringing together filmmakers, academics and social activists in discussion panels and educational components. Learn more at: www.peaceonearthfilmfestival.org/

Eslanda Robeson and Black Women's International Solidarity: A Conversation with Barbara Ransby

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:03:00 -0600

Eslanda Robeson lived a large and colorful life. She was a woman of unusual accomplishment—an anthropologist, a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, an outspoken anti-colonial and anti-racist activist, and an internationally sought-after speaker. Yet historians for the most part have confined Essie to the role of Mrs. Paul Robeson, a wife hidden in the large shadow cast by her famous husband. This book, Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson, by Barbara Ransby changes all that. Essie Robeson’s story is told for the first time in all of its complexity and in the context of the dynamic historical times in which she lived.

Join us for a conversation with award-winning historian Barbara Ransby including a visual presentation of photographic images that help tell Eslanda's story. Ransby's presentation will be followed by a lively roundtable discussion about Eslanda's legacy and activism today.

Thanks to our bookseller for the evening, Women and Children First, copies of Eslanda will be available for purchase.

Louder Than a Bomb 2013 Individual Poet Finals

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:57:00 -0600

Come on out for the 2013 Individual Poet Finals, taking place Wednesday, March 6th at 7pm at Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall. Competiting throughout the previous rounds of competition, these are the top individual poets in the city who are working to earn a spot on the 2013 Louder Than a Bomb All-Star Team.

The largest of its kind in the world, Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB) is Chicago’s rapidly-growing teen poetry festival, this year taking place at various venues around Chicago beginning February 16 and continuing through to the finals on March 9, 2013. Aiming to bring teens together across racial, gang, and socio-economic lines, LTAB is a friendly competition that emphasizes self-expression and community via poetry, oral story-telling, and hip-hop spoken word.

This event is now sold out!

Louder Than a Bomb is co-presented by Columbia College Chicago and Vocalo 89.5FM/WBEZ 91.5FM.

SOULS: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:29:00 -0600

Join us for a lively post-election roundtable discussion and reception with an impressive group of SOULS contributors, editors, and supporters in the beautiful and historic Chicago Cultural Center.

This public event will mark the occasion of the inaugural issue of SOULS: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society to be published here in Chicago.

SOULS is a well-known and historically significant publication, founded by Dr. Manning Marable at Columbia University. Barbara Ransby, a professor University of Illinois at Chicago and co-founder of the IHC's program, The Public Square, has assumed editorship of the SOULS journal.

The round table will focus on the recently completed 2012 elections.

This event is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required and can be made at souls@uic.edu.

The prestigious group of round table discussants will include:

Cathy Cohen, professor of political science and former director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics.

Michael C. Dawson, professor of political science and the director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Not In Our Lifetimes: The Future of Black Politics.

Bill Fletcher Jr., senior scholar for the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. and co-author of Solidarity Divided, The Crisis in Organized Labor and A New Path Toward Social Justice.

Cheryl Harris, a Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Professor of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, UCLA School of Law. Harris previously taught at Chicago Kent College of Law and received a fellowship from the Mellon Foundation to host a conference called Redress in Social Thought, Law and Literature at the University of California Humanities Research Institute.

Fredrick C. Harris, professor of political science and director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University. He is author of the recent The New York Times essay, The Price of a Black President.

Cedric Johnson, associate professor of African American studies and political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is editor of a collection of essays titled The Neoliberal Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, Late Capitalist Culture and the Remaking of New Orleans.

Beth E. Richie, professor of criminal justice and gender and women's studies at UIC. Richie is former head of the African American Studies Department at UIC and author of Compelled to Crime: The Gender Entrapment of Black Battered Women.

Robert T. Starks, political editor at N’Digo magazine and director of the Harold Washington Institute for Research and Policy Studies at Northeastern Illinois University.

The discussion will be moderated by Barbara Ransby, professor of African American studies, history, and gender and women's studies at UIC.

IGO CarSharing 10th Anniversary Gala

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:17:00 -0600

Join us for our 10th Anniversary Gala

We’re proud of the work we’ve done over the last ten years, and we’re excited about the innovations we’ll be implementing in the future. Join us as we continue the journey toward making it possible for Chicago-area residents to live well without owning a car, and to getting IGO members from where they are to where they want to be.

Event Highlights

Delicious food (vegan, vegetarian and meat options)
Delightful drinks
Free pass to the One of a Kind show–a great place to do your holiday shopping for those special folks on your list (limited supply)
Entertainment and dancing
Free gift for all attendees
An opportunity to mingle with a group of committed, environmentally conscious residents from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs
Silent auction
Participation by civic leaders, including Governor Pat Quinn
Presentation of IGO’s new Leadership Awards recognizing the organizations and individuals who have helped make carsharing in Chicago such a success
A look at the future of carsharing and sustainable transportation in Chicago and beyond

Purchase tickets here.

The Black Revolution on Campus: A Conversation with Martha Biondi

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:46:00 -0500

The Black Revolution on Campus is the definitive account of an extraordinary but forgotten chapter of the black freedom struggle. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, black students organized hundreds of protests that sparked a period of crackdown, negotiation, and reform that profoundly transformed college life. At stake was the very mission of higher education.

Join us for a conversation with author and scholar Martha Biondi, who vividly demonstrates the critical linkage between the student movement and changes in university culture. Historian Barbara Ransby will moderate this conversation. A book signing follows the talk.

Martha Biondi is the director of undergraduate studies and associate professor of African American studies and history at Northwestern University. She received her B.A. from Barnard College at Columbia University, and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. Her research interests include 20th century African American history with a focus on social movements. She is the author of To Stand and Fight: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Postwar New York City, published by Harvard University Press in 2003, and winner of Harvard's Thomas J. Wilson prize for best first book of the year.

Barbara Ransby, The Public Square Advisory Committee co-chair, is a writer, historian, and longtime political activist whose work spans some of the most important contemporary social movements in the United States. She is most notably the author of the multiple award-winning biography of civil rights activist Ella Baker, entitled Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision. Dr. Ransby has published dozens of articles and essays in popular and scholarly venues. She received her B.A. from Columbia University and her Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan, where she was a National Mellon Fellow.

Reservations are required for this event. Reserve your spot here.

Talking About Race... Out Loud

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:10:00 -0500

All summer long, WBEZ embarked on a series of in-depth stories, honest discussions, and lively public events called "Race: Out Loud."

Join WBEZ, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago for the final culminating event in this important series about the state of race relations in Chicago and our region.

WBEZ's "Race: Out Loud" series marks the 20th anniversary of Studs Terkel's famous book, Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession, and raises difficult questions about the past and present state of race in our region - from persistent segregation in our schools, to huge demographic changes in our neighborhoods, to complex racial differences in our social lives and even in our own families.

This final event will explore the questions: What's changed since Terkel's "Race" was published in 1992? What has not changed? How do the questions Studs asked - about segregation, stereotypes, opportunity, and hope - make sense in our increasingly diverse time and place?

A prestigious panel will share their thoughts to help us grapple with the complex topics raised by WBEZ's "Race Out Loud." Come and listen to provocative audio excerpts from the summer series, discuss your favorite stories, and share your own ideas about what we've learned and where to go from here.

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming response for this event, pre-registration has now closed. A wait list will be taken on-site at the event. Guests that have not pre-registered will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis. (posted 9/17/12)

Light refreshments will be served at a reception to follow.

ABOUT THE PANEL:
Michael Dawson is the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. His books include Not In Our Lifetimes: The Future of Black Politics, Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics, and Black Visions: The Roots of Contemporary African-American Political Ideologies, which won the prestigious Ralph Bunche Award from the American Political Science Association. Dawson has been interviewed extensively by media including the Washington Post, The Economist, The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, BBC, CNN, BET, and ABC News.

Maria (Nena) de Los Angeles Torres is Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her books include In the Land of Mirrors: Cuban Exile Politics in the US, The Lost Apple: Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the US and the Promise of a Better Future and Borderless Borders: U.S. Latinos, Latin Americans, and the Paradox of Interdependence. Torres served as Executive Director of Mayor Harold Washington's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs from 1983 to 1987.

Roberto G. Gonzales is Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. His interests include immigration, urban poverty, youth civic involvement, and Latino communities and families. Gonzales is currently involved in a study of undocumented immigrant young adults in Los Angeles and comparative projects on immigrant youth in the U.S. and Europe. He has served on several local and national boards, including the Crossroads Fund and the American Friends Service Committee.

Maria Krysan is Professor of Sociology and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at UIC. Her research on racial residential segregation and racial attitudes uses innovative video experiments, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. She is co-author of Racial Attitudes in America: Trends and Interpretations and The Changing Terrain of Race and Ethnicity. Krysan's work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Russell Sage Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

Laura Washington (Moderator) is a nationally-known, Chicago-based journalist, author and educator specializing in African-American affairs and politics. She is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a political analyst for ABC-7 television. Washington served as Publisher of The Chicago Reporter Magazine and as a Fellow at the DePaul University Humanities Center.

The 2nd Annual Chicago International Blog Awards

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:02:00 -0500

Internet Webpages Newspaper (IWN) Inc. is a Chicago-based company passionate about providing paid internships for college students. IWN has started The Internet Webpages Newspaper Internship Academy Inc., a non-profit that provides qualified students with experience that pays. IWN has also been officially recognized by The White House and the U.S. Department of Labor for creating up to 30 paid internships for college students and disaffected youth.

IWN is now launching the 2nd Annual Chicago International Blog Awards. The Chicago Blog Awards are part of a seven-day blog week dedicated to bloggers. This project is entirely put together and planned by a group of paid interns.

Ways to get involved in the 2nd Annual Chicago International Blog awards include entering a blog, becoming a sponsor and buying a ticket for the red carpet Award Ceremony. The ceremony will take place on November 13, 2012 at the Chicago Cultural Center. We encourage individuals and businesses to purchase tickets to the Chicago International Blog Awards red carpet Gala event because it will both support Bloggers and help create more paid internships.

www.chicagoblogawards.com
(312) 281 4884 for Sales & RSVP

Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize 2012

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:55:00 -0500

Burton Pike was selected by a five-member jury as the winner of this year’s Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize for his translation of Gerhard Meier's Isle of the Dead (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011), originally published as Toteninsel.

Burton Pike is professor emeritus of comparative literature and German at the CUNY Graduate Center. He has also taught at the University of Hamburg, Cornell, Queens and Hunter Colleges of CUNY, and was a visiting professor at Yale. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Medaille für Verdienste um Robert Musil from the City of Klagenfurt. He is a member of the PEN Translation Committee. He edited and co-translated Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities and a book of Musil's essays, Precision and Soul, and a collection of Musil's stories. He has also translated and written the introductions to Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, Rilke's novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, and most recently Gerhard Meier's novel Isle of the Dead. He translated a story by Proust for Conjunctions, a story by Ingeborg Bachmann for Grand Street, and stories by Alissa Walser for Chicago Review and Painting in a Man's World. Other translations of his prose and poetry from German and French have appeared in Fiction, Grand Street, Conjunctions, and other magazines.

Mr. Onno Hückmann, consul general of Germany in Chicago, will present the award to Burton Pike. This year’s jurors were David Dollenmayer, Krishna Winston, Karen Noelle, Michael Ritterson, and Annie Wedekind.