Good afternoon! I now have 20,000 unread emails in my personal inbox. (Not my work inbox. I read your messages.) Thank you to all of the businesses that put me on their mailing lists for “deals.” It took a lot of work, and I doubted myself at times, but I’m looking forward to the next 20,000. Anyway, here’s what you need to know today.

1. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson look to shore up support among Black voters

With early voting underway and Election Day in just two weeks, both mayoral candidates are making big moves to expand their support within the Black community.

Former U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush today endorsed Paul Vallas, while the Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to lead a huge get-out-the-vote rally for Brandon Johnson on Sunday, reports NBC News.

Both campaigns have been quick to tout their endorsements from prominent Black leaders because Black voters could be pivotal in the April 4 runoff election.

As my colleague Fran Spielman has previously reported, political strategists estimate Johnson will need to win 80% of the Black vote in order to claim victory. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, both candidates offered contrasting ideas last night during a forum on issues affecting the Black and Latino communities. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Meanwhile, the city’s leading business groups this week endorsed Vallas. [Chicago Sun-Times]

2. How an out-of-state pot firm used a shooting victim in a bid to score social equity licenses in Illinois

Edna Peterson was searching for a job on Craigslist when she came across an offer that sounded too good to be true: “Interested in a quick $2,000?”

The ad was placed by Canna Zoned MLS, a Michigan firm seeking people who meet the social equity criteria for cannabis permits in Illinois and who could be placed on applications, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Peterson sent documents proving she was a victim of gun violence, a new way to earn social equity status in an upcoming licensing round for 55 pot shops. She later received an electronic transfer of $2,000.

And she signed a contract that could potentially make her a front person, but she would have to sell her lucrative share for just $1 if a license is awarded, the contract states.

Told a license could be worth millions of dollars, Peterson said she’s not sure what to think.

“I’m just a name to them,” she said. [Chicago Sun-Times]

3. A key collection at the Art Institute of Chicago may feature items looted from Nepal

That’s according to an investigation from Crain’s Chicago Business and ProPublica, which identified at least four items at the Art Institute “for which there’s evidence that they may have been looted from Nepal and exported illegally.”

The items are part of a collection of roughly 500 objects given to the museum by Marilynn Alsdorf in the late ’90s.

Now, activists and the Nepali government are asking for the return of a sacred necklace that remains on display, a situation that raises questions about the museum’s commitment to keeping stolen items out of its galleries.

“I don’t know what else they want,” Alisha Sijapati, director of the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign, told Crain’s and Propublica. “The more they delay, it’s damaging to their reputation.” [Block Club Chicago]

4. Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are among the headliners at Lollapalooza

We just entered spring and it already feels like summer is around the corner with all of this week’s big festival news.

Lollapalooza today announced its lineup for this year’s festival in Grant Park, a day after Pitchfork unveiled its own roster of performances.

This year’s Lollapalooza includes more than 170 acts on nine stages, with headliners including Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Odesza, Karol G. and Tomorrow X Together, reports my colleague Miriam Di Nunzio. [Chicago Sun-Times]

5. A celebrated transgender opera singer returns to Chicago

Lucia Lucas, a graduate of Roosevelt University, made history in 2018 as the first transgender woman to sing a leading role in a standard work at an American opera company, reports Block Club Chicago.

Now, the baritone returns to the city in Proximity, which opens Friday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“Coming home to a place you have lived, but farther along in your career, always feels nice,” Lucas told Block Club.

She later added: “When people see me in the show, I just want them to see good art. I hope they enjoy all three pieces that collectively make Proximity and feel motivated to be better humans to one another. I hope the audience can empathize with stories new to them and rethink their connections with their world.” [Block Club Chicago]

Here’s what else is happening

• Here’s a look at what former President Donald Trump’s “arrest” claims reveal about his hold on politics. [NPR]
• A producer sued Fox News, claiming she and others are being set up to take the fall in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems. [NPR]
• Medical debt is devastating Illinois families, a new report shows. [WBEZ]
• Chicagohenge is happening this week. [Block Club Chicago]

Oh, and one more thing …

West African cuisine is having a moment, reports my colleague Cianna Greaves.

“Growing up as a first-generation Liberian American in New York City in the 1980s and 90s I never imagined there would be a time when I would see a recipe for jollof in The New York Times,” Greaves writes.

If you’re like me and don’t think you’ve ever had West African cuisine before, Greaves gives her recommendations for places to check out in the Chicago area. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What hobbies make you happy and/or help relieve stress?

Alisa writes:

“My coworker got me into aerial silks (circus!) a couple of years ago. It’s a challenging and kind of unique hobby, with the bonus that I’m strong now!”

Christine Donnelly writes:

“I am a retired trial lawyer turned cookie artist. I decorate roll-out sugar cookies with royal icing. Some sets of cookies are so complex that they take a week to make.

“I don’t sell any of my cookies (they are for friends, family and charity only), but I share my creations with an international community of cookie artists on social media. My cookie art can be found on Instagram and Facebook.”

And Marc Harley from Evanston writes:

“Although I’m not much of an experienced cook, I’ve been exploring Japanese clay pot cooking with my new donabe. I’m having a great time discovering ingredients new to me, like the wide varieties of mushrooms at the different Asian markets around Chicago. I’ve already made a number of delicious hot pots for my family and friends!”

Feel free to email me, and your response might be shared in the newsletter this week.