In October, Chicago TREND, celebrated a $5 million investment from Fifth Third Bank to finance community revitalization in partnership with the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF). The fund will help make the vision of Chicago-born actor, Harry Lennix a reality—The Lillian Marcie Theatre. “As a new institution, the Lillian Marcie Theatre will be the epicenter of entertainment, instruction, and history,” said Lennix. “[There is a vital need to hold up our best traditions in the

The Chicago chapter of 100 Black Men (100BMC) welcomed over 200 people to its annual Health and Wellness Expo over the weekend at Malcolm X College. Read More #health #MoniqueWingard #Chicago #100BlackMen #BlackMensHealth #100BMC

This past weekend marked the beginning of a new national effort to preserve the narrative and legacy of African Americans when the famed National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) hosted its first two events in ChiTown as part of the National Community Curation Program. NMAAHC’S month-long visit kicked off Saturday with “#gODTalk,” an event at Harold Washington Cultural Center inspired by a recent study by the Pew Research Center about Black Millennials

“This has got to be a MOVEMENT election.” As news continues to swirl about the current man occupying the White House⁠—and the latest social media challenge, some good, others, not at all⁠—U.S. Presidential candidate, Cory Booker stopped in Chicago to set the bar higher for voters hoping to see a new and better America in 2020. Booker, who served as mayor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2013, currently holds office as the first African-American Senator from New Jersey. Now, he has

After the release of the first report in 2017, Black Tech Mecca (BTM) has continued to lead the charge on compiling data that aims to fufill part of their mission to “paint a clearer picture of Black participation in local tech ecosystems.” On June 27, BTM founder, Fabian Elliott returned to Google for #CHISBTE19. The forum marks three years of research and focused on the 2019 theme Smart Black Tech Ecosystems: An In-Depth Analysis of Racial Equity in the Chicago Tech Sector.

When I started The Civic Tech Collective as a blog on WordPress, it was with the intention of building a mega-resource of ALL THINGS civic technology, from the latest news about little-known founders using technology to generate positive impact in their community, to creating a portal of resources—boot camps, funding, university-level programs—for anyone embarking on the journey of being a social entrepreneur. While it has been rewarding to take on the task of raising awarene

We hear so much about what is not being done to move our communities forward and young people often catch a bad rap. I choose to focus on the good by amplifying the voices of people who are doing the work to improve our communities. The work Britney Robbins is doing through The Gray Matter Experience (GME) is vital to seeing the kind of leadership we want to see in our schools, homes and neighborhoods. I am inspired by the mere fact that each GME student had the option to not

On Sunday, March 31st, Higher Heights hosted a special virtual Sunday Brunch to celebrate the late Shirley Chisholm’s legacy featuring a conversation with newly elected Congresswomen Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Lucy Mcbath (GA-6), and Lauren Underwood (IL-14)—and I was one of the virtual hosts! This Sunday Funday was full of good eats and even better conversation around how we can support the work of Higher Heights to encourage Black women to vote, run, and lead in 2020 and beyond.

Veteran journalist and NABJ Chicago board president, Maudlyne Ihejirika joined Chi Hack Night for a special Black History Month discussion on her 30-year career, her mother’s, and extraordinary journey to Chicago. Learn more about Maudlyne’s journey here: http://bit.ly/2tWsYpK Purchase “Escape from Nigeria” #MaudlyneIhejirika #Chicago #NABJ #NABJCC #ChicagoSunTimes #EscapefromNigeria

In case you missed it, a new must-see documentary was featured in Chicago on February 11 at Row 24 Events and Productions. She Did That, a 71-minute film was created by the Brooklyn-based executive producer, Renae Bluitt. “It was time for a new challenge and God planted the seed for me to create this documentary,” says Bluitt. The film “explores the passionate pursuits of Black women and their entrepreneurship journeys.” The film features female founders including Luvvie Ajay

On Saturday, November 10th, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago will be hosting a special event for female veterans at the Gary Comer Youth Center from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. There is no cost to participate, but RSVPs are required. #Chicago #Education #LinkedIn #WomeninTech

Parents and students are invited to learn about interesting opportunities from an array of dynamic speakers at Cision, receive a tour, and a panel Q & A with Valerie Lopez, Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Cision. This enrichment event is intended for girls ages 14-17, who must be accompanied by an adult. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER Cision provides an earned media management platform for brands to target relevant influencers, distribute and manage campaign

Click Here to Register #Leadership #TheBossNetwork #MoniqueWingard #CamekaSmith #Chicago #SalliRichardson #LadiesthatLeadConference #Conference

On Wednesday, June 13, join the Chicago chapter of Girls Inc. for a celebration of their first year of service to the Chicago community! Mary Ann Hynes, the first female General Counsel of a Fortune 500 corporation, will be honored during the luncheon, which will be emceed by ABC 7’s, Cheryl Burton. Hynes is a graduate of John Marshall Law School and a recipient of the Award for Professional Excellence from Harvard Center on The Legal Profession. Serving as a guest speaker fo

Your opportunity to support one of many positive movements for Chicago’s youth takes place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, from Noon until 3:00 P.M at mHub! The second annual Gray Matter Pitch Black Student Pitch Competition provides six student groups an opportunity to present their business and gain valuable feedback for a chance to win a portion of $20,000 in seed funding and additional prizes. Gray Matter Experience was founded by tech professional and children’s book author,

Black Girls CODE is bringing a one-day Sphero workshop to Thoughtworks on Saturday, April 28th! This workshop will teach participants to understand the motion sensors of a Sphero through drag & drop block learning and Javascript. REGISTER HERE SIGN UP #BlackGirlsCode #Changeherpath #Chicago #STEM

In 2009, I hopped on the road with my parents to attend the Urban League’s national conference in Chicago. At some point during the conference, we found out that The Black Women’s Expo was also in session at McCormick Place. Barack Obama had been inaugurated about 7 months prior, Michael Eric Dyson was one of many rooting for his success, and Michael Baisden was still on-air every weekday afternoon. Lucky for me, I had just put a fresh set of batteries in my digital camera (r

The Deadline for the 2018-2019 Chicago Urban League Scholarship is Quickly Approaching! Scholarship Recipients Awarded up to $5,000 Are you pursuing an undergraduate degree and in need of financial assistance? The Chicago Urban League is now accepting applications to assist full-time students who are maintaining a 2.5 cumulative GPA and expected to graduate this year. Applications are due by March 23, 2018. Recipients will be notified by June 15, 2018. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INF

Snapped a selfie with Kimberly Foster, Founder of For Harriet ARE YOU YOUR SISTER’S KEEPER? FROM BLOG TO MULTIMEDIA POWERHOUSE I recently had the honor of meeting Founder and Editor-in-Chief of For Harriet, Kimberly Foster. As an undergraduate student at Harvard University in 2010, Foster decided to start a blog with the aim of raising the level of discourse surrounding Black women. In 7 years, the blog has grown into a network of 5 sites that reaches 2 million women each mon

I wasn’t sure what to expect at my first Fear Paradox. But any and all anxiety went away when I met a really nice lady on the elevator ride to the 19th floor of Merchandise Mart. She introduced herself as just, “Lola.” But I soon found out that she was “THE Lola P. Wright,” Spiritual Director of Bodhi Chicago, a center founded in 2003 with a mission to build an inclusive community for all to not only honor God, but reveal love, honor all paths, and celebrate life. Wright also