New DePaul NABJ chapter, RDP's Rock The Clock and remembering a CTU titan
Plus information on how and where to stay warm during this cold snap.
Welcome back, loyal newsletter stans! It’s your weekly team – Justin, Francesca, Grace, Robin, Claire and Cam – back for another week of your COVID-19 Updates Newsletter. It’s snowy in Chicago, it’s freezing cold and we’re hoping that you’re wrapped up in your best fuzzy socks and sweatpants as you read this week. Let’s get into it.
Journalism Professor Starts DePaul NABJ Chapter
Black students at DePaul make up just 9.2 percent of DePaul’s student body. For these students, life at DePaul can be an unrelenting cycle of feeling unrepresented in the faces of their peers.
To address this concern within the College of Communication, DePaul adjunct professor Judith McCray has begun establishing a DePaul chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) to serve Black journalism students. In addition to her role at DePaul, McCray has won multiple Emmys for her documentary and educational media work and serves as president of Juneteenth Productions.
“When I first started teaching as an adjunct in the journalism department, I had several African American students coming to me at the time that they were very interested in becoming members or forming a student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists,” McCray said.
However, the lack of a full-time faculty member within the journalism department who was Black stood in the way.
This year, that changed when McCray accepted a new role as a fellow at DePaul’s Center for Communication Engagement (CCE). As a fellow, McCray was asked to serve as advisor to DePaul’s new NABJ chapter, paving the way for Black studentsto come together for meetings, conferences and events centered around career development, networking and conversations on issues of social importance.
“First and foremost, it will give African American students — or people who are interested in … the issues that impact Black people in America and Chicago — a place to focus their efforts and feel part of a community,” McCray said. “DePaul’s diversity is not that widespread, and I’ve certainly had a number of Black students coming to me feeling isolated in the journalism and communication college. So, this will be a place of recognizing each and feeling that they have a sense of collegiality and support at DePaul.”
Understanding that many students from multiracial or Latinx identities also identify as Black, the chapter is open to any student of color at DePaul interested in becoming part of the community that the NABJ offers. Thanks to a grant obtained by the university, the first year of membership is free for prospective members, who will receive dual membership in both the NABJ and the Chicago Association of Black Journalists (CABJ).
For McCray, the opportunity to start an NABJ chapter at DePaul is personal.
“I went to Northwestern and graduated from Medill with journalism,” McCray said. “There was nothing like this at that time. There was no gathering of any organizations — women, people of color, African American students. And, being, you know, a minority on a predominately white campus with a lot of competition, that would have certainly made me feel my self-esteem, my — the options of where I could go look to go into a journalism career.”
While the new NABJ chapter is focused on students within the College of Communication, any student, regardless of their major, is welcomed to join the new chapter. Prospective students should email jmccray1@depaul.edu by February 12 to join.
Chicago headlines
Today, Chicago awoke to the news of the death of renowned union leader Karen Lewis. The nationally recognized former president of Chicago Teachers Union was known as a “fighter” and for her shrewd leadership in taking on Rahm Emanuel’s administration in 2012 by leading the first teachers strike in 25 years. “While she worked for teachers, Lewis was also a champion for the downtrodden in Chicago,” Chicago Sun-Times Neil Steinberg paid tribute to her legacy.
Chicago Public School and the Chicago Teachers Union have come to what seems like a tentative agreement over when students and teachers will return to in-person teaching. Both CPS and CTU have stated that CPS has made an offer to the union, which has yet to announce a vote from its rank and file. The Block Club Chicago staff has the details.
What is the role of the Black church in today’s movement for Black lives? In a deep dive into the history of Chicago’s Black clergy in the fight for social justice, the TRiiBE’s Matt Harvey gives an important Chicago history lesson.
Need a new local spot for your “I need to get out of this damn house” coffee order? Well, La Malinche has you covered. Both a DACA recipient and cancer survivor, La Malinche’s owner, Marlene Torres, quit her job at Starbucks after over 13 years to finally start her own coffee shop in Pilsen. Block Club Chicago’s Mauricio Peña has the story.
DePaul News
Cramming for midterms? DePaul’s John T. Richardson Library is back open for reservations. Students may reserve individual computers or study spaces for up to three hours. After reserving your space online, you will be required to show your CampusClear app confirmation, your DePaul ID and a confirmation of your reservation. There is a limit to one reservation per person per day. Additionally, group studying, food and drinks are prohibited. You will also be required to sanitize your space before and after using it. Printing services are unavailable.
Notice some familiar faces?
DePaul’s Advanced Reporting class broke free from Zoom University and into the real world last Thursday to attend a socially distanced private press conference with Governor J.B. Pritzker at the James R. Thompson Center. Among those 14 East staffers in attendance were EIC Francesca Mathewes, Pueblo Associate Editor Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales and Event Coordinator Justin Myers. Read more here.
In other student media news, Radio DePaul, which won the 2020 IBS award for Best College Radio Station in the Nation, hosted its tenth annual “Rock The Clock” fundraising drive this past weekend. Radio DePaul’s DJs all collaborated for the 48-hour broadcasting marathon to raise money for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, with Damita Menezes, the general manager, and Charlie Carey, the program director, at the helm.
The station’s initial goal was to raise $1,200, according to the Radio DePaul newsletter. As Radio DePaul broadcasted from 2 p.m. on Friday until 2 p.m on Sunday, donations from listeners and the DePaul community poured in, causing the station to raise their fundraising goal four times – once to $2,021, then $2,400, then to $2,500 and again to $3,000.
At the time of this publication, Radio DePaul has pulled in $3,618 for Lurie Children’s Hospital, smashing previous records set by the station.
National Headlines
The Washington Post reports President Biden’s plans for the nation in his first interview since taking office. Biden sat down with CBS Evening News’ Nancy O’Donnell and covered the pandemic, foreign policy and former President Donald Trump. Regarding the pandemic, Biden said he’ll use the all 32 NFL stadiums for vaccination and believes schools should be able to open safely once CDC officials release minimum requirements for schools. Additionally, Biden plans on being tough on China and Iran and suggests that Trump shouldn’t receive any intelligence briefings as former presidents do.
Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney asks Republicans to reject former President Trump according to Vox. Cheney defended her vote to impeach Trump and said that if other Republicans refuse to follow suit, that the GOP has lost its way. Cheney stands by her view that Trump was a bad leader for the Republicans and that he was a threat to the nation. Her push for Republicans to reject Trump is to show voters a different side of the party.
Axios reports President Joe Biden finalized his Cabinet. The final members nominated for his Cabinet were Judge Merrick Garland as his attorney general, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo for the Commerce Department and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for the Labor Department; they’ll just need to be signed off by the Senate.
Top conservative lawyer Charles J. Cooper said former President Trump can stand trial according to The New York Times. Cooper dismissed the claim that Trump couldn’t stand trial and the claim that it is unconstitutional to hold an impeachment trial for a former president is baseless.
Recommendations
Batter & Berries — Established in 2012 by Dr. Tanya and Craig Richardon, Batter and Berries is arguably the best brunch spot in Chicago. In pre-COVID times, the restaurant was guaranteed to have a line out the door almost every day of the week. When I went, we waited upwards of two hours to finally grab a table — and for good reason. The food is phenomenal. Located right here in Lincoln Park, the breakfast joint is known for its French toast flight. This dish is a decadent sampler platter of all their French toast offerings — strawberry, blueberry, lemon and caramel French toasts — made with locally baked Brioche bread and served with a creamy maple butter. This week if you’re craving a great breakfast or just feeling too lazy to cook lunch, order pickup or delivery from this local business. | Claire Malon
Resources
Remember: Landlords are required to keep apartments at adequate temperatures throughout the winter – buildings must maintain 68 degrees from 8:30 a.m to 10:30 p.m and 66 degrees from 10:30 p.m to 8:30 a.m. There is a $1,000 fine per day for landlords not maintaining proper temperatures. If your landlord is violating this rule, call 311 for assistance or report them here.
Warming Centers and Weather Safety
Englewood Community Service Center
1140 West 79th Street, Chicago, IL 60620
312-747-0200
Garfield Community Service Center
10 South Kedzie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612
312-746-5400
Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center
4314 South Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL 60653
312-747-2300
North Area Community Service Center
845 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
312-744-2580
South Chicago Community Service Center
8650 South Commercial Avenue, Chicago, IL 60617
312-747-0500
Trina Davila Community Service Center
4312 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60639
312-744-2014
For suburban warming centers, click here.
COVID-19 Testing
All of these testing sites can be accessed for free and without insurance.
Howard Brown offers free, walk-in COVID-19 testing at multiple locations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, in addition to mobile testing sites that are updated weekly, which you can access here.
The Illinois Department of Health and the City of Chicago have opened more free COVID-19 testing sites in the city and surrounding counties, which are listed with more information here.
In the spring, the City of Chicago partnered with CORE response to set up free drive-thru and walk-in testing sites in the city, primarily on the South and West sides, with appointments available Monday through Friday. Register here.
The city has also updated its COVID-19 testing program with more mobile sites, which change weekly. More info here.
Mental Health Resources
At Open Counseling, there’s a list of people and nonprofits with counseling services available for free or low cost.
This website compiles mental health resources, including therapist/counselor directories and other online resources.
The Center on Halsted offers behavioral health, anti-violence and educational resources for LGBTQIA+ people.
Howard Brown Health offers anti-racism resources and sliding scale counseling specializing in the LGBTQ+ community.
This document is a resource for Black people experiencing racial trauma. This master list includes specific resources as well as protesting tips and donation links.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago.
This link is a directory of Black therapists in Chicago who provide services for under $75.
Here’s 7 virtual mental health resources supporting Black people right now, including Chicago-based community organization Sista Afya’s support groups
And the Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline is a resource operated by transgender and nonbinary staffers for the trans community: 877-565-8860.
The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy in Chicago is a nonprofit that provides affordable, sliding-scale counseling. Call (312) 263-4368 extension 9081 to schedule an intake appointment (counseling is not religious-centered).
That’s all from us, folks. Happy early Valentines Day, stay warm, stay safe and see you next week!
❤ Justin, Francesca, Grace, Robin, Claire and Cam
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