September 2025: New South Shore Hub for youth, Tools for Nonprofits, Chicago Events, and Reflections From PN
Hey, Narrative Change Community!
In this issue:
📰 News: A new South Shore hub for young Black residents, $1.5M in local media grants, and a South Side poet’s work inspiring Chance the Rapper’s latest album.
🔗 Resources: A report on fairer redistricting, a statewide immigration information hub, and free legal aid tools for Illinois residents.
📅 Events: Trainings on equity reporting, film and comedy showcases, and conversations linking art, activism, and community.
🟨 PN Updates: Register for PN’s free conference this December and explore Alliance Matters projects on Chicago theater resilience and housing solutions.
In addition to a groundbreaking community of nonprofits, Chicago is at the forefront of innovation enhancing independent media.
Earlier in the year, we hosted our inaugural Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) Retreat, and we are excited to announce our 2025 Charter CIMA members! These 23 newsrooms and media organizations represent powerful platforms, from podcast to radio to print.
More than half of them have participated in our editorial collaboration – Alliance Matters: Temperature Check.
Stewarding CIMA has opened up new opportunities to explore ideas and partnerships for revenue generation among our media and nonprofit networks alike. I am honored to lead an organization whose legacy was built by cultivating broad audiences of community members, including journalists, media makers, health researchers, youth, educators, justice advocates, and members of law enforcement.
It is my hope that you’ll join us as we connect our peers in media and nonprofit communities at our December 3 conference!
As you read on, let the information in this issue of Reflections serve as an invitation for deeper, more meaningful engagement that inspires hope, encouragement, and collaboration.
With care,
Jhmira Alexander
President and CEO
Register for PN’s Free Conference!
Connecting Media and Community: Reframing Purpose, Possibility, and Partnerships
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago
Independent and community media are vital for strengthening civic life—especially in a time of rapid change and division. That’s why Public Narrative is bringing together journalists, community leaders, educators, creatives, and civic innovators for a free, one-day conference designed to build community, spark collaboration, and create connective tissue.
See what's being published this month.
Photo of Chicago Quilombo co-founders Cosette Ayele, Jeffrey Hitchens, Inez White, and Sarina Shane. Photo from Block Club Chicago.
Chicago Quilombo, A Live/Work Building In South Shore, Aims To Give Young Black South Siders ‘Autonomy’ // Block Club Chicago
Quilombo, a new nonprofit, has purchased a building on 79th Street with plans to create affordable housing, a community center, small business marketplace, and alcohol-free restaurant centering young Black South Siders.
Press Forward Chicago Awards $1.5 Million in New Local Media Grants // WBEZ Chicago
Press Forward Chicago has announced over $1.5 million in grants to 26 local news organizations, supporting capacity building, audience engagement, and business sustainability. With this second round of funding, the collaborative has invested more than $3 million in strengthening Chicago’s local news ecosystem, including Immigration Journalism grants. PN’s Vice President of Journalism and Media Engagement, Sylvia Ewing, is a member of the Press Forward Chicago Advisory Committee.
Read more: Press Forward Chicago Awards $1.5 Million in New Local Media Grants
South Side Writer Receives Her Flowers on Chance the Rapper’s New Star Line Album // The TRiiBE
South Side poet Tanikia Carpenter’s 2021 poem “No Grandfathers in Chicago” has inspired Chance the Rapper’s new track “No More Old Men” on his Star Line album. The piece reflects on the toll of gun violence on young Black men in Chicago, the wisdom lost when lives are cut short, and Carpenter’s own journey as her writing gains wider recognition.
Read more: South Side Writer Receives Her Flowers on Chance the Rapper’s New Star Line Album
Explore local resources.
Removing Politics From Local Remapping: A Path Towards Fair and Equitable Representation // Change Illinois
A new Change Illinois report, “Removing Politics From Local Remapping: A Path Toward Fair and Equitable Representation,” shows how political leaders often draw maps to choose their voters, and offers reforms to make redistricting fairer across seven Chicagoland counties. Read the report: Removing Politics From Local Remapping: A Path Towards Fair and Equitable Representation
Illinois Immigration Information Hub // Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
Immigrant Justice - The Resurrection Project, National Immigrant Justice Center, Illinois Department of Human Services, City of Chicago Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights
The Illinois Immigration Information Hub is a partnership of immigrant rights groups, legal aid providers, and government partners, offering a centralized site for accurate resources, legal guidance, and community support for immigrant families. Learn more on their website.
Illinois Legal Aid Online Resources // Illinois Legal Aid Online
Illinois Legal Aid Online provides free resources, legal information, and tools to help residents navigate issues such as housing, family law, immigration, benefits, and more. Visit their site.
Explore Chicago's opportunities and jobs.
Director of Operations // North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council
NLCCC is hiring a Director of Operations to provide strategic leadership, oversee initiatives, and support organizational growth alongside the executive director. Apply here before September 30, 2025.
Director of Development // City Bureau
City Bureau is hiring a Director of Development to lead fundraising strategy, build donor relationships, and secure the future of its people-powered journalism. Apply here before September 30, 2025. 5.
Community Engagement Coordinator // Latinos Progresando
Latinos Progresando is hiring a Community Engagement Coordinator to manage programs in Marshall Square, including food distribution, green initiatives, and resident outreach.
Application information is available on their website.
Executive Director // Chicago United for Equity
This leadership role calls for a strategic, people-first director ready to expand CUE’s impact. The work includes driving its racial justice mission and strengthening partnerships across Chicago. Apply herebefore October 6, 2025.
September 24: Unprecedented? Investigating History for Reparative Storytelling // Investigative Project on Race and Equity
ProPublica’s Logan Jaffe and journalist Laura Kebede-Twumasi will lead a session on using archives to strengthen racial equity reporting and challenge harmful “unprecedented” narratives. RSVP to the free virtual training.
September 28: The Empathizer Film & Embarrassed by Night Comedy Show // Foundation for Asian American Media, HAIBAYO
The evening features The Empathizer, a film that explores themes of identity, belonging, and the complexities of going “home” through intimate interviews and humor. Following the film, the Embarrassed by Night troupe brings their all-Vietnamese comedy show to Chicago for the first time. Get your tickets.
September 29: Revolution: Love, Joy, and the Art of Creating the World We Deserve // Goodman Theatre’s 100 Free Acts of Theater
Playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn joins Lisa Yun Lee and other guests for a discussion of REVOLUTION(S), exploring love, joy, and art through revolution. The panel will examine how art, activism, and imagination fuel movements for change. Register for the free event.
Projects from Alliance Matters
Alliance Matters is an editorial collaboration between Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) members focused on their audiences and funded in part by The Field Foundation. Projects are wrapping up and living up to the theme of a “Temperature Check” in Chicago’s diverse communities at this moment.
Content includes Reparation Media’s research results from a survey of freelancers, Health, Healing, and Hope on the Westside from North Lawndale Community News, and Little Village: In Community Through Chaos, a radio feature and a Zine from Enchúfate radio broadcasting on Friday, September 26, at 4:00 p.m. CST on 105.5 FM (WLPN-LP, Chicago)!
Learn more about featured Alliance Matters projects below.
Staging Survival: How Chicago Theaters Are Responding to the Pressures of COVID and Authoritarianism // Third Coast Review
Chicago’s storefront theaters are navigating the dual pressures of post-COVID recovery and federal authoritarian threats, struggling with funding cuts, rising costs, and shrinking stages. Despite the challenges, theater leaders remain committed to diversity, equity, and fearless storytelling, positioning live performance as both cultural expression and active resistance.
Lincoln Park’s Homeless Ready for Housing, Not Shelters // Inside Productions
Unhoused residents in Lincoln Park cite barriers and safety concerns in traditional shelters, often preferring outdoor camps despite the risks. As the city expands non-congregant facilities and invests $40 million in upgrades, advocates and residents emphasize the need for long-term housing solutions.
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Reflections aims to spotlight the different worlds that make up our narrative change ecosystem. We'll share some events, call-to-actions, news stories and even people working towards shifting narratives that impact us all.
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Ivy Do Writer
A fond farewell to Ivy Do, as this is her last issue with us.
Thank you for your wonderful contributions—we wish you continued success!
