October 2025: Responses to ICE in Illinois, Big news on our upcoming PN Conference Speaker, Chicago Events, and Alliance Matters Projects.
Hey, Narrative Change Community!
In this issue:
đź“° News: Responses to ICE in Illinois, Chicago Headline Club honored with a 2025 Sunshine Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
đź“… Events: Big news on our upcoming PN Conference Speaker, Chicago Media Career Fair, and more.
🟨 CIMA Updates: Explore recently released Alliance Matters projects.
Now more than ever, philanthropists, civic leaders, community members, and media professionals need clear communication for the greater good.
I look forward to learning and sharing with our peers at the upcoming ComNet conference in Denver. I’m honored that Public Narrative has been selected to participate in the poster sessions!
Our entry, Media and Community Power Each Other: Chicago Shows How, examines how to support fact-based media by building a strong local ecosystem with the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA). We share how the power of partnership connects Chicago’s civic community through our journey in creating and sustaining a collaborative alliance of newsrooms and media organizations, promoting equitable media practices, amplifying diverse voices, enhancing civic engagement, and fostering knowledge exchange. As we witness and document these tumultuous moments, we hope for the safety of all those on the frontlines of reporting and activism. If you, too, are attending ComNet, stop by to say hi to VP Sylvia Ewing and I! We look forward to representing Chicago well!
With care,
Jhmira Alexander
President and CEO
Connecting Media and Community: Reframing Purpose, Possibility, and Partnerships
Announcing Our Featured Speaker: Trymaine Lee
Connecting Media and Community: Reframing Purpose, Possibility, and Partnerships
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | David Rubenstein Forum, Chicago
We are thrilled to announce our featured speaker is Trymaine Lee, Pulitzer Prize– and Emmy Award–winning journalist, MSNBC contributor, and newly published author of his first book: A Thousands Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America. A pivotal voice for a pivotal moment. Trymaine is among a distinguished class of leaders guiding the conversation and connection among media, nonprofits, and civic institutions.
See what's being published this month.
A masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Brighton Park Saturday. Photo: Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images
1 Big Thing: Pritzker Says National Guard Coming // Axios Chicago
Chicago experienced a chaotic — and violent — weekend of clashes between federal law enforcement and protesters, prompting President Trump to call up hundreds of National Guard members to Illinois.
Read more: 1 Big Thing: Pritzker Says National Guard Coming
SPJ Announces 2025 Sunshine Award Recipients for Contributions to Open Government // Society of Professional Journalists
The Chicago Headline Club has been honored with a 2025 Sunshine Award from SPJ, recognizing their advocacy, programming, and recognition of open-government reporting that have strengthened awareness and accountability in Chicago and beyond.
Read more: SPJ Announces 2025 Sunshine Award Recipients for Contributions to Open Government
Explore Chicago's opportunities and jobs.
GIRLS Mentorship // Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP)
The GIRLS Committee (Girls Igniting Real Leadership & Service) focuses on mentoring, coaching, and bringing opportunities for leadership development to girls of all ages. The GLMP (Girls Leadership Mentoring Program) starts planning and recruiting mentors in the fall and sessions start in January and run through mid-May. CWIP matches 4th, 5th and 6th grade girls at Holy Family School in North Lawndale with a CWIP member and meet twice a month for four months covering a variety of topics. The application deadline is Friday, November 7.
October 10: Chicago Media Career Fair // Chicago Headline Club
Whether you're job hunting, building your network, or just figuring out your next steps, this event is for you. Join the Chicago Headline Club for a day of career development, peer connection, and newsroom access. Register here.
October 11: Reel Black Filmmakers 13th Anniversary // Community Film Workshop of Chicago
Reel Black Filmmakers, a program of the Community Film Workshop of Chicago (CFWC), will be celebrating its 13th anniversary with a screening of works by talented filmmakers Shahari Moore, Reginald Rice and David Weathersby. Learn more about this event and reserve your ticket.
October 15: Chicago Stories: The Outrage of Danny Sotomayor // The Center on Halsted
This Emmy and Lisagor award-winning 60-minute film paints an intimate portrait of the fiery, openly gay AIDS activist, political cartoonist, and organizer. Danny Sotomayor took to the streets, using civil disobedience to wage war on city officials who marginalized the LGBTQ community and turned a blind eye to the AIDS crisis – while fighting a losing battle with the disease himself. This program is one of WTTW’s award-winning documentaries in the CHICAGO STORIES series. This event is free, but RSVP is required.
Projects from Alliance Matters
Click the image above to play the recap to our Alliance Matters event.
Alliance Matters: Look for a “Temperature Check” in Your Community!
The reporting and content gathering for our Alliance Matters editorial campaign is closing out, and we are enjoying seeing all of its different projects come to life! Its robust programming schedule includes print, podcasts, partnerships, news, arts, research, video, photography and more.
With support from the Field Foundation and insight from CIMA newsrooms and organizations, Alliance Matters is designed to elevate the role of independent media in informing, engaging, and empowering our city’s diverse communities while growing our pool of trained freelancers. You can find the results on our website. Support these members of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance. Support local media!
Please join us in celebrating just some of our awardees’ work:
Chicago News Weekly: “Cornered: Black Chicago at the Crossroads of Jobs, Housing and Survival” Podcast Link | Article Link | E-Edition
Borderless Magazine: “Meet the Chicago Women on the Frontlines Helping Immigrants Access Health Care on the Southwest Side” Article Link
North Lawndale Community News: "Temperature Check on the Westside with Lawndale Christian Health Center CEO Dr. James Brooks" Article Link
EnchĂşfate: Little Village: In Community Through Chaos
Find a full list of publicly available work on our website.
Mixed-use tower proposed for 669 North Michigan Avenue // Loop North News
A new 56-story development planned for Michigan Avenue aims to bring 498 residential units and significant retail space, revitalizing the site of the former Niketown store.
Stop The War Declared on U.S. Informal Workers // Illinois Latino News
Operation Midway Blitz brings militarized immigration enforcement into Chicago and targets informal workers such as street vendors, day laborers and their families. Witnesses saw heavily armed ICE agents unload young men, teens and older adults into detention vans.
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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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Maleia Tbileh Editor
