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Tony Weisman on 50 years of celebrating patriotism and community
Fifty years ago, on a Memorial Day when I was 3 years old, my father Al Weisman taught me — and a small group of kids in our Lakeview neighborhood — a lifelong lesson about patriotism and community. A friend had recently given my father …
Lauren Lein on how supporting local designers can save lives around the world
Recently, we all heard and read about the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh. At first, news outlets reported “some” lives lost, vastly underplaying the tragedy. But as the days went by, we learned that more than 1,100 workers lost their lives. When I heard the …
Michelle McBride on the backlash from Angelina Jolie’s recent op-ed
Last week, in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Angelina Jolie revealed that she had a prophylactic mastectomy after learning she’d inherited a gene mutation that gave her a high risk of developing breast cancer. Angelina shared her story in order to help …
Sara Kerastas on how “What’s The T?” confronts conflicts in Boystown
As education director at About Face Theatre here in Chicago, I work with transgender, lesbian, gay, queer, bisexual and straight-allied (LGBTQA) youth ages 14-23. These fierce young theater activists come to from all over Chicago to be part of our ensemble — I’m talking South …
Cindy Galvin on how ARKive is preserving nature
“Take care of the Earth and she will take care of you.” — Author unknown When I was attending Northwestern in 1977, I met my pledge daughter, Kim Louis Stewart, daughter of Josephine Louis of Winnetka and the late Ambassador John Louis. After we graduated, …
Michael Reinsdorf on the team that made us all proud
I hate losing. Winning is all that matters, right? That’s how I have always felt. Even as a young kid, I would cry if my dad beat me shooting free throws. (Of course, who could blame me — he shot underhanded!) Anyone who has watched …
Lindsay Avner on what Angelina Jolie’s courageous admission means for women
I started Bright Pink on Jan. 2, 2007, and every day since, I’ve dedicated my professional career and personal passion to educating and equipping women around the country with the knowledge and support to be proactive with their breast and ovarian health. Creating urgency around …
In anticipation of next week’s National Restaurant Show, Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano talk dining out
Chicago is one of the world’s great restaurant towns — and it keeps getting better. We’re so passionate about food that while we’re having dinner, we’re usually planning the next one. But our tastes are very different. In anticipation of the National Restaurant Show, coming …
Tamberla Perry on the state of roles for African-American actresses
It started in one of my first professional auditions in 2006: I read for the lead role, and the director cast me as the maid instead. African-American women have a long history of playing maids — a confining, stereotypical role — and the actresses who …
Sarah Elizabeth Ippel on helping Chicago’s children fall in love with learning
I’ll never forget the moment when I stepped onto the dirt floor of a small, sparse room in a rural Guinea Bissauan village. Sunlight was flooding into the open-air space; there were no windows or desks. Forty children of all ages were sitting on handcrafted …
Geoffrey Nauffts on how he’s fighting for gay rights through his Tony Award-nominated play, “Next Fall”
I met the love of my life not long after I turned 40. He was a Christian, and as someone who’s pretty much had an aversion to religion my whole life, this was the last thing I ever expected. We struggled to find some common …
Wade Miquelon on why he’s racing for a cure on Mother’s Day
Every so often, something happens to us that puts things in the proper perspective, makes us grateful for each moment and motivates us to bring out the best version of ourselves every day. One of those privileged awakenings for me was not a something, but …
Quenten Schumacher on the importance of AIDS awareness
As a gay man over 40, HIV/AIDS has been a part of my life since I came out in my 20s. I’ve seen so many of my loved ones personally affected in some way by this epidemic. While living in St. Louis, I met Richard …
Zoe Damacela on how she went from homeless to high fashion
When I was growing up, my family was extremely poor. In fact, we were homeless. My single mother worked full time and was trying to go back to school. But despite these challenges, I always knew that I wanted to start a business and be …
Allison Slade on the intersection of education and yoga
As a teacher more than a decade ago in inner-city Houston, every day I saw children come to school angry and frustrated — traumatized by violence, hungry or scared, but without the words to express their emotions and focus on learning. So I created a …
Chris Pierce on the healing powers of music
We all have struggles. We all have different ways of dealing with challenges. I’ve always turned to music. From the time I was a young child, writing and performing music has always been an unconditional friend and a place of refuge. I started to lose …
