We all felt the pain when through the window of our media, we watched a white policeman push his knee into George Floyd’s neck, for an eternity. And we realized we were witnessing a murder by the police. Again. I can’t breathe. The world held its breath with him and then started marching, city by […]
Written by Alvaro P. – A member of the Firewriters Ensemble ––– Damon was our first son together. I walked across the border, Never asking ‘if’ or ‘whether’ I walked away from Zacatecas To find mi hermano it was easy, facil I had no papers, no big deal — LEAVING ZACATECAS, ZACATECAS WHERE THE EAGLE […]
We missed seeing J. in our Storycatchers program for a few weeks – he was busy doing other things. He is part of a special group of young men at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center called the Ambassadors. They’re long-term residents of the facility who are awaiting trial, typically on adult charges. While at […]
We are thrilled to share that Jawaun Stamps, a 19-year-old Changing Voices Ensemble Member and Peer Mentor, was appointed to Mayor Lightfoot’s Youth Council as a youth advocate. He was one of 23 young people from across the city selected for the council.
Mayor Lightfoot sent out a city-wide request for feedback about how to improve Chicago’s education system. Our young adults in Changing Voices, all of whom who have been through the public school system, wrote this memo about what her priorities should be.