The Chicago Reporter articles from December 2003

The Chicago Reporter archives from December 2003

Editor's note.
December 1, 2003... Like a lot of old black men, my dad strikes most people as pretty mild-mannered. A college psychology professor, he exhibits a patience that reassures and relaxes most of his students after even the most contentious class debates. He much...

Bouncing back: Evelyn Purdis remembers getting turned down for jobs because she lived in public housing. Now she runs her own business.(New Voices)
December 1, 2003... When Evelyn Purdis wanted her own home in the 1970s, she felt it was impossible for her, as a young black woman and a public housing resident, to live in or even walk around wealthier communities. And, if a resident filled out a job application...

Invisible offenders: juvenile detention centers struggle to meet the unique needs of their fastest-growing population.(Keeping Current)
December 1, 2003... Amanda would like to talk to someone. The 17-year-old would tell them about how she watched family members give in to alcoholism and friends die from drugs and suicide. She would talk about her battles with low self-esteem after being raped,...

Power to his people.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... Power to his people: fighting racism is one thing. Bringing other black people along is quite another. The demonstration was small at first. It was a brisk morning, unseasonably cool for early May in Chicago, and by 8:30 about two dozen...

Reparations battles.
December 1, 2003... The reparations movement has amassed impressive energy support and attention over the last several years--and so has its opposition. But arguments on both sides have been pushed at least since the end of the Civil War. A brief history of the...

Far from home: former Maryville residents struggle to adjust to life back in inner-city neighborhoods.
December 1, 2003... Forty-five minutes after leaving Englewood, the white van pulled into the infamous Maryville City of Youth campus to northwest suburban Des Plaines and, as advocates and farmer residents stepped out into the parking lot, in front of them...

November 18, 2003.(Parting Shot)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... On a soggy fall afternoon, Georgia Kingswan plays cards with Ronni Snow at St. Augustine's Center for American Indians in Uptown. Commonly known as Bo-Show-Ne-Gee, the 30-year-old center offers counseling and recreation to 50 to 75 people a...