Two decades after finding renown as a literary novelist, Sandra Jackson-Opoku has begun a new chapter as a cozy mystery author.

Feed Black Futures Tina Jenkins Bell|August 28, 2024 Don’t call it a food desert. “Food apartheid” is closer to the truth. Describing a place as a food desert, says food sovereignty activist Sophi Wilmore, “implies that this is a natural…

Tina Jenkins Bell|November 6, 2023 Cultural archivist Zakiya Harris has said that the need to solidify the presence and permanence of Black people, Black art, and Black culture in Oakland, California, became clear in the wake of the recent global…

I jumped at the opportunity to review Garfield Park Conservatory’s art exhibit, “An Otherworldly Existence: Afrofuturism and the Environment.” The solo exhibition of twelve collages created by Black, queer, South Side artist and educator Kee…

Imagine owning shares in a business based on usage, not dollars. Imagine the good work you do for the world is recognized via ownership in a company that appreciates your impact. Imagine being the neighbor to a home used to host vacationers and being…

Inspired by Shareable’s coverage of the sharing economy, Bibliothèque D’Objets De Montreuil, also known as La BOM, opened its doors as a “Library of Things” in April 2022 in the Parisian suburb of Montreuil. La BOM’s president and founder Sylvain…

Currently there are over 17 million shipping containers across the globe being used to transport mass products from one country to the next. Of that figure only 6 million are actually in circulation. In America especially, many containers sit idle.…

When you first meet Corey Hagelberg, he may seem quiet, unassuming even. But underneath the modest demeanor is a true cultural innovator. Hagelberg, 38, is a social justice artist, community gardener and founder and Executive Director of the Calumet…

The COVID-19 pandemic saw an influx in the number of mutual aid groups popping up across the country. Now, as the world trepidatiously welcomes a “new normal”, communities are reassessing their needs and capacities. Many newly-laid networks of mutual…

If the curious were to seek a definition or description on the Internet for free boxing, they might run into offers of actual free cardboard boxes for shipping. But free boxing is not a thing — it is a movement of like-minded people committed to…

In April 2012, Chicago’s former mayor Rahm Emmanuel closed half of the city’s 12 public mental health centers. The closures affected mostly Black and lower income locals, who were no strangers to disappointing legislation. In fact, the mayor’s blow…

The 7th Street corridor in Oakland, California, was once a two-mile strip known as the “Harlem of the West” — home to a myriad of businesses, dry cleaners, cobblers, tax accountants, cafes, restaurants, and 250,000 Black residents. Decades of…

The city of Detroit provides a system of transit services for its citizens and visitors, including buses, street cars, and even an automated rail system. With only buses as a public option, city-wide transportation remains a challenge for members of…

Ernie Kolb (right) has been mayor of Oak Lawn for 22 years and in public service for a total of 38. Prior to that, he was a reporter and freelance writer for trade papers covering trends and other stories related to the Chicago stockyards.…

Gwendolyn Lee (right), principal of Thornridge High School in Dolton, believes educational success is more likely when leadership and decision-making are shared among teachers, staff and students. The 48-year-old Homewood resident was…

by Tina Jenkins Bell

Being Black is not a monolithic existence. You can’t know one of us and know all of us. You can’t truly know the Black experience—or any other than your own—without living it, being immersed in it from innards to outwards. Yet in reading the Chicago…

Bike share equity remains an uphill battle in impoverished neighborhoods and communities populated primarily by low-income residents and people of color. However, neither catering to affluent, white men nor community apathy and indifference are…

When it comes to maintaining healthy emotional balance and sound mental health, the struggle is real for writers. This is a particular reality after being trapped in our homes for nearly a year during the pandemic with only our minds--- pregnant with…

There are days when I get into the groove of telling a story and in my head the arc of the story is complete, conflict and character motivation are evident, and the characters will have taken on the reality of living, breathing individuals.…