“The arts saved my life,” says Haki Madhubuti as he takes a visitor past original paintings on the walls of the Third World Press, located in a former rectory on Chicago’s South Side. He pauses before a painting of Malcolm X. “He was one of my mentors even though we never met. He freed me intellectually,” says Madhubuti, 65, who keeps in touch with Malcolm X’s family. “Real art transcends time.” Equally important to Madhubuti is the library that spans two rooms on the building’s main floor. Yes, the arts, including jazz music and paintings, saved his life, but books are where it all began. Madhubuti says a copy of Black Boy by Richard Wright, which he found in the Detroit Public Library, initiated his mental and physical escape from a life of poverty more than 50 years ago. This is the 40th anniversary of Third World Press (TWP), one of two African-American owned publishing houses in the country. Madhubuti – poet, publisher, educator, institution builder and community activist – remains on his ...

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If you attended this year’s Midsommarfest, you might have noticed something strange at play. Andersonville’s predominantly lesbian festival was brimming with gay men. While scanning the crowd for my friends, I was blinded by the sheer density of faux hawks and pectorals peeking through tank tops. They seemed to be trumping us 10 to one, thickening the streets with the smell of sweaty cologne. It felt a little overwhelming, the populous of this summer festival having shifted so wildly from the years before. What could have caused such a rapid turnover? When had Chicago’s only lesbian neighborhood been swallowed by Boystown? “There’s this utopian ideal that we’re all supposed to live together in peace and harmony,” says Christina Santiago, Andersonville resident and an employee at Howard Brown Health Center, which provides healthcare and services to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. “The segregation is happening within our own community, which is the saddest part of all.” It wasn’t so long ago that Chicago’s rainbow-ensconced Boystown neighborhood was a thriving lesbian community. Then ...

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On a mid-September weekend, passengers riding the “L” near Brighton Park on Chicago’s near South Side were confronted with a rainbow of color. Young people held aerosol cans and sketchbooks filled with extraordinary art as they decorated the walls. It was a weekend celebration where graffiti got the recognition and respect it deserves. Called the Meeting of Styles, the 4th annual International Graffiti and Hip Hop Festival drew graffiti artists from across the country, allowing them to “unify together,” in the words of Seel Fresh, one of Chicago’s leading graffiti artists. To the left of the train tracks, a group of young boys scribbled their names in permanent marker, mimicking the graffiti artists nearby. And why wouldn’t they? “It’s unbelievable how some of these guys can do what they do… including myself,” said Wise, sarcastically patting himself on the chest. The murals were amazing. Wall pieces ranged from themes about the mafia and the sky to cell phones. The outdoor exhibit ran along Kedzie from from 24th to 36th street. “The best in Chicago, or ...

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When the rich and famous party too excessively, they make headlines. They also face real-life consequences. Celebrity “it girls” Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton have been court ordered to seek substance abuse treatment after drug- or alcohol-related incidents. Lohan was also required to complete a drug-treatment program. Non-celebrity offenders often face stricter penalties. Students whose partying gets out of hand can suffer consequences ranging from loss of financial aid to jail time. Most colleges have stiff substance abuse policies, including zero tolerance for first offenders. The Columbia College Student Handbook states the school may “legally prosecute with criminal charges” students possessing, using or distributing illegal drugs on campus. DePaul University students are subject to school-ordered completion of an appropriate rehabilitation program and/or expulsion. Roosevelt University’s drug policy is similar to Columbia’s and DePaul’s, but that school also reserves the right to file civil charges against student offenders. Although these stiff penalties relate to drug use, alcohol abuse also poses a host of potential problems, including the obvious danger of drinking and driving. ...

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