Join Chicago NABJ (National Ass’n of Black Journalists) at Allstar
Bar & Grill, 205 W. Wacker, on Dec. 15, 6 p.m.-9 p.m., for a “party with a
purpose.” Members’ cost: $5 and the rest of y’all are asked to donate $10 at
the door – all to go for journalism scholarships. Come and holiday hobnob with
a growing guest list that so far includes Ch. 7’s Cheryl Burton and Karen Jordan; Ch. 9’s Allison
Payne;
Ch. 32’s Robin Robinson; Ch. 2’s Ryan Baker and Dorothy Tucker; Ch. 5’s Christian
Farr;
the Chicago Defender’s Kathy Chaney and “Teesee”; Chicago Public
Radio's Richard Steele and Natalie Moore; RedEye's Kyra Kyles (she’s Chicago-NABJ’s prexey);
V103's urban radio pioneer Herb Kent; and NBC legends Art Norman and Warner Saunders. Appetizers served ‘til
exhausted and a cash bar is available. Guests will be treated to great music
and networking galore. See ya!
Parting Gesture – As one of his last official acts, former Cook County board President
Todd H. Stroger
presented a resolution to Jessie “Ma” Houston, international director of the Prison
Outpost Ministry of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, after her testimony about the life
and legacy of her "running buddy," the late Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of DuSable Museum and South
Side Community Art Center. The resolution cited Dr. Burroughs’ passion for the arts and for her
writings. “Dr. Burroughs was a passionate worker,” said Stroger. Reflecting on the time when he worked
at the Park District, he remembered “how she was always a strong advocate to
the arts. I know some young artists about my age benefited from her. She will
be missed and her passion and hard work will be missed. Hopefully, we will have
somebody to pick up that and push for the arts as she did.”
Our Sympathy – to Joslyn DiPasalegne, event planner and niece of the Defender’s founder, Robert S. Abbott, on Saturday’s passing of her husband
of 22 years, Juan,
a retired business exec who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the
Vietnam era. The lifelong Chicagoan died in their Hammond, Ind. home after a
valiant battle with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. Juan received a B.A. degree from the Univ.
of Chicago and a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola Univ. Final
arrangements are pending ... Also, condolences to the family of Judge Glenn T. Johnson, 93, former Illinois assistant
attorney and second African American to serve on the Illinois Appellate Court,
who died of natural causes in his Hyde Park home. Judge Johnson is noted for having hired more African
American law clerks than any other Illinois appellate judge; two of his
fclerks, P. Scott Neville Jr. and Joy Cunningham, are now appellate judges. Judge Johnson’s funeral was at Woodlawn AME Church.
His first wife, the late Atty. Evelyn Freeman Johnson, was my very favorite Sunday School teacher way back when at Olivet Baptist Church
On Air – Norman’s Bistro was the site for a 190 North television show taping. A Ch. 7 camera
crew visited Norm Bolden’s up-scale dining spot, 1001 E. 43rd St., and conducted an interview with
the entrepreneur which airs Dec. 19, 10:35 p.m., and showcases some of the
restaurant’s most popular dishes, including succulent barbeque jerk baby back
ribs; beef, sausage and shrimp jambalaya; global garden salad and grilled
tilapia with black beans and rice and a tasty assortment of desserts. Look
closely and you’ll spot some diners you probably know – Merry Green, of The Black Women’s Expo; LeAnne
Muller Wharton, 87.7
FM; Stephen Mathis,
digital media specialist; Redessa Harris, publicist for Norman’s Bistro; and Chicago Defender staffers Jasmine Allgood, Alvita Rhone and this scribe. Hats off to Chef
Robert Blanchard on
his delicious cuisine. Call (773) 966-5821 ... Evelyn Holmes and Hosea Sanders host Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. edition
of Heart & Soul, Ch 7’s series of specials that tap into Chicago’s vibrant African
American community. Cheryl Burton and Jim Rose contribute. This edition shines a light on a Chicago Bear
who has a lot of heart himself, both on the field and off. Israel Idonije founded the Israel Idonije
Foudation to reach out to disadvantaged kids here and ‘round the world. Idonije shares the excitement of the work
he does with the foundation during the off season, including his trip to
Nigeria to help youngsters needing medical attention and his White House visit
with students from Roseland. Also the show targets the inspirational story of Cheryl
Hyman, who, after
dropping out of high school, went on to become the chancellor of the City
Colleges of Chicago where she oversees 120,000 students and manages a $500
million budget. Next up, True Star Foundation, a non-profit organization that
provides a creative outlet for elementary school students, founded by two women
in their 30s. Finally, Heart & Soul points the camera on X’ernona Woods, author of Save that Penny for a
Sunny Day. The
program looks at how Woods, a Chicago Public Schools alum, is educating young people on
the importance of being financially literate. She’s been presenting workshops
to grade school children on how to save their money and invest. During her
presentations, kids get the opportunity to visit the Federal Reserve Bank’s
Money Museum to gain a greater understanding of the value of the dollar. Heart
& Soul, which
encores Sunday, 2:30 p.m., is featured on-demand at abc7chicago.com.
Newsy
Names – DuSable
Museum presents Dr. Margaret Burroughs: In Her Own Words, a day-long celebration, 10 a.m.-5
p.m., on Saturday, at the museum, 57th and Cottage, featuring films,
children’s workshops, symposia, music and spoken word performances. Free
admission: rsvp @ (773) 947-0600, ext,. 627... Jazz singer Senabella performs sultry sounds from her new CD,
Love Is, Dec. 19, 3
p.m.-8 p.m., at Sweet Georgia Brown’s, 4167 W. 183rd St., Country
Club Hills. On tap, free samples of Remy Martin cocktails and other give-aways ... Artists Cheryl Toles and Melvin King are exhibiting in tandem on Thursday at
eta Gallery, hosted by Creative Artists Ass’n ... Gov. Pat Quinn, Secretary
of State Jesse White, Pres. Toni Preckwinkle and other city, county and state officials and were on
hand when Green Park Eco Garage, the city’s first LEED Gold registered,
fully-automated parking garage with space for over 100 cars, broke ground at
1868 N. Milwaukee Ave. Next year, holiday shoppers, business owners and
visitors to the Bucktown area will have better and smarter ways to park and
won’t have to agonize as much in their search. The garage will open in the fall
of 2011. The project of Chicago-based VLF Development LLC, Green Park will
utilizie a patented, fully-automatic parking system that takes the aggravation
out of parking and adds customer-friendly features, such as the ability to
reserve parking spaces online or through Smartphones. to enhance the parking
experience. Internationally recognized as the standard for building
sustainability and environmental conciousness, a LEED Gold certification
represents one of the highest levels of achievement ... Happy b’day to Carol
(Kay) Bell, Sandra Enimil (Aya), Frank McGhee, Dori Zollar, “Big John” Wilson, Yvette J.
Moyo-Gillard, Harold Lee Rush, Helen Burleson, Jacque Carter, Georgia Sanders,
Angela Ingram, Connie Jenkins, W.L. Lillard, Jocklyn Batey, State Rep. Connie
Howard, Angelique Tribett, Diana Muhammad and Thomas Marks.
Curtain Call – eta Creative Arts Foundation presents
the world premier of Obie award winning playwright and performance artist Daniel
Beaty’s Tearing
Down the Walls, about finding the courage to transform pain into power, opening Thursday at eta Square and directed by Kemati
J. Porter and Anthony
P. Brooks. Show times:
8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; 3 p.m., Sundays. All seats are $10, Dec. 9-19, in
celebration of the holidays; Thursdays at 8 p.m. are $10 throughout the year.
General admission, $30 with special student, senior and group rates. It runs
through Feb. 13, with no performances Dec. 23-31. Call (773) 752-3955 or visit www.etacreativearts.org.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
