On Sunday, May 19th, the  2013 Kartemquin Spring Showcase will take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center and showcasing never-before-seen clips from four of their in-progress films, and soliciting audience feedback during a discussion with special guests (Alex Kotlowitz, Natalie Moore, Howard Reich and more) after each clip.

This marks the film center’s second year hosting this event – last year’s sold out quickly, and the films involved have gone on to secure major funding, broadcaster deals and even screen at events like the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

The subject matter of this year’s films ranges from politics of disaster stemming from the 1995 Chicago heat wave (Cooked), to homeless youth in the Chicago public school system (The Homestretch), an exploration of the racism Arabs face post 9/11 (American Arab), and Mormon Movie, where director Xan Aranda revisits her ancestral religion after leaving the Church 16 years previously.

For more information, visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org/.

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Her world has so much potential. Don’t allow her dreams to fade before she’s able to embrace them. Be mindful and aware at all times. Children hold the light of the world in their eyes, smiles and laughs.

Stop the violence and allow this precious child and others to grow up!

DON’T KILL HER CHANCE AT GROWTH & GREATNESS!

Raise Peace.

ABOUT DKMC:

The Don’t Kill My Chance Campaign is to visually emphasize the pains of the city as it relates to senseless violence and the loss of youth. Our hope with this movement is to direct and focus the social lens on the endurance of life and allowing children an equal opportunity and chance to grow up and live the life of their dreams and desires.

Join us in our movement to raise peace and opportunity. Hear No Evil. See No Evil.

Thank You:

Karl Ray Photography

Quincy Shields, MindTik Studios

107.5 WGCI

Anthony Reese, Videographer

Gerald Washington, Harris Park – Chicago Park District

Patrick Saingbey-Woodtor, Africa International House

Hair & MUA Personnel

Don’t Kill My Chance participants and supporters!

LaToya Cross

Filmmaker Julie Dash in person
Introduction by Jacqueline Stewart, co-curator of L.A. Rebellion at UCLA
FREE, reserve your seats at: http://ticketsweb.uchicago.edu/categories/film

Tuesday, May 21| 7p.m.

Logan Center Performance Hall 074 – 915 East 60th, Street

Daughters of the Dust
Julie Dash, 1991, 35mm, 112 min, new print!
Dash’s masterful first feature film, set in 1902, contemplates the pull of modern life from familial traditions as three generations of the Peazant family prepare to migrate away from their South Carolina island and Gullah people. Named to the 2004 National Film Registry.

Quick fact:  Dash’s first feature — Daughters of the Dust (1991) — was the first film by an African American woman to receive a general theatrical release in the United States; the Library of Congress named it to the National Film Registry in 2004. Dash returned to the film’s characters and their Gullah milieu in her novel of the same title, published in 1999.

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CHEF JULIUS RUSSELL PRESENTS THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SPRING POP-UP RESTAURANT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CONCHA Y TORO WINES

Award-winning Private Chef & Culinary Ambassador to Chile Presents Dishes Inspired by the Spring Harvest and Coastal Wines from Chile

WHAT: Nature’s Gift: The Bounty of Spring…The Pop-Up Returns

WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 2013 – 6:30pm

WHERE: Westminster HD,  11 N. Wells

WHO: Chef Julius Russell

ADMISSION:

$85 single | $160 couples

Tickets are available at www.taleof2chefs.com

Chef Julius Russell presents The Bounty of Spring Pop-Up Restaurant, a quarterly event featuring a 7-course dinner paired with coastal wines from Chile. The evening begins with opening appetizers and Pisco Sour cocktails, followed by a few surprise treats throughout the evening.

Recently, Chef Julius placed in the Winner’s Circle in Chicago’s 2013 Chowdah Fest; was voted 2012 Chowdah Fest Fan Favorite; and was voted Best Caterer 2012 by UPTOWN magazine. He continues to win fans in competitions and cooking for national figures and celebrities across the country.

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April 20th marked the first annual B.I.G.G. Hearted Foundation’s “Live B.I.G.G Gala” at the University of Chicago. The foundation, although born out of tragedy, truly is a shining example of what compassion and perseverance looks like. Named after the late DJ BIGG aka Buvern Francisco III, the foundation was created in order to provide financial assistance to low income children with the desire to attend the prestigious Provident St. Mel high school, Francisco’s alma mater.

After losing his life in a tragic motorcycle accident last year, Buvern’s best friends and family members decided to honor his legacy and continue his belief in education through the gift of service.

“The spark was in BJ’s best friends wife, Rahel Williams, a fellow board member, who came to the family with an urge to do something BIGG” states the foundation’s acting president, Natasha Parker.

The foundation’s launch comes at a time when encouragement for educational endeavors is so desperately needed within our urban community. The latest data on high school dropouts totaled over 3 million, and the current statistics are indicative of this being a growing trend unless a collective effort is initiated.This fact was expounded upon by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, who was also in attendance.

” When discussing the availability of resources and how to potentially spark the interest of education with the youth, she stressed that “the adult community involvement” is a proverbial necessity. “There are always opportunities to get involved in the betterment of a child’s life…”

Along with scholarships and other monetary, life lessons are regularly bestowed upon the children who participate in the foundation.

“As a parent, what has worked for my son, is stressing early on from a toddler that education isn’t an option, it’s a requirement.  Find a skill or talent that you love and find a way to turn that passion into a financial successful lifestyle.  When you love what you do everyday, it’s more than just a career, it’s what you live, a lifestyle.  Exceed my dreams with your own.” -Natasha Parker

Another staunch supporter of the foundation is Buvern’s loving sister, Tonya Francisco. When speaking to her, the love for her brother and his foundation was undeniably evident. “My brother wanted to save the world, and I would always say to him you need to focus on the smaller piece, and that fragment will eventually turn into the bigger picture.” The foundation went on to raise over $20,000 that night.

It certainly seems that the small pieces Buvern focused on throughout his short life turned out to be much B.I.G.G.er than he probably could have ever imagined.

For more information on the foundation and how to donate, please visit BiggHeartedFoundation.org.

Jasmine Browley

By Lindsey Auten

Chicago Academy for the Arts (CAA) high school students are known for their artistic and scholarly excellence. Each year, their talents find a way beyond the classroom and into exceptional arts fields and careers.

Tony-nominated actress Elisabeth Withers, from Broadway’s The Color Purple, is a former CAA student, as is Golden Globe-nominated composer Chris Bruce, who composed “A Father’s Way” from The Pursuit of Happyness. New York City Ballet dancer Craig Hall is also proud to call himself an alumnus.

To celebrate the school and its place in the fabric of Chicago’s – and the world’s – arts community, CAA is once again holding its “A Taste for the Arts Gala” at the Harris Theatre and Millennium Park Terrace May 14. Funds raised at the event will support CAA programs, international partnerships and scholarships and the championing of young, talented artistic minds.  CAA is located at 1010 West Chicago Avenue.

An evening of student art and performance at the Harris Theatre will be accompanied by another kind of (delicious) art from some of Chicago’s hottest chefs, like Rick Bayless from Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.

“What’s exciting is being in this world class venue where students have the opportunity to perform on a world class stage,” says Head of School Pam Jordan. “Plus, there’s the endorsement of all these fine chefs and their support…for them to share in this experience speaks to the excellence our school embodies.”

Jordan, who arrived at CAA in 1990, has seen the school grow and change, but one thing has stayed the same: the passion and fearlessness of the students, who take great risks artistically and intellectually. Jordan says it’s a privilege to witness the cultivation of the students’ abilities. The gala, she says, helps increase the visibility of these active learners.

CAA School Head, Pamela Jordan

One of these former students is Craig Hall (pictured above), who dances for the New York City Ballet. As he speaks about his time at the school, he recalls the combination of discipline and artistic freedom.

Hall began dancing at age four and studied at CAA with the late dancer and author Anna Paskevska, who gave him his first taste of proper ballet and modern technique at age 14. His freshman year was his introduction to these techniques and he remembers the dedication expected of him from day one. When he entered in the CAA studio and classroom, Hall began to understand what it meant to be expressive and confident in one’s abilities.

A bit of an “instigator” in his family before, his parents were also able to see a change in him as “a thoughtful, caring, gentle young man they had never seen before,” says Hall. “Being at CAA for those four years, I really found out who I was as a person and as an artist.”

For the past two years, Jordan has tried to have Hall on board as Arts Committee Chair of the gala, but his conflicting schedules in New York prevented him from returning to Chicago. This year, however, Hall recently tore his Achilles tendon.

With a stroke of simultaneous coincidence and injury, he sees the recovery time as an opportunity to show his gratitude for CAA. As he talks about his temporary hiatus from dancing, he stays positive, which partly speaks, as Jordan says, to his all-around excellence as a human being and CAA alumnus.

Jordan gushes, “We’re very proud of Craig’s career. Everything about him as a human being and artist embodies what the school continues to be today. He is a very nice person, an interesting human being, and we’re very proud of his humanity.”

As CAA prepares for its annual gala, both Jordan and Hall are excited about what the gala honors: CAA, its students, and its drive for emerging, expressive, intellectual and driven artists. Hall says it can be a lot of work to make these students visible as a part of the large and vibrant fabric of Chicago. Jordan agrees.

“Far too often,” says Jordan, “we think of pro artists coming to Chicago, but the fact is, these students and the training they’re receiving are sought around the world. Chicago should know them and celebrate them.”

Web Editor

The Scoop: In the late 1960s, in the aftermath of the Watts Uprising and against the backdrop of the continuing Civil Rights Movement and the escalating Vietnam War, a group of promising African and African American students entered the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. This is now referred to as the L.A. Rebellion. These mostly unheralded artists created a unique cinematic landscape, as—over the course of two decades—students arrived, mentored one another, and passed the torch to the next group. Their fascinating, provocative and visionary films have earned an impressive array of awards and accolades at festivals around the world, in addition to blazing new paths into the commercial market.

Shorts Program 2

L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema

In these four moving stories about coming of age in urban America, Black youth struggle against the many restrictions placed on their life possibilities, from being railroaded into the military and dead-end jobs, to facing racism at school, to navigating the conflicting expectations of friends and family.

Rich
(S. Torriano Berry, 1982, 16mm, 22min)
On the day of his high school graduation, an African American youth battles for self-determination as a convergence of forces attempt to shuttle him toward a future of lowered expectations.

Shipley Street
(Jacqueline Frazier, 1981, video from 16mm, 25 min)
Jacqueline Frazier’s short neatly encapsulates the everyday racism of white institutions in its story of a working-class couple who decide to send their daughter to an all-white Catholic school, where the girl is confronted with harsh discipline and racist attitudes.

Fragrance
(Gay Abel-Bey, 1991, video from ¾”, 38 min)
Director Gay Abel-Bey explores the complex issue of whether African Americans should be fighting for justice at home or abroad in this Vietnam-era story of a young man who, on the verge of shipping off to war, is confronted with the conflicting ideals of his veteran father, who encourages his patriotism, and his militant brother, who urges him to stay home in protest.

Your Children Come Back to You  -  New print!
(Alile Sharon Larkin, 1979, 16mm, 30 min)
Eking out a living from welfare check to welfare check, a single mother is forced to decide whether to look after her daughter herself or allow her sister-in-law to provide “more than enough” to go around.

 

SAVE THE DATE: TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013

L.A.REBELLION: DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST 

Tuesday, May 21, 7pm
Logan Center Performance Hall
Filmmaker Julie Dash in person
Introduction by Jacqueline Stewart
Daughters of the Dust
Julie Dash, 1991, 35mm, 112 min, new print!
Dash’s masterful first feature film, set in 1902, contemplates the pull of modern life from familial traditions as three generations of the Peazant family prepare to migrate away from their South Carolina island and Gullah people. Named to the 2004 National Film Registry.
Preceded by:
The Diary of an African Nun
http://filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu/events/2013/daughters-dust

 

Web Editor

Chicago’s 312 Restaurant, located in downtown South Loop, was the destination spot on May 9th for women of color in communications looking for a good organizational network.

A group of  100 women connected at ColorComm’s official Chicago Launch in pursuit of building with fellow communications professionals in various mediums.Some familiar faces were on board and others, meeting for the first time, introduced themselves and continued throughout the evening conversing, laughing and enjoying complimentary cocktails and hors’ d oeuvres.

ColorComm: Women of Color in Communication, headquartered in Washington, D.C. and founded by Lauren Wesley Wilson, a communications strategist with MSL Group, is a network that provides women of color a way to get recognized, make meaningful contacts, and grow a network with access to some of the highest level professionals in the communications industry. Oh and don’t be alarmed if you gain great friendships and mentors/mentees along the way!

Photo: Kaitlyn McQuaid

The theme, “Women Helping Women”, was truly honored. From the moment you made your entrance, smiling faces greeted you ready to share their experiences as well as yours.

It was by far one of the best and well put together after work events that many of us attended in quite some time. Micaeh Johnson, CEO and Founder of Carte Blanche LTD, a public relations/marketing firm expressed that ColorComm’s event held “a lot of power in one room.”

The absolute highlight of the evening was the introduction of ColorComm’s Founder and Chief Networking Officer, Lauren Wesley Wilson, who briefly shared the network’s expanding journey since its 2011/12 inception; guests were swarmed into the energy given by Najja Howard, Public Relations Analyst and Executive Director of ColorComm Chicago.  Her explosive energy extended a warm welcome; and then the moment we were all anticipating, Ebony Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Amy DuBois Barnett took the floor and captured us with her ‘sista’ realness, genuine approach and professional knowledge. Her spirit was authentic.

After sharing snippets of her journey, you couldn’t miss the underlining message of her speech. Ms. DuBois Barnett spoke of building real relationships with people.  The key take-away: Build relationships before you need them! (Yeah, I hope you stopped reading -briefly, of course – and jotted this down!)

Why wait until the moment of disparity to reach out to that great connect you met a few weeks or even a month ago?  By that time, you’re scrambling for contacts. If there was a genuine connection during the initial meeting, stay in touch – whether you “need” them for career progression or not. Opportunities and friendships are among us everywhere. Be aware and alert.

In addition to schooling us on networking etiquette, Amy DuBois Barnett also dropped these gems:

Ebony EIC, Amy DuBois Barnett sharing Networking Etiquette Gems during ColorComm Chicago Launch at 312 Restaurant on May 9, 2013.
Photo: Kaitlyn McQuaid

• There is no place that you do not belong. Work the room. Mentally assign yourself a goal and accomplish it. If there’s one person you feel you need to know or they need to know you, make it happen.

• Network outside of your comfort zone. Don’t get caught up blending in with who/ what you already know; challenge yourself and broaden your perspective. Grow your connections. See what others have to offer and vice-versa.

Photo: Kaitlyn McQuaid

• Make a good first impression. It’s much easier when you know a little about the person. Or if not, find a commonality in the moment. Compliment their outfit or create a conversation starter.  (*ToizStory: With the advanced use of technology and smart phones, take a few minutes to conduct some speedy research and do a Google search on your potentially new connect.  Dip off to the ladies room or somewhere with low visibility and gather quick/interesting facts.)

• Follow up quickly. Don’t let those great ideas and possible collaborations just become ‘shop talk’. If you’re serious about your brand, business, and personal growth make sure you reach out immediately. Also, mention your prior conversation and where you met.  “Don’t overwhelm them,” Amy advised. “But, it’s okay to drop a line and keep them updated on what you have going on.”

• Invite your contact out to lunch. This is how you grow your network and a way to scope if there’s a real connection. Important note: “Don’t always ask for something!”

• Be specific with your request.  No beating around the bush, professionals are much too busy for that. Know what you want and ask for it, appropriately.

• Be Nice To Everyone. SMILE! This was a major staple on Ms. DuBois Barnett’s list. “You don’t know where people will end up.” (*Fun fact: Before JET Magazine’s EIC, Mitzi Miller held the title, she worked with Amy as the entertainment editor for Honey Magazine – where Amy  was the Editor-in-Chief. -See, you never know what journey your attitude and personality will take you on!)

Photo: Kaitlyn McQuaid

LaToya Cross

Conformity: An action in which one redesigns their original perspective to settle for the acceptance and acknowledgement of mainstream consumerism.

An action in which creative individuals, oftentimes, oppose for the integral care of their art and that of storytelling from the soul.

Artistic integrity births innovative energy. That of which grants a trained eye the skill to document society through the viewfinder of the streets and their subjects while discovering and unfolding an unsought gem in the midst. It’s an unnerving tapping of the intellect and creative mind that something, other than what the beginning plan was, is existing and soon before long will surface.

Through their company, Creative Control TV,  based out of New York, film and music video directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah are working to be that force that brings authentic, yet, a broadened perspective of storytelling to the forefront in African –American film.

“Coodie and I, our goal has always been to broaden that horizon and tell more out the box stories that are still culturally relevant but transcends past the culture – bring more awareness and even more respect to the culture,” informs Chike.

Their vision and extensive catalogue range from music videos for Christina Aguilera, Erykah Badu (“Window Seat” ring a bell!?), Kanye West, Joey Badass, to name a few; experimental shorts one in which features Ford Model Chanel Iman, and a growing repertoire in documentary film with the success of 2012’s Benji – a documentary based on the rise of Chicago Basketball athlete Ben Wilson and his untimely and tragic death in 1984. The documentary was part of ESPN’s “30-for-30” programming and landed a premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. (Follow the “Benji” link for full documentary).

Coodie and Chike’s online network, creativecontrol.tv, immediately engages its visitor with snippets of projects that take you through the streets of New York, performances and a cultural dialect around the world.

“We’re steadily building up our online network. Our content spans across various mediums– music, art, fashion and things that we’re passionate about,” explains Chike. “Our goal is to showcase those mediums and put a progressive spin on those areas.”

Studying their works, you can’t help but feel a certain way while partaking in their visions. The shooting style is raw and gritty in texture – rarely steady but pulling you in and managing to capture the necessities while offering dialogue, verbally and non. They are storytellers with an edge.

“Storytelling, I feel like, since the beginning of time has always been our way of communicating as a culture, especially through the hardships,” says Chike. “The thing about it though, is pushing that even further and starting to broaden the types of stories that are told.”

Directors Coodie (right) and Chike, Tribeca Film Festival
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

In their journey to redefine ‘urban’, a term they collectively view as “politically incorrect”, and showcase multi-cultural productions heavily influenced by Black culture, Coodie and Chike are also in the business of lending their talents to help visually articulate the dreams of others.

Recently, they partnered with American Family Insurance, Through A Black Lens, and the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) for the “Share Your Dream” contest highlighted on ThroughABlackLens.com. The contest requested individuals that are American Family Insurance consumers to submit a short video, photograph, or writing detailing their dream. The winning submission is currently being directed into a short film to be screened at the ABFF in Miami on June 21.

Leading up to the April 2, 2013 contest deadline, the directors participated in insightful roundtable discussions with actor/producer/directer,  Harry Lennix (The Five Heartbeats, Clockers, Love & Basketball), actor Lamman Rucker (Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns, Why Did I Get Married ? films), and Lisa Michelle Payton, film writer/producer and educator, dialoguing about the future of film.

In the winner selection process, the judges were looking for something a bit atypical. Winner, Sean Jones delivered a refreshing storyline that san’d the norm.

“You kind of have those cliché subject matters, especially when it comes to short film,” acknowledges Chike. “I just think they have opportunities all the time to be told, so we were looking for that one that was just a little bit more … not as specific to what we see all the time.”

Coodie adds, “Doing it with American Family Insurance, we definitely thought that is was important to pick something positive. And the way we think as well, we want to put other messages out there that’s positive instead of all the negative messages about African Americans. That’s why we chose Sean. We felt that everyone could relate and that it could have a positive outcome.”

The filmmakers also wanted to have an open canvas for creation and to add their personal spin to the final outcome. Jones’ submission hit creatively and with a succinct message as it held a “twisted journey to self-discovery” theme.

“[It’s] a great platform for us to create and for what we believe will be a great short movie and message to people,” says Chike.

In the interim, the creators behind Creative Control are stirring up further projects to be released while also developing ways to tell stories and serve authentic portraits of their coming-of-age stomping grounds, Chicago (Coodie) and New Orleans (Chike).

“If you can see and believe, you will achieve. I do know that!”-Coodie
***
“Once you start putting motion toward achieving your dream then it will happen but you have to have faith in God. You’re going to go through so much in making those things happen, it’s more than just saying what you want. You have to take that step toward the direction you want.” – Chike

LaToya Cross

If you only watched the evening news or depended on pop culture to paint a picture of young blacks, you would probably think that the majority of black youngsters were only ambitious about sports and music, or caught up in crime and debauchery.

However, the face of black success isn’t limited to the fields that are occupied by Jay-Z, Beyonce and LeBron James. There are a multitude of young blacks who are achieving at a high level in science, math, classical music, chess and other knowledge-based areas and preparing to change society.

Imafidon family (top image)
The Imafidon family is known as the smartest family in the U.K. The youngest siblings, Peter and Paula, made history by becoming the youngest students to enroll at secondary school. Their older sister, Anne-Marie, was the youngest student to pass A-level computing at the age of 13.

Rochelle Ballantyne

Rochelle Ballantyne
At 17, Rochelle Ballantyne is one of the top chess players in the world. She is currently on the verge of becoming the first black American female to earn the title of chess master.

Ginger Howard

Ginger Howard
Ginger Howard is the youngest black American woman to become a pro golfer. Howard is competing to become the fifth black American woman to join the LPGA Tour.

Tony Hansberry II

Tony Hansberry II
Tony used failure as inspiration. After he didn’t place in the eighth grade science fair, Tony interned at Shands Hospital and developed a method of reducing the amount of time it takes to perform hysterectomies and potentially reducing the risk of complications after the procedure. He was honored for his contributions.

Chelsea Dock

Chelsea Dock
Chelsea has been an accomplished pianist since the age of 5. Now 13, Chelsea has performed at Madison Square Garden, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Steinway Hall. She’s also an artist and straight A student.

Daquan Chisholm

Daquan Chisholm
Daquan created a walkie-talkie, bulletproof helmet at the age of 12. He’s currently working with Johns Hopkins University to gather funding to patent the idea.

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