Category Archives: Uncategorized

Poll: Should Protestors Be Allowed to Camp in Grant Park?


Storify: NATO News in Chicago

My Storify summary on breaking NATO news in the Windy City.

[View the story "Breaking NATO News in Chicago" on Storify]

The Red Line Project

Red Line Graphic

The Red Line Project, a new site covering Chicago neighborhoods located off the Red Line El stops, was created by Online Journalism II students at DePaul University’s College of Communication. The site soft-launched in early January and will begin regular updates in February.

Their Native Chicago: The American Indian Center of Chicago Keeps Culture and Traditions Alive

Mural Photo

A mural in the American Indian Center showing the traditional and urban connections of the Native American community. (Photo by Maria Baglien)

By Alaina Africano and Maria Baglien

There is no word for “good-bye” in her language, said Catheryn St. Germaine, who affiliates herself with the Ojibwe and Odawa tribes. As the desk receptionist for the American Indian Center of Chicago, St. Germaine helps to promote the mission of the center, which is to keep the presence of Native Americans alive in Chicago.

The American Indian Center (AIC) of Chicago, located at 1630 W. Wilson Ave., was created in 1953 as a result of Native Americans being forced off of their reservations to go live in cities and assimilate to what is known as the white man’s culture.

The coordinator of professional development at the American Indian Center, Adam Kessel, who affiliates himself with the Lakota tribe, and the special events coordinator Cyndee Fox-Starr, who refers to himself as Omaha-Odawa or Bear clan, talked about experiences his parents had at a boarding school that tried to rid them of their cultural beliefs.

Podcast: Kessel and Fox-Starr share their stories about how the U.S. government tried to take away Native American culture from their families, and how those events impact Native Americans today:

Native Chicago by Alaina Africano and Maria Baglien by user7417997

Kessel passionately talks about the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 that resulted in the dehumanization of Native Americans. As a result of this act, the number of Native Americans in urban places increased. Thus, communities such as the AIC were necessary to keep Native American culture alive in large cities.

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Late Night at Lincoln Park’s The Grand Central

The Grand Central Photo

Waitress Daryl Misrac balances work at The Grand Central with other jobs and school. (Photo by Jillian Wolande)

Serving the late-night bar crowd can test anyone’s limits. But Daryl Misrac not only waitresses at Lincoln Park bar The Grand Central, she also works at a boutique and studies stenography at the College of Court Reporting.

ChicagoStorytelling’s Jillian Wolande interviewed her about about maintaining a work-life balance around-the-clock.