#8220;What’s happening in Melody is happening all over our country. Drug task forces use military tactics to terrorize poor people. Drug laws specifically target people of color. Mean- while federal money goes to counties that convict the most people. And plea bargains are aggressively pushed to hasten those bargains.” […]
Other News
Bird Flu + Playlist
Rare previously lost footage featuring some of America’s most prominent Black leaders and musicians Courtesy of Donald Budzinski www.themotiondevotion.com President Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon Plays Piano and Sings Happy Birthday to Jazz legend Duke Ellington at the White House. http://youtu.be/RAMm5qn50VA Jazz Legend Duke Ellington Meet Civil Rights Martin Luther King Jr. in […]
Contemporary Black Literature and Staceyann Chin’s Other Side
There’s nothing new about Staceyann Chin except the new addition to her family, and for that, we at Independent say congrats. Though new to motherhood, Chin is no virgin to the literary scene. Ms. Chin has toured the world, with her poetry leading the way and opening the doors […]
Rise Against Concert
Big venue concerts have proven that no matter how exciting the art- ists playing are, the venue itself can be quite unstimulating, especially when general admission tickets are so unaffordable that you’re stuck in a chair far away from all the action. You might as well be watching the […]
Utatu Collective Celebrating African Tradition
Utatu is a chartered club at Northeastern Illinois University on the CCICS satellite cam- pus located on the South Side in the Bronzeville community. Utatu is dedicated to providing an African consciousness to the CCICS campus student life through workshops and student activities. Utatu held their second annual free Kwanzaa […]
Pesto Pasta and Peas Recipe
Pasta… you can never go wrong with pasta, especially pesto. Then, if you add peas and some roasted pine nuts? It’s a whole new level of delicious. This dish is a tradition in my family and is always made in mass quantities because there’s never enough. Hence, the two pounds […]
Emeril Lagasse’s Greek Beef Stew
Emeril Lagasse’s Greek Beef Stew Ingredients 2 pounds lean beef stew meat 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups water 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar Two and one-half teaspoons salt One-half teaspoon sugar One-half teaspoon freshly ground black pepper One-half teaspoon minced garlic 2 cinnamon […]
Welcome Back to School
As students return to school, rushing to get books, completing last minute scheduling changes and looking for inexplicably missing room numbers, it is safe to say that the beginning of the spring semester is just as hectic as the end of the fall semester was with finals and reports. […]
Aspira Inc. of Illinois Initiation Ceremony: Areyto
On December 11, 2011 at Regency Inn in Chicago, Aspira Inc. of Illinois celebrated its annual Areyto (ah-ray-toe) ceremony. The Areyto ceremony traces its roots directly back to the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, the Tainos (Tah-ee– nos). For the Tainos, Areyto was a religious ceremony that was celebrated […]
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization
The legacy of Civil Rights in the United States is best represented by the sit-in movement and the battle to desegregate public schools. It is this legacy that the Kenwood Oakland Com- munity Organization, KOCO, draws from in its fight against the closure and consolidation of south Chicago neighborhood […]