Lolly Bowean, Chicago Tribune reporter, and Malcolm London, poet and teaching artist at Young Chicago Authors, will be participating in this discussion.
Chicago Tribune: “What’s in a nickname? It could be a lot” by Lolly Bowean
“The teenagers who live among the persistent sirens, screams and gunshots in Briana Lawrence’s Englewood neighborhood have their own name for Chicago: ‘Chiraq.’ The term sums up their feeling that navigating their community at times feels like walking through a war zone”
Questions for Consideration
How has the Zimmerman verdict changed your understanding of what it means to be young and Black in America? What does the term “Chiraq” suggest about the serious issues facing Chicago’s communities of color? How does the term help or hurt our efforts to prevent and stop violence in our communities? Has the media paid enough attention to the violence that young Chicagoans of color face — whose stories are being told and whose aren’t? How might it be problematic to compare Chicago’s violence to the violence taking place in war zones globally?
Want to learn more?
- Huffington Post: 54 People Were Shot Dead In Chicago During The George Zimmerman Trial
- Chicagoist: Is The Term ‘Chiraq’ Offensive?
- Chicago Magazine: Why Is the Media More Interested in Goerge Zimmerman Than Chicago Violence?
- The Epoch Times: Chicago Shootings: 72 Shot, 12 Dead in ‘Chiraq’ Over July 4 Weekend
- Common Dreams: Being Young and Black in America
Free and open to the public. For more information please call 312.422.5580.
If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit ChicagoParkingMap.com.