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  • More than a game: Get your golf game going this Friday to send an ETHS student to an HBCU.

    There's still time to register for Evanston Rules' inaugural Doria Dee Johnson Scholarship Golf Outing, which starts at 10 a.m. this Friday, June 10, at Canal Shores Golf Course. Named to honor the late Evanston native and acclaimed historian-activist Doria Johnson--who died too young in 2018--golfers, sponsorships, and donations will all help support Black ETHS students who choose to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The goal is to raise $15,000 this year. The event, which costs $100 per golfer (or $400 for a foursome) includes golfing and food and begins with registration at 10 a.m and a shotgun start at 11 a.m. Food and a cash bar will be available at 3:30 p.m. Awards will be given to first, second, and third place winners and Closest to the Pin. Non-golfers can attend for $25. In addition to the game, $20 raffle tickets are available with prizes that include golf items, restaurant gift certificates, and more. There's also still time to sponsor a golf hole -- $500 Summa Cum Laude, $250 Magna Cum Laude, $100 Dean's List. Donations in any amount are welcomed. Organizers Laurice Bell and Ron Whitmore of Evanston Rules, and Dino Robinson of Shorefront Legacy Center, chose to honor Doria's memory and outstanding legacy of work that used her family’s painful history as a lens through which to examine America’s history of racial violence as well as African American resiliency. Doria's own family fled their hometown of Abbeville, South Carolina, and relocated to Evanston after her great-great-grandfather Anthony Crawford was lynched in 1916. Ancestors of those who fled following that terrorist act--including Doria's cousin Colette Allen, recently retired Executive Director of Family Focus Evanston--live in Evanston to this day. "Every family has a warrior. For the Crawford family, our first warrior was Anthony Crawford who lost his life fighting for a fair and equal price for his crops," says Colette, who is on the event's organizing committee. "My Aunt AnnaBelle Frazier and my mother, Eleanor Hill, Anthony's granddaughters, continued the fight by sharing the story with all of us. Doria picked up the sword and made sure Grandpa Crawford's fate was not just part of local and family lore, but a national cause seeking justice for African Americans who were lynched, terrorized, chased from their homes and robbed of land." Allen says she hopes this annual event and scholarship will rekindle in a new generation Doria's passion for her mission to right a wrong. "I hope it will inspire students to pick up the sword and fight the good fight," she says. Laurice and Ron, who both went to school with Doria, reconnected at Doria's funeral. "Ronnie and I were close to Doria. He and his brother went to preschool with her. I met Doria in middle school, but we became closer as adults, sharing our rage and hopes," says Laurice. "At her funeral, Ronnie and i spoke about her work and our desire to honor her memory." Doria’s passion for history was spurred by a family reunion in Abbeville, South Carolina, in 1987. Though she'd known about her great-great-grandfather's lynching since she was a child, no-one in her family spoke about the painful and traumatic details. It was only at the reunion that she learned them and was spurred to action. A wealthy cotton farmer, Crawford was beaten, hanged and shot more than 200 times by white residents in Abbeville after he argued with a white merchant over the price of his cotton. Johnson established a foundation in Crawford’s name and spent the rest of her life tracing the family’s legacy and the rich history of African Americans. Her crowning achievement was serving on the U.S. Senate Steering Committee for the Investigation of Lynching. In 2005, with her help, the committee secured an official apology for lynching from the U.S. Senate. Doria also worked with the Equal Justice Initiative and its founder Bryan Stevenson on EJI's Legacy of Lynching project. As part of that work, Doria organized an official centennial commemoration in Abbeville at the site of Crawford's lynching. Dino Robinson, who founded the Shorefront Legacy Center, met Doria when she walked into his office one day as he worked on an article about an Evanston daycare center. "She saw a photo of graduates from the daycare center and showed me that she was in it," says Robinson, who archives Black history in Evanston and along the North Shore, and whose research was instrumental in providing evidence to support Evanston's reparations initiative. "We connected immediately and I came to respect her work capturing family and community legacies on a very personal and nuanced level. With her death, the Evanston community, the nation, the world, lost a treasure," he says. Golfers of all ages as well as non-golfers are encourage to participate in this event that will support a student each year who wants to attend an HBCU. "Ronnie and I wanted to find a way to keep Doria with us in some way," says Laurice. "Four-and-a-half years since she passed, here we are with a scholarship in her name."

  • Students and Parents Condemn Racism and Demand Accountability at School Board Meeting

    By Melissa Renee Perry On Monday, the District 65 school board meeting was packed as around 100 attendees filled the room at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center to voice concerns related to three nooses being hung up between Kingsley and Haven Middle School on May 13th. Many of those who spoke, both students and parents, shared their personal experiences of dealing with racism in the district and stressed the need for those who committed the crime to be held accountable. Before opening the floor up to public comment, several board members condemned the hanging of the nooses and voiced concerns related to the dismissal and disrespect of Black leaders on the school board. Superintendent Dr. Devon Horton called this year one of his most challenging school years yet, but assured attendees that the school district is working toward addressing the issue. “It’s going to be addressed,” he said of the investigation. “We want to make sure that we cross all of our t’s and dot our i’s.” Board member Elizabeth “Biz” Lindsey-Ryan, said that she was speaking directly to white members of the community as she displayed and broke down a visual called “the building blocks of white supremacy in District 65” that started with a Black leader being selected and ultimately escalated to nooses, physical threats, and violence. “We are screwing it up friends,” she said. “We keep thinking that we can accidentally create an inclusive community and that we won’t have to give anything up to do so.” “I am here to demand that the individual responsible for hanging the three nooses on the property is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said. “This was a hate crime. Let’s not sweep it under the rug.” NAACP Evanston President Dr. Rev. Michael Nabors also spoke during public comment. He condemned the racist act and directly expressed support for Dr. Horton, who has been the recipient of harsh parental backlash and even death threats. ”You got tremendous support, you should also know that means that there’s a high level of expectation that we are going to have because of the level of support that you got,” he said to Dr. Horton. One of the most passionate and well-received speakers of the night was 14-year-old ETHS student Olivia Ohlson. She received a standing ovation as she spoke of the importance of putting the needs of District 65 students first, above all else. “The mission of D65 is not every parent, every day, whatever it takes,” she said. “It is every child, every day, whatever it takes.”

  • Evanstonians Respond to Racist Violence in Evanston and Buffalo, NY

    By Melissa Renee Perry “It just breaks my heart. I cried all the way down the block,” said lifelong Evanston resident Colette Allen, former director of Family Focus Evanston early last Monday morning, as she stood in front of Haven Middle School. “My great-grandfather was lynched, so to see this a half of a block from my house hurts me to the core.” Anthony Crawford, Colette’s great-grandfather, was brutally murdered by a lynch mob on on October 21, 1916 in Abbeville, South Carolina. A successful farmer, Crawford, 56, was beaten, stabbed, shot, and hanged in the town square for arguing with a white merchant about the price of cottonseed. When South Carolina’s governor declared that he could not protect the family from further violence, most of Crawford’s surviving relatives fled – many of them to Evanston. Now, 106 years later, Colette, tears running down her cheeks, has come to Haven to join other Evanston residents who are providing support and safe passage to Black students returning to school after three nooses were found hanging from trees between Haven Middle School and Kingsley Elementary on Friday, May 13. Charetta Williams, an Evanston resident and District 65 parent, put out the call for two safe-passage gatherings, one at 7:30 a.m. on Monday as students arrived at school and one as they left school for home later in the day. “It is something that traumatized my children, as well as other children,” Charetta said of the hate crime. “I think it’s important that we come out and let them know that this is going to be a safe haven for them to come to.” As parents and community members lined up outside Haven, many holding homemade signs of support with slogans such as “BLM @D65” and “You Are Loved,” and wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, there was a communal sense of disbelief and anger in the air, along with passionate demands for accountability. “My heart is breaking. This is not my Evanston,” said Kimberly Holmes-Ross, a lifelong Evanstonian, parent of D65 graduates, and Director of Community Engagement at Evanston Cradle to Career. “I can’t unfortunately say that I was surprised, because it is happening all over, but it is hurtful that it is happening here.” Gabrielle Walker, owner of 4 Suns Fresh Juice, 1906 Main Street, has a son at Haven and one at Kingsley. “We were all repulsed. I had a long drive yesterday morning and as I sat in the car, I cried and I said, ‘I just can’t be silent,’’” she said. “There are some things that I’m willing to die for, and this is one of them.” Holmes-Ross said that organizers hope to continue the safe-passage gatherings through the remainder of the school year by getting local churches and organizations to participate in rallying attendees. “I’m really hoping that this will continue for the rest of the year, to show some solidarity,'' she said. Along with the grassroots gatherings outside the school on Monday in response to Friday’s local hate crime, that evening the NAACP Evanston North Shore, Evanston Own It, and Evanston’s religious leaders held an interfaith rally at Fountain Square. The event drew about 200 residents to respond to racial terror in Evanston and to the racially motivated massacre that took place on Saturday, May 15 at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York in which an 18-year old white man murdered 10 Black shoppers and injured three others. “We are concerned locally about nooses being hung outside Haven Middle School and we are concerned nationally about the focused murder of African Americans in Buffalo, New York,” said NAACP Evanston President Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors as the rally began. “We are concerned, but not just concerned, we are outraged.” Nabors, who is also Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church, ended his speech with a passionate call-and-response chant with attendees to “clean out” all forms of racism and hate. Nine more Evanstonians spoke: Mayor Daniel Biss; Pastor Monté Dillard of Evanston Own It and First Church of God; Rev. Khalif Crutcher of New Hope Christian Methodist Church; Rabbi Rachel Weiss of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation Eileen Wiviott of Unitarian Church of Evanston; Pastor Michael Kirby of Northminster Presbyterian; and Charetta Williams. ETHS sophomore Malory Frouin, who had not been scheduled to speak but requested time just before the rally began, spoke passionately about her experience living in Evanston (she’s lived here for almost a year) and called white residents out on their inaction. “I want to start off by saying we’re not doing enough,” she said. “My experience in Evanston has been white liberals trying to out-liberal each other instead of supporting Black people in Evanston. Why do I, a 15-year-old girl, have to come to a protest to say that my life matters?” Rev. Khalif Crutcher, who was born and raised in Buffalo, said that many of his childhood activities were less than a mile away from Tops Friendly Market. ”I’m standing before you as a son of Buffalo, the city that has raised me. The city that has taught me much of what I know,” he said. “As I reflect on the massacre in my hometown, I’m reminded of my childhood. Now, we hashtag Buffalo Strong, when in reality this has unearthed the long- standing racial tensions that are present in the city.” Several speakers addressed the toll and fatigue that accompanies frequently attending rallies in response to racist violence. “The Black experience is beautiful, it is the many things that we have to deal with that is exhausting,” said Rev. Monté Dillard. “Friends, I am tired of coming to these events of lament,” said Rev. Eileen Wiviott. “I am tired of being angry. I know that you are too.” Mayor Biss agreed. “I’m running out of things to say at these events,” he said. “We haven’t really seen a different kind of America, so we’re thinking already in the back of our minds about the next time we have to do this.” But along with grief and anger, speakers called passionately for action, accountability, and community. “Friends, we have a job to do. We must call our elected officials and demand the passage of further voting rights,” said Rev. Khalif Crutcher. “We must demand liberation. Evanston! We have a job to do.” “The days of good intentions are over,” said Rev. Michael Kirby. “We must move beyond intention to action.” Rev. Monté Dillard centered his speech on faith and prayer. “There are individuals that will never like me because I’m Black, and I don’t have time to pray ‘God, change their heart.’ I have time to pray, ‘Lord, stop them in their tracks,’” Dillard said. Moving forward, there are several upcoming events and actions that you can take to make a difference. Tonight:, residents are asked to speak at the District 65 school board meeting to share their experiences with racism in the district and how it has affected your family and students. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Joseph E. Hill Administration building. Speakers must sign up before the meeting begins. Ongoing: Charetta Williams will continue to organize safe passage gatherings to support Haven students every day until the end of the school year, one in the morning (7:20 am) and the afternoon (2:30pm). Lastly, on And on June 13th, Evanston’s interfaith leaders will hold a community rally at Fountain Square, to announce their unified support for reparations in Evanston and nationally.

  • A Movement not a Moment: join a community workout to support the George Floyd Memorial Foundation

    By Melissa Renee Perry After the police murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, Evanston resident and personal trainer Slater Nelson, along with many Americans, felt shaken and dismayed. So Slater, who, earlier that year, had opened their business, Esdot Fitness at 912 Sherman Ave., responded. They organized a group virtual workout (remember this was at the height of the pandemic) and called it “Breathe For Them.” Their goal: to honor Floyd’s life, raise awareness about police murders, and make a difference. “We worked out for four minutes at a time — just half the time that [George Floyd] was on the ground.” Slater recalls. “We were getting out of breath, we were sweating, and it's like, man, if this is how we feel–imagine that situation. So that was very powerful and it resonated with a lot of people.” A key aspect of Slater’s mission through Esdot Fitness is to provide an inclusive space for residents to pursue their fitness goals and to inspire overall social change within the Evanston community. “I want to represent people who want to train but don't necessarily know that that's an option,” Slater explains. “I look at populations like myself: minority groups, queer groups, and those are really the people who I identify with. I train everyone, but I'm really into creating space for those populations.” In May 2021, Slater built on “Breathe For Them:” this time, they hosted two workouts, one in-person and one virtual, and added a fundraising component: folks who signed up donated what they could to participate, with funds going to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation (GFMF). “I reached out to [the foundation], and I said, ‘I did this last year, but it was just a workout. This year, I want to raise funds for you,’” Slater says. “Last year we were able to raise $1,700, which, for a very small business like myself, that was pretty darn cool.” Now, Slater is preparing to host their third May 25 “Breathe for Them” workout/fundraiser. It’s their first year holding the event in Evanston (last year’s took place in Rogers Park) and they’ve increased their fundraising goal to $2,000. “Since George passed in 2020, there have been more than 440 Black deaths by police, which is astronomical,” Slater says. “It's something that's constant, and as much as people are talking about Black lives matter, and we have the yard signs, and we use the hashtags — it's more than a hashtag. It's a movement, not a moment.” The virtual workout is scheduled for 7 a.m. Wednesday, May 25 (RSVP here) and the in-person, bootcamp-style workout happens at 6 p.m. at Tallmadge Park, 927 Noyes Street (RSVP here). Additionally, Slater is selling “Breathe for Them” apparel, which you can buy here. All proceeds from the virtual workout, in-person workout, and merch purchases will go all to the GFMF. Slater invites the entire community to donate and participate. “Now it's about mobilizing and getting the word out,” Slater says. To donate, visit Slater’s instagram (handle: esdotfitness) where you can contribute directly to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation via the link in their bio. Participants can also donate in-person on May 25 or venmo Slater @esdotfitness. Click here to learn more about Slater and Esdot Fitness.

  • An Inside Look at ASPA Heritage Month in Evanston

    By Melissa Renee Perry Last year, May was officially declared Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander (ASPA) Heritage Month in Evanston. Melissa Raman Moliter, founder of Evanston ASPA and key proponent of the month, felt the declaration was long overdue, especially with the alarming and very visible rise of xenophobia and violence against Asian Americans in recent years. “The city historically has not actively celebrated heritage month,” Melissa says. “I was really sort of disheartened by the fact that the city and organizations and groups within the city were doing very little to uplift and support the Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander community in light of everything that was happening.” After celebrating ASPA month city-wide for the first time last year, this year’s programming has expanded significantly, thanks to increased funding from agencies such as the Illinois Arts Council and the Evanston Community Foundation, business sponsorships, and community support. “We decided to go bigger this year and the response has been fantastic,” Melissa says. At the center of the programming is visibility, cultural appreciation, and representation, which all are things that Melissa – a first-generation Filipino-Indian-American who grew up in the predominantly white suburbs of Detroit – recalls missing out on during her childhood. Many of her childhood experiences fuel her work as an Evanston resident, artist, educator, and activist. In an interview with Dear Evanston last year, Melissa recalled often being teased by her classmates for the homemade lunches that her mom would prepare, which cultivated feelings of shame and embarrassment and a strong desire to “fit in.” She also spoke of navigating the lingering anti-Asian sentiment from WWII in her community. “I grew up in a place and a time where assimilation was the only option in order to survive and I don't want that for our children,” she says. “That's the work I feel that we need to be doing as a community to ensure that future generations don't have that experience.” While the full month’s programming calendar can be found here on the Evanston ASPA website, the Umbrella Festival is one of the most highly anticipated events, as it brings together live performances, activities, and vendors for a (free) cultural celebration for all ages. The inspiration behind the term “umbrella” was meant to signify the vastness of the ASPA diaspora, Melissa explains. “Saying Asian American is helpful in the sense that it allows for solidarity and ways to bring people together, but what gets lost is just the many different countries and cultures and ethnicities that fall under the Asian American umbrella,” Melissa says. “So that's the inspiration for the umbrella art festival, to really bring awareness to the fact that there are so many different people, communities, and cultures that fall under that umbrella.” A new aspect of ASPA month this year is the May Mart challenge. On the Evanston ASPA website, there is a comprehensive list of local Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander owned businesses. To participate, residents can pick up a postcard at participating businesses and everyone who fills their card with five visits throughout the month of May and submits it by June 10th will be entered to win a $100 E-Town gift card. “It's a fun way to get people involved and to let people know about the many Asian-owned businesses that we have in our city,” Melissa says. To close out the month on May 31, Kids Create Change will host a lantern floating ceremony at Arrington Lagoon, as a way for community members to come together to recognize the various losses that have occurred over the past two years as a result of the pandemic. “It's an opportunity for the community at large to come together to kind of honor and memorialize the losses that happened over the last couple of years,” Melissa says. “When I say losses it's not just loved ones, it's also jobs and homes and relationships and all of those losses we've all had to process in isolation.” Additional programming this month includes two virtual bystander-intervention sessions hosted by Advancing Justice Chicago, multiple movie nights at Skokie Public Library, lantern making workshops, and much more. The free bystander intervention training will educate participants on the dangers that Asian Americans have and continue to face in the United States and prepare them to safely intervene when witnessing a case of anti-Asian harassment. Along with amplifying Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander cultures, business, and residents, one of the things that Melissa is most looking forward to is being able to gather in community. “I'm really looking forward to the festival and not only because it's a celebration of culture and art, but also because it'll be nice to see people,” she says. “There's just so many reasons to celebrate and show gratitude for what we do have.” As for what’s next for her activism work, Melissa is currently partnering with the Evanston History Center to establish “Placemaking,” a historical archive of Evanston’s Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander community. “That's something that we are working to establish as a way to create a resource for educators, but also families,” she says.“I think that the fact that there isn't any documentation or an archive that exists really plays into that perpetual foreigner myth.” To learn more about ASPA month and activities in Evanston, make sure to visit https://www.evanstonaspa.org. To learn more about Melissa, check out this profile, written by Nina Kavin, from September 2021.

  • "Our clients are all ages, all races, all genders; you just have to have a head!" -- Gigi Giles

    Last Thursday around noon, I stopped in to say hi for the first time in ages (yeah, the pandemic) to the dynamic Brigitte 'Gigi', Lady Barber, at Ebony Barber Shop Evanston, 1702 Dodge. That's the shop with the powerful wooden sculpture of the first freed Haitian slave in the window. Gigi's father, the late Marshall Giles, brought the hand-carved piece back from Haiti in the 1960s. It's been Ebony Barbershop's symbol since 1962, when Marshall Giles opened the shop for business. "When that sculpture's gone, it means we're gone," says Gigi. Marshall learned his art from the famous Sam Johnson, who founded Church Street Barber Shop. Now located at 1905 Church Street, it was one of Evanston's very first Black barber shops. Marshall (below in his younger days and in his older years) handed down the talent and trade to Gigi, and one of Gigi's two daughters, Kandi, is a hair stylist too (her studio, Ikandi hair studio, is located at 1705 Central Street). My visit to Ebony started off during a short lull, so I had time to chat with Gigi, 62, as she folded clean wash cloths, but soon the shop was (literally) buzzing. I'll write about that conversation in another post. Meantime, as chairs filled, I met barbers Kodak (left), Relodabarber, and Greg Jackson, all in their 30s, who work their hair magic alongside Gigi. I discovered (did you know this?) that the internationally known red, white and blue barbershop sign hails from bygone days when barbers also pulled teeth, let blood, and served as doctors in other ways. "The blue is for the veins, the red is for the blood," Gigi told me. "And the white," Kodak added, "is for the bandages." Though barbers aren't doctors today, Kodak said they still "put people back together." "They come in here looking dusty and torn down, feeling in bad spirit, and we turn them around and they see the new face I've given them and ...," he laughs. "I only get my hair cut every three weeks to a month," says Relodabarber's client Kevin Wade, a three-year Evanston resident who's studying acting in London. "When I come in here, and I get a fresh cut. I feel brand new." Gigi and Greg Jackson say they're like therapists. "I listen," Gigi says. "I know every story." Greg says many people come to the barber shop not just for a hair cut, but for conversation. "Kids, adults, when you sit in this chair and you're comfortable with me, we're like best friends," he says. Men, women, and children come to Ebony from around the corner and, like Gigi's client Jimmie Lee, 73, as far away as Chicago's south and west sides. Lee, a violence interrupter with UCAN Chicago, has been driving the 45 minutes to Ebony from Chicago's west side for decades. "You treat people right, they come from everywhere," says Gigi. Located in Evanston's 5th ward, Ebony was exclusively a Black barber for many years as a result of racial segregation. Today, as the 5th ward diversifies (and gentrifies), Gigi says she and the other barbers serve every type of client. "All genders, all races, all ages, all ethnicities," Gigi says. "You just have to have hair. Or at least a head." Greg says he believes he was meant to be a barber. Both his uncles did hair, but more than that, he says he was raised at Ebony. "I literally grew up in here. I was always here," he says. "It's what I seen." Greg says a barber has to be very patient. "People come in here with a picture of a hairstyle, but their hair is completely the wrong texture for it," he laughs. "Or, their hair is incredibly short," Gigi interrupts shaking her head and laughing, "but they want a high top!" Gigi believes you have to have a good heart for barbering. And that she does. Each summer, Ebony barbers offer free back-to-school haircuts and styling to anywhere from 60 to 100 kids who can't afford a haircut. "We also give them school supplies and things like that," she says. This year Gigi is hoping to be able to give out tablets to the children. "We always give paper, pens, and pencils but they don't use them no more," she laughs. Each winter, the barber shop hosts a community coat drive for hundreds of kids. "But what people don't know," Gigi says, "is we help people on a direct basis every day. Feed them, give them money, a ride home." What makes barbering satisfying, I ask. "When they get out the chair with a smile on their face and they keep coming back and say, 'remember the cut you gave me last time? That's what I want" she says. _____ Meet Gigi, Greg, Kodak, Relodabarber, Jimmie, and Kevin in the short video below! The music in the video is by the late, great Junior Mance, who grew up in Evanston. Stay tuned for more posts about Gigi and her family, coming soon.

  • What's in a street name? Kaylyn Pryor's dad reflects.

    At just 20 years old, Kaylyn Pryor, ETHS track star, graduate, and aspiring model, was shot and killed in Englewood in November 2015 after a visit to her beloved grandparents' home. She was walking to the bus stop on her grandparents' block, 74th and South May Streets -- the very block where her dad Alan Nick Scott and his four siblings had grown up. This past Saturday, thanks to the advocacy and hard work of Kaylyn's cousin Ravyn Thomas, an honorary street sign, "Kaylyn Pryor Way," was unveiled at 74th and South May. Friends and family from Evanston, Chicago, and others who came in from out of town were joined by Chicago dignitaries for the unveiling. Yesterday, I talked to Kaylyn's dad about the street naming and what it means to him. DE: It's so bittersweet to have a street named after your beautiful daughter for such a horrific reason. How did you feel as it happened on Saturday? ANS: That exactly what it is. It's extremely bittersweet. I had this kind of numb feeling, but also pride, because she worked hard, and she deserves that recognition. She had a ton of trophies, medals and stuff from high school running track, and the trophy from winning the modeling contest. And that street sign is just another trophy, is the way I look at it. Just thinking about it, just looking at her name and knowing people who don't know don't know the story, they're going to wonder, 'who was this Kaylyn Pryor?' And all you have to do is Google her and there's a lot of things that pop up about her. Somebody that lived only 20 years, she was able to accomplish so much. And she was just on her way. If you had just known her. She was a fearless little girl, fearless when it came to what she wanted to do with her life, and just completely totally comfortable in her skin. And I admired that about her. She's didn't have a shy bone in her body. You know, just a complete go-getter. Really impressive and an extremely nice person. You know, everybody was her best friend. DE: I've often driven past street names and wondered 'who was that person?' With Kaylyn, the street sign is about her legacy and her life, but also that it was gun violence that ended her life. ANS: It's horrendous. Yes. And then on top of it, you know, I grew up right there on that block. DE: That's where your parents, her grandparents, still live. ANS: Yes. My parents live right there, and you know, we never had any problems when I was young. I had two brothers and two sisters. But then the neighborhood just kind of changed, and when I had the opportunity to buy a house, I said to myself, you know what, I'm just going to go somewhere where my daughters are not going to see what I saw growing up. That was my reason for coming to Evanston. I wasn't ever worried about anything happening to them like that, you know? I knew I would keep them away from that type of stuff. But they love their grandparents, so they'd go back and forth. We've been visiting for years and never had any problems. And Kaylyn was such an outgoing person. She knew everyone, she would talk to anybody. She was never conceited on any level. Those glamorous pictures that I would see her in, the modeling ones -- I still see pictures that I've never seen before. But she never came home dressed up like that. She would come home with her Ugg boots on and jeans, and never even talk about it. She was just a humble girl, really humble. She would try to help people. She was just a caring person. But like I say, that's the reason why I came to Evanston in the first place. And she gets killed on 7400 S. May. The same frickin' block I grew up on and left. Not just in the neighborhood, but the same block. I never saw that coming. I couldn't believe it. For over 50 years my parents have lived there. My dad is 87 and my mom 75. DE: They've spent their whole life there and nothing's ever happened to them ... and then your 20 year old daughter goes to visit. ANS: That's the first time anybody has ever gotten killed in my family like that. The last person that died closest to me was my grandmother, my mom's mom. And that was in 1986. That's the last time, let alone somebody gets murdered, killed. It shocked us so bad. DE: I know you have a reward out still. The shooter has not been found yet. ANS: Yes, it's a $30,000 reward. So far, we haven't heard anything. DE: When I heard about the street naming, I thought of it as a memorial to Kaylyn, a celebration of her life. But I also see it as raising the issue of gun violence. Do you think it's about both? ANS: I agree. You know, people think it's like she's a celebrity, having a street named after her -- but she was a celebrity to me. Honestly, I'd never get tired of talking about her. I just want the world to know about her. I really do. I guess in going through this, it kind of makes you crazy. I had times where all I would do is put different pictures and videos of her up on Facebook, because one thing about me being blessed having a girl that was a model -- she took a lot of pictures. So I share them with the with the world. I want people to know and inquire about her. I just I just cannot let the world forget about her. I just can't do it. And even the street sign. That's wonderful. But I want more. I want the world to know about Kaylyn Nicole. DE: Kaylyn was an innocent bystander who was shot. She was accomplished and beautiful. Do you think there's a difference when young people are shot and killed who may have be involved with particular groups, or drug dealing, or personal vendettas? If streets in Evanston or Chicago where young people have been killed by gun violence were named after them, imagine how many streets would be named after people? Do you think that could make a difference in reducing gun violence? ANS: That's a that's a very good point. One thing about being in this 'club' that no one wants to be a part of, it's just that we've all lost a child to gun violence. No-one wants to be a part of that. I'm lumped in with a lot of people that I probably would never associate with. It is all walks of life. But but we all identify big time with one singular thing. It is is freaking huge. No matter what our child was doing in life. We love our kids. We love our children. And we are freaking hurting and shocked from losing our child. Our group is one category: we lost our children to gun violence. I hate it. I hate the gun violence. I hate that in the news every day is somebody doing something stupid. Killing and shooting. Bigger body counts. You know, if they can just see how many people they've put in cemeteries. How can you feel good about that? Because that's what it is. These street signs are just just headstones. My daughter's name is a headstone. That's what it is. When this first happened to me I was going to different groups, just trying to get some type of help, and people would say, 'That's the model's dad.' And I had just started hearing stories about some of the kids. You know, some of them were gangbangers, but I'd meet their parents and they'd be bawling just like me. And I would tell them, look, my daughter's not a model no more. I lost my child, just like you, and we both love our children. I want this stuff to stop, and we all can work together and we can somehow put a dent in it. You know, let's all try to find a way of doing that. I never seen this coming. I miss that girl so much. She was always the loudest thing in the house and I really miss her. I just want her to be proud of me. She may be deceased in the physical, but her spirit is alive and well. You know, it's strong. I feel it. A note: Missing from the emotional day on Saturday was Kaylyn's mom Royce Pryor, who passed away from a heart attack just 11 months after Kaylyn's death. In that short time, Royce became a passionate activist for sensible gun legislation, speaking all over the country despite the kidney disease that kept her needing dialysis. On June 14, 2016, seven months after Kaylyn was shot and four months before she died, Royce wrote this Facebook post, which she then allowed me to share on Dear Evanston: "My reality.....there is not a day that goes by not even an hour that my thoughts don't drift off to my beautiful Reindeer, my eyes that would not cry now fill with tears, my strong exterior is now weak. I walk in a tunnel where the light seems so close but yet so far. I think of what she would be doing now if her life had not been taken. Some will say it gets better with time. For me a part of time stopped when one half of my heart beat was taken away. 20 yrs and 9 mths of love shattered in a matter of minutes and all I can do is look at pictures, videos and have thoughts of things long forgotten and what should still be. The human mind is amazing and the soul is my everlasting connection to my daughter Kaylyn. To be honest its a very thin line between sanity and insanity I guess Im on the borderline walking a tightrope trying to stay balanced... My journey is long from over I can not bring my daughter back but I can and will continue to inspire and work in the fight against gun violence."

  • Minouchic Boutique: a grown-up treasure trove, a too-hidden community gem.

    Have you picked up the latest Our Evanston magazine published by Ande Gaspero Breunig? Each issue is full of great information about so many of Evanston's small businesses, shops, salons, and studios! And I'm always thrilled to be a contributor! The mag is a great way to learn about new shops in town--or just new-to-you! And the goal, always, is to encourage Evanstonians to always shop local first. This month, I wrote about Mary Toussaint and her treasure trove of a store, Minouchic Boutique, at 1900 Asbury. If you haven't been in -- go check it out! There's something for everyone. You can find the magazine's online version here. And you can read a longer version of my story about Mary and her store on Dear Evanston here.

  • Eyewitness Report from Reparations 2022

    This past weekend, a contingency from Evanston represented at the Reparations 2022 Gathering at Howard University Law School. Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, senior pastor, Second Baptist Evanston and President, Evanston/North Shore Branch NAACP, attended the conference, which focused on a variety of key issues around local and national reparations. Here's his report from the weekend: "Over 50 people arrived from around the country to share their stories about local reparations. Areas covered included: Basic Human Rights; Community Reparations; Restore Home and Family; Reparations; Epigenetic Repair; Trauma Informed Reparative Care; Health Care; Redress the Racial Wealth Gap; Cash Payment for Reparations; Reparations as Housing Grants; Income Generating Repairs; Land Based Reparations; Public Safety and Peace Building; Environmental Justice; Self-Determination; Equal Access to Education; Decolonize the Academy; End Policing in Schools; Mass Liberation and more. I share this so that we may begin to see the largesse of reparations occurring, growing and widening in our nation. From San Francisco to Amherst, from Boston to Tulsa, from Washington DC to Evanston, from Missouri to Georgia, from New Orleans to New York City not a single group said, "No, you got it wrong. This is what reparations is!" Every group agreed that location and the organic energy of the people determines addressing the greatest needs. Please know this, Black, white, Latinx, Filipino, European, Jewish, and others all gathered together on the historic grounds of Howard, in the historic building of the Law School. Easily, some of the most brilliant people on earth, whose motivation is to repair damage done to Black people because of the egregious reality of racism, were in the number. I will never forget Billi Wilkerson, Managing Director of Howard's Law School, Karen Wilson Ama' Echefu, brilliant Fulbright Scholar and writer, Justin Hansford, Executive Director and Law Professor of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard, Sheryl Evans, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, Ruben Carranza, Director of Reparative Justice for the International Center for Transitional Justice, and the incredible students at the Law School and undergraduates at Howard. Oh and we had a strong Evanston delegation led by our own Robin Rue Simmons. On Friday evening we had a private tour of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Starting at the lowest level and 1619, we became immersed in our story, slowly working our way up steep ramps. We moved from West Africa, to slave ships, to auction blocks, to slave plantations....trauma was in every step. We then moved from the Civil War to Reconstruction, to the Ku Klux Klan to lynchings, to towns burned down by racists, to separate but equal, to systemic and structural racism embedded in every sector of the United States. More trauma. Then we moved to the Civil Right Movement, to redlining, to voter suppression, to Barak Obama becoming President of the United States. Finally, we moved to the top of the Museum. Exhausted both physically and mentally, we went to the reception room and in the darkened skies of Washington, DC we saw the Congress Building, the Washington and Jefferson Monuments and the epicenter of the nation. We sat down, fellowshipped, had a wonderful dinner, marveling at what had just transpired. And it did not go unnoticed by anyone, that our goal of reparations was now firmly planted in the very soil of the Declaration of Independence, the "I Have a Dream Speech," the Million Man March, and the unwavering conviction that nothing can stop us. Nothing. Reparations is coming. Reparations is here." Nabors attended the conference with former 5th ward City Councilmember Robin Rue Simmons who pushed Evanston's reparations resolution through in 2019 and recently founded FirstRepair, a nonprofit located in Evanston that works to bring local reparations to cities and states across the country. Rue Simmons presented at the conference. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd ward Councilmember and chair of the Reparations Committee was also there, along with Reparation Committee member Claire McFarlane, community activist Ndona Nyomo, and City staff member Tasheik Kerr. Dino Robinson, founder, Shorefront Legacy Center joined via livestream.

  • Jobs, jobs, jobs ...

    Here is a list of current employment opportunities at the City of Evanston for the week of April 5, 2022. Visit the City’s website at visit the City's website to apply for a position.

  • William 'Bill' Logan Way honors Evanston's first Black police chief.

    Last Monday night, Evanston's City Council approved the honorary designation of the portion of McDaniel Avenue between Nathaniel and Greenleaf Streets as William ‘Bill’ Logan Jr. Way. Logan, an Evanston resident of more than 50 years, joined the Evanston Police Department in 1957 and served for 30 years, rising through the ranks to become Evanston’s first Black lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, and chief of police. During his time with the department, he was an early proponent of many innovative programs, including Community Policing and the Victim Witness Bureau, which became a state and national model. Chief Logan has earned many awards, accolades and honors throughout the years, including the police department's highest commendation Award for Valor and Outstanding Performance Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. He also had the honor of being selected as Dr. Martin Luther King's bodyguard when he came to Evanston in the 1960s. In 1987, Logan became director of safety at ETHS before finally retiring in 2006. He has served the Evanston community as a board member with the Evanston Historical Society, the McGaw YMCA, the Levy Center, and the Evanston/North Shore Branch NAACP, and co-founded both the Chessmen Club of the North Shore, Inc., Inc. and the Fellowship of African American Men. Chief Logan turns 90 this summer. Congratulations and thank you, Chief Logan! Read DE's 2016 interview with Chief Logan here. Read DE's interview with Logan's son Dr. Gilo Kwesi Cornell Logan here. #evanstonpolicedepartment #dearevanston #evanstonstories #evanston #evanstonil #evanstonillinois

  • Evanston NAACP hosts virtual Health Town Hall tonight!

    Tonight, 7 p.m. Monday April 4! Evanston/North Shore Branch NAACP hosts its virtual Health Town Hall. Learn about community resources, future health events, and let NAACP know how its health committee can help you! Register here. Meeting ID: 862 2446 1509 Passcode: 719740

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