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Donate to the Mayor’s Holiday Food, Book, and Toy Drive From Mayor Daniel Biss: As we approach the holiday season and some families enthusiastically prepare for celebrations and gift-giving, I am mindful of the Evanstonians for whom these experiences impose a financial burden that is unbearable or a source of deep stress. That's why I'm asking you to join me in supporting the Mayor’s Holiday Food, Book, and Toy Drive, which for years has brightened up the holidays for hundreds of local families in need. The simplest way to support this effort is to make a tax-deductible financial donation through the Evanston Parks Foundation which will enable the City to purchase food, toys, and books in bulk. You may do so online here -- or by mailing checks to: Evanston Parks Foundation, 2100 Ridge Ave., Suite 1100, Evanston, IL 60201. Additionally, we are collecting unwrapped toys, new and like-new children’s books, and non-perishable food items now through December 10th at several convenient drop-off sites listed here. Distribution of the holiday gifts and food baskets will take place on December 15th at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. I wish you and yours an enjoyable, safe, and healthy holiday, and I so appreciate your effort to ensure that as much of our community as possible enjoys that same opportunity. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Onward, Daniel

Congratulations to daughter and mom Kimberly Holmes-Ross and Hon. Delores Holmes who both received the first Zollie Webb Community Outreach Award from Evanston Own It last Friday evening during the organization's Evanston Sings concert at First Church of God Christian Life Center. The award honors the memory of Webb, who served as Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church of Evanston for 38 years and passed away September 4. Pastor Clifford Wilson, Mt. Pisgah Ministry and President of Evanston Own It presented the awards to the emotional women, each knowing only that the other would receive it. The event, Evanston Sings, which usually takes place in the ETHS auditorium, has been an annual happening since 2017, but hadn't taken place since 2019 because of the pandemic. The brainchild of Zollie Webb, Evanston Sings is a key effort of Evanston Own It, an organization of pastors and community leaders primarily from Evanston's 2nd and 5th wards that was founded in 2015 to engage the community and help prevent youth violence. Congratulations also to the awardees at Evanston/North Shore Branch NAACP's Freedom Fund Banquet, which was held virtually on Saturday evening. You can watch the entire event, which featured an excellent discussion about Critical Race Theory, on their You Tube channel. Awardees are: -- Karli Butler, Evanston Community Foundation -- Betty Ester, The Citizens' Network of Protection -- Reverend Kenneth Cherry and Christ Temple Church -- Bryant Oc Wallace, Business -- Anya Tanyavutti (D65 President) -- Charles Spivey, VFW Snell Post 7186 -- Carla Cooper-Dudley, Ebenezer-Primm Towers Senior Citizens Home Honorable Awards for NAACP Service: Bennett J. Johnson and George Mitchell.

Evanston houses of worship organized a lament and rally at Fountain Square yesterday in response to Rittenhouse verdict. The rally was spearheaded by Second Baptist Evanston Pastor Michael Nabors. “We want to say that our nation is moving in the wrong direction,” said Pastor Nabors yesterday as he addressed a gathering of about 60 people on a windy afternoon to lament the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case last Friday. “We want to say that people of good will of every color, of every creed, of every religion, of every faith, can come together and turn this thing around. If we do not come together, there’s no telling where we’re going to end up tomorrow. We are moving in the wrong direction.” Here are remarks (edited for length) from Evanston faith leaders: Pastor Michael Kirby, Northminster Presbyterian Church; Rabbi Andrea London, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue; Pastor Grace Imathiu, First United Methodist Church; Rabbi Rachel Weiss, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation; Martha Holmes, Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church of Christ; Minister Eileen Wiviott, Unitarian Church of Evanston; and Daniel Biss, Evanston mayor. Pastor Michael D. Kirby, Northminster Presbyterian Church of Evanston: "In some Christian Traditions, today is reign of Christ Sunday…a declaration that the God of Hope…the God that makes a way where there was no way…is ultimately sovereign… But today it is ever harder to hear the voice of the maker of the stars… O we remember the songs and the prophets who spoke of torrents of justice just waiting to rush through our world if we would just stop damming them up with our notions of when and where and who is worthy. We remember, but our memories are drowned out by the songs and pledges of allegiance to America’s new gods…. "The god of ME….the god of white male hegemony and privilege…the god of weapons of death. You know those who have worshipped these gods…their deadly discipleship goes before them. Three men participate in the murder of a curious jogger who never posed them any threat…and argue because they feared him…without factual justification…THEY had the right to take his life. Because they are white, privileged, men of means…THEY get to decide who lives or who dies. "We are brought here today because a man boy worshipped these death-dealing gods by crossing state lines as a self-appointed vigilante purporting to protect property, his tribute to death strapped over his shoulder…he roams free, …terrifying others and then striking out with deadly violence when they seek to disarm him. And now we have said because he was afraid…never mind he created the situation that gave rise to that fear…because he was afraid…he gets to play god himself…with impunity… "Hear us today. Enough is enough. "We rebuke today the god of me that says I get to decide when others live or die just because I’m afraid…never mind how unjustifiable that fear is or how I created the fearful situation. "We rebuke the god of weapons of death. We will not continue to allow the children of Eve to be endlessly sacrificed to a second amendment god who is never more than second rate. "At creation some of the ancient peoples of our shared traditions believed that the waters of chaos were everywhere until the god of many names spoke a creative word of peace and love and they were pushed back by the power of that word…. creating a space for life and love to flourish. We call on the God of many names to use us, and our words, and our commitment….to push back these falls gods of chaos that consume too many lives and offer nothing in return but an endless hunger for more violence and more death. "We commit ourselves to the stubborn path of a just peace…it is not a path where mourning is silent, where grief takes us into ourselves…but where our broken hearts direct us to speak out and stand up against oppressive and exploitive systems and to have tough conversations that speak the truth in love while still honoring the divine image in each person…refusing to empower the chaotic and destructive potential in ourselves or anyone else. "May justice come." Rabbi Andrea Coustan London, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue "When you type in the name of the Kenosha Killer, it autocorrects to 'rotten house.' How fitting. Something is rotten in these United States, and we all know it. That’s the reason we are here today. "We gather together today because we know that what’s going on in our country is wrong, and we will not tolerate that this is the justice system, these are the laws, and this is the society we have created in this country. "We are angry at the inequities we see, and we are scared by the violence, the arrogance, and the proliferation of deadly weapons. But we are resolved to work together to ensure that there will be equity in this country for all people regardless of the color of their skin, their ethnic background or religion, their sexual orientation, their gender identity, or their socio-economic status. "We demand a legal system, laws, and institutions that recognize the dignity and worth of every human being. We will not tolerate systemic discrimination of any kind. "We recognize that in order to live in peaceful coexistence, we cannot simply sweep the problems in our society under the rug and hide behind the reasoning that a jury made a reasonable decision based on the law. "We need to ask what’s wrong with the laws, our legal system, and our society if an underage white boy can walk around the streets of a city in this country with a semi-automatic rifle and not face any consequences for killing two people and injuring another while a Black man in Georgia is dead for jogging while Black. "We are angry, and we are scared that this is the state of affairs in our country. "The mantra of this rally is 'no justice, no peace.' "Jewish tradition teaches that justice and peace are bound together. The world can only stand if the values of 'din,' 'emet,' and 'shalom'—truth, justice and peace—are upheld together. We cannot have one without the other: Where justice is done, truth is done and peace is made. Every place where there is justice, there is peace. "We cannot expect to have true peace in our society unless we are willing to reckon with the truth of the unjust systems we have in place and be honest about our racist past and the ongoing discrimination in our country. We need to come to terms with who we are in order to create true peace based on justice and equity for everyone. "No justice, no peace! "We are angry and we are scared, but we are not complacent. We are resolved not to accept the rotten state of affairs in this country, but to transform our society. No justice, no peace!" Pastor Grace Imathiu, First United Methodist Church of Evanston "On Friday I was afraid in a different way than when Jacob Blake was shot. When Jacob was shot, I felt afraid of the police. On Friday I became afraid of 17-year-old white boys because they have been given permission to walk in and shoot you and me and take the law into their hands. I'm a pastor, and I am concerned for the 17-year-old boy because he didn't make himself. Somebody made him. "I'm curious: who made him that way? Whose fingerprints are on him? "I was sorry that on Friday I was saying what many people were saying: we are not surprised. And then I read Sandra Bland's words, 'it's time to start knowing that that was going to happen and it's time to start doing something.' "We should have met before this. We should have said 'No justice, no peace' before the verdict. So whatever happens in Brunswick [the Arbery murder trial]--no justice no peace! We can't just be reactionary, we must do something to change things. "Let's not be the people who say, I knew that was going to happen, let's be the people to make sure it does not happen. "No justice, no peace." Rabbi Rachel Weiss, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation - JRC "I want to speak as someone who is white, serving a congregation of people who are mostly white, and the fact that most of the crowd gathered here today is white, and to say that our outrage and our surprise and our sadness cannot compare to the outrage, and fear, and violation that Black and Brown community members have faced--not just this weekend, not just this year, not just this century, but for millennia. "We come to our houses of worship when we are in pain, when we are grieving, when we are mourning, when we are celebrating, when we are growing, when we are seeking justice, and seeking truth. I want to challenge all of us to let them be places where we wrestle like Jacob wrestled with the angel and with himself and say, What do we do to confront the painful reality that we are the ones who must change? What are we willing to do? "If we can bring the parts of us that are terrified and scared and broken into our churches and synagogues and sanctuaries, we must also bring the parts of ourselves that realize that we are complacent in a society that is so deeply racist and biased. How we will wrestle with that knowledge? "Our sanctuaries are strong enough to hold us, and this is what has to happen. So let us commit to using the strength of our traditions, let us commit to living by the examples our sacred texts and our sacred leaders have provided for us, of recognizing that the first place that change has to start is in ourselves. "If we don't recognize and change ourselves, from confronting the relative who might sit at our Thanksgiving table and say, 'Well, we have to respect the jury,' or from the person on Facebook who says, 'There are multiple sides to consider,' or the people in our community who say, 'Is this the kind of message our spiritual places should hold up, should be sending out about the verdict?' "Yes. It is. Antiracism, anti-violence are Jewish values, Christian values, Muslim values. They are spiritual values, and they are God's values. Let us add, every day, let us add one more. We gather, and we add, and we bring together. Because it starts with ourselves, but it absolutely will not end there. "We can create our community and our justice system full of justice and peace." Martha Holmes, Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church of Christ "I am as outraged and as grieved in my spirit as each of you that we are again standing in protest of yet another egregious decision and action that seemingly condones vigilante behavior that allows a person to carry a gun and to willfully take lives under the guise that they fear for their own life. "But more than that, I'm mindful this afternoon. And I'm encouraged and I encourage you with the words from First Timothy 1 and 7: 'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.' As and we continue to stand our moral ground, we do so in the power of that spirit, with love and not hatred, and with sound mind, but clear about the need to denounce, challenge, change, oppose, and abolish laws and systems and persons who sit in positions of power and are unqualified. "We must speak with our vote as well as our voice. We must not grow weary in our well- doing. We must not become discouraged in fighting this good fight. For at the proper time, we will reap if we do not give up. "Our righteous indignation over these continuous behaviors and actions is not in vain. We will move forward in faith and not fear. We will do it one person at a time, we will do it as a community and ultimately as a nation. "Our greatest weapon of mass destruction against unfair, unjust systems and powers is still prayer. We move forward in prayer. When there's no justice, there's no peace." Eileen Wiviott, Unitarian Church of Evanston "Who created Kyle Rittenhouse? I would argue, all of us did. "The system has been corrupt from the moment it began. This week is Thanksgiving week. We need to be grateful. But we also need to be honest and truthful about the beginnings of this nation, of genocide, slavery, rape, and above all else, the lifting up of property over human life. It's what this case is about. "It's about someone taking an AR14 to protect property. He had no regard for human life despite the little medical pack he took to the protest. And that's what those three men who killed Ahmaud Arbery cared about. And that is the essence of our society. That is what our criminal justice system is set up to do. It's there to protect white property. "Until we start to question that, and everything we do, whose lives matter? It seems property matters more than anyone's life. And when we operate out of fear for protecting our property and hatred for our fellow human beings we are never ever going to heal this world. We are one." Daniel Biss, mayor "Thank you for being here on this important and solemn occasion. It's important for us to be together right now. "I think sometimes we get a little trapped in the conversations about the jury. Was the jury right or was the jury wrong? Were these 12 individuals mistaken or not? "And to me that's almost beside the point, because the jury is a part of the system, and the system that begins with the law. What the system has told us this Friday afternoon is that killing as an armed vigilante is okay, as long as you're arming yourself against people who are protesting for justice. "That's what's on my mind. "We need to think about the entire system from soup to nuts, that we need to fundamentally transform it. "The second thing on my mind, though, which I think very obvious to everybody standing here right now, is that Kyle Rittenhouse would not have gone free if his skin wasn't white. The reason that has to be said out loud is because I think there's a backlash going on right now--kind of 'take it easy on the antiracism stuff.' "It doesn't end with our justice system. Look at the wealth gap. Look at our education system. Look at our health gap. Look at every aspect of American society. This is not the time for us to take our feet off the gas pedal when it comes to antiracism. We are just starting. "As we stand here lamenting, as we must, we are resolved. We have to keep on going. "I want to thank you Rabbi for pointing out that those of us who have white skin are the ones that have the work to do. But we need to continue to do that work and we need to push one another forward to do that work, because that is how we build justice. "Until then -- no justice, no peace." Pastor Michael Nabors "As you enjoy Thanksgiving with your families, keep in mind that there are millions of people who are not enjoying themselves because they are despairing, and they are hurting. So keep them in your prayers, but more important, keep them in your actions." PHOTO CREDITS: Linda Gerber.

Here’s just one of the insightful commentaries on a case that particularly resonates here in Evanston, home of the Jacob Blake family, by Dahleen Glanton, Chicago Sun-Times. — Maudlyne Ihejirika Rittenhouse verdict was message to white youth: If you believe #BlackLivesMatter, your life means nothing “Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial was never directly about race. Everyone involved in the shooting — the victims and the killer — were young white men. “Nor was it entirely about whether Rittenhouse killed 26-year-old Anthony Huber and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum in self-defense, as the jury decided on Friday. “It is easy to make this case all about vigilante justice, but it is much more complex. “Nothing in America is that simple anymore. “From the moment Rittenhouse was charged with killing two men and injuring another with his AR15 semi-automatic rifle during a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, this case has been for the far right, a rare opportunity to send a warning to white sons and daughters all over the country — that associating with Black Lives Matter is dangerous and deadly .... “

I really like this article by Katherine Watkins, a teacher who is Native American. While her comments are directed toward teachers, we can all learn from her thoughtful piece. "A few days before Thanksgiving, an email went out to teaching staff at my high school, relaying the standard information about the last days before break. It ended with a section on “Thanksgiving Trivia.” I had been prepared for the typical references to Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower, but when I read, “The Native American Indians who celebrated the First Thanksgiving dinner with the Pilgrims were from which tribe?” my stomach dropped. “Trivia?” “Celebrated?” Are we really asking each other and our students this kind of question? As a Native American, an educator and a member of my school’s Equity Learning Team, I had to say something. It can be difficult, sometimes, to resist a culture that silences some voices from our history and trivializes others. However, as teachers, we are rogue activists, finding ways to tell our kids the truth." Here's the link to her piece--which provides further links.

First Church of God Christian Life Center on Simpson Street was the place to be on Friday night where a group of Evanston pastors and special guests, backed by the Evanston Own It choir, raised the roof in song to raise funds for the City's youth summer employment program. The event, Evanston Sings, which usually takes place in the ETHS auditorium, has been an annual happening since 2017, but hadn't taken place since 2019 because of the pandemic. The brainchild of the late Pastor Zollie Webb of Friendship Baptist Church of Evanston of Evanston, Evanston Sings is a key effort of Evanston Own It, an organization of pastors and community leaders primarily from Evanston's 2nd and 5th wards that was founded in 2015 to engage the community and help prevent youth violence. This year, to honor Pastor Webb's memory, Clifford Wilson, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Ministry and Evanston Own It president, bestowed the first annual Zollie Webb Community Outreach Award to former 5th ward Council Member Delores A. Holmes and her daughter Kimberly Holmes-Ross for their years of work. The moment was emotional as Webb, who died on September 4, was remembered, and because each awardee knew only that the other was to receive the award. The event ran long, almost two hours, and was live-streamed on First Church's Facebook page. You can watch the entire event here, or watch highlights above, with all the singers (including a rap by Second Baptist Evanston's Pastor Michael Nabors) and the award-giving captured. Missed the event? You can still donate! If you'd like an Evanston Own IT t-shirt or sweatshirt, contact Sherry Gregory at 847 971-9784. Thanks to Sherry L Gregory, Sherria Wedlow, Sharona Walker, Arlene Jones Michelle Frazier Cain, James Davis, Linda Ridley, Walter Edwards, Pastor Joseph L Roberts II, Randy Roebuck, and Mrs. Lou Haliburton for a beautiful event. And thanks to all the pastors and performers each of whom was outstanding! Don't miss next year's event!

Although typically holidays bring lots of food to pantries, not everyone can access the holiday food - and food pantries close for holidays. Please consider picking up some extras and donating them to the bins, pantries, and especially the Evanston Community Fridges. Suggestions for what to donate: Fresh butter and milk to use in mac & cheese (most food pantries offer it, but don't offer the means to make it) Boullion cubes - esp. chicken, ham and chicken/tomato American cheese slices or any kind of cheese, really Eggs Hams (turkeys can be challenging for a small family) or other meats Frozen or fresh vegetables - including garlic, onion and potatoes but also green veg Fresh fruit Sandwich bread Rice - especially yellow or "spanish" style rice mixes Shelf-stable prepared meals for the street homeless (e.g. Hormel Compleats, Kosher Ready Meals, or Loma pouches) Prepared rice and beans (like comes in the plastic pouch ready to eat) Canned fish meals with crackers Oil - especially olive oil and corn/vegetable oil Vinegar/Lemon juice Sugar Flour - incl. Wondra flour Gravy mix Water filters for the tap Ramen noodles Iced tea mix/drink mixes Dessert mixes - piecrusts, pie fillings, etc. And of course, soap and cleaners of all kinds. Food pantries will be overwhelmed with canned green beans, canned corn, canned peas, canned sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin, stuffing mixes, mac and cheese mixes, etc. Click here for more about Evanston’s community fridges.

Join with Evanston's houses of worship tomorrow, Sunday, November 21 at 1 p.m. When : Sunday, November 21 Where: Fountain Square What: Community Lament Rally Who: Evanston Houses of Worship and the Evanston Community WHY: No Justice, No Peace!

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss responded a few minutes ago on his Facebook page to the not-guilty-on-all-counts verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse. Here's what he wrote: "In August of 2020, as our nation reeled after the shooting of Jacob Blake, Evanstonians were anguished on behalf of the whole Blake family with its deep roots in our community. Today, the nation reels again at the not guilty verdicts in Kenosha. Once again, we see that our nation's justice system, far from being truly blind, can act differently in situations it's supposed to treat as indistinguishable -- depending on political circumstances, signals from authority, and, especially, race. Sometimes in moments like these, I'm tempted to throw up my hands in despair, but I know that's not the right path. The troubling but long-standing reality of our system requires that all of us stand up and demand justice. It is only by coming together and insistently, peacefully fighting for progress that we can build the system our society deserves." Here are reactions from just some of DE followers who commented: "Horrified, but sadly I think it's what we were all expecting after watching this sham of a trial." -- Rachel Selander Woodrick "White priviledge!" -- Alicia Nichole "Not Shocked I Knew He Was Going To Get Off Cause That's The System and The World We Live In" -- Mary Sanders "Disgust, rage, fury, shock…I cannot cannot cannot believe it. But maybe I should believe it because there’s so much hate out there but I cannot. What do we do?!" -- Lauren Grossman "Travesty!" -- Jim Heard "Not right." -- Joyce BLove Hill "Sickening." -- Pastor Karl Adair "The system wasn't built to protect certain groups. It was expected. No surprise here." -- Sheena Benson "We aren’t surprised. America’s been shooting us for sport since it’s beginnings. This was a message for you wh ite folks: see what happens to you when you cast your lot with Blacks; we treat you just like them." -- Lita Wilburn "We are broken." -- Jennifer Novar Polakoff "Sad. Scared it will give others courage to do the same things he did." -- Alejandra Lule-Rivera "No surprise. White privilege got another boost to say and DO what they please." -- Eva Coley "Predictable. Example of White privilege and White supremacy." -- Colette Allen

Evanston teachers, crafters, artists, and, well, anyone who's looking to get creative: get ready because Evanston's WasteShed opens its doors from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday, November 20. The store, described as a creative reuse center, will be housed at Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse, 1245 Hartrey, and will offer gently used arts, craft, and office supplies at low cost to anyone who needs them. It's the second location for the group; its original location is at 2842 W Chicago Avenue. Eleanor Ray, founder and executive director of The WasteShed, discovered creative reuse as an installation and costume artist, and developed her ideas at SCRAP PDX. She was also General Manager of the Creative Reuse Warehouse, and spearheaded their collaboration with the ReBuilding Exchange before founding The WasteShed in 2014. Ray's vision, now the organization's mission is to provide an organized, affordable, and reliable resource for repurposed art, craft, and school materials, and with a dynamic center for activities related to sustainability, art, craft, education, and material culture. The organization will connect Evanstonians who are interested in: living more sustainably seeking inspiration in unconventional materials getting the most out of the resources they have on hand or just making projects at a low cost. Emily Saiter, WS director of operations who has spearheaded the opening of the Evanston location, says that while the WasteShed's primary goal is environmental sustainability, it's also about providing affordable materials to spark creativity and encourage economical, fun hands-on activities as points of entry into larger discussions about the things we own, and the way we live. The organization will offer fine art materials at 25 percent to 50 percent off their regular price. Teachers with a valid ID get 25 percent off their entire order, and there is a section of materials-- including items such as binders, folders, office supplies, and bulletin board materials--that are free to all educators, regardless of whether one has an ID. Day care professionals and after-school supervisors are welcome to these materials. "You can also get items like a handful of crayons for 50 cents or markers for 10 cents each," says Saiter. According to its website, between 2018 and 2021, the WasteShed's Chicago location has provided more than $13,532 of free materials to teachers through its Free to Teachers section, and an additional $79,524 of deeply discounted materials to educators. While doing that, it's diverted over 160,000 pounds of reusable materials away from the landfill and back into Chicago's creative and educational communities. "The WasteShed is an incredible resource and we’re so fortunate to have a location in Evanston," says Melissa Molitor, an Evanston parent, artist, activist, and educator who co-founded Studio 3 with fellow artist-educator Angela Lyonsmith. "Their mission is impactful on many levels, from environmental action to equitable access to materials. We’re excited to have another community partner to help break down barriers to the arts by making creative reuse available to artists and makers." Dereka LeTese is a mother and entrepreneur with her own line of t-shirts. She also founded Reviving Our Youth, an organization to encourage young people to take breaks from technology and pursue other activities. She said the WasteShed is a great addition because art supplies are hard to come by affordably. "And as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure," Dereka said. Casey Christensen, a local artist, has been volunteering at the WasteShed as it prepares to open. "One night we painted the walls. The next time we were putting together shelving. The last time I was there, one of my tasks was to test out every single marker to make sure they all worked. I got through two large containers," she said. "I'm excited for Evanston. I think this will be a great resource for the whole community. I can’t wait to see what they have on their shelves." If you're looking to donate items, you can do so by appointment by emailing the organization. They're also looking for volunteers, so if creative reuse is your jam, email them too. Thank you, Casey Christensen for contributing to this story.

DaBlaq Affair's shopping pop-up featuring Black-owned small business will be EPIC and LIT, say organizers Ebony Love and Blaq Carri B. The event is hosted by Red Gal Events, an organization that was founded by Love, co-owner of Da Jerk Pit--Evanston based restaurant--and Blaq Carrie B, an indie book author, is their second event and follows one they hosted in August with 32 vendors that was a huge success. "When we choose to support Black-owned businesses, we’re supporting Black pride, unity, and self-determination," says Love. "Buying Black is one of the simplest ways to continue the circulation and extend the lifespan of the dollar back into the community." There'll be a cash bar, complimentary photo booth, and Evanstonian DJ MOB will provide the vibes. To participate as a vendor, email dablaqaffair@gmail.com for info/application. Vendor cost: $50 deposit; total $100 for an 8-ft table and two chairs, advertising and flyer distribution. The following vendors have signed up already: Da Jerk Pit Blaq Carrie B Claire's Korner Jamaican Cuisine Beauty by MsCheríAshley Dollhouse Baby Nkuuma’s House of Beads Nicety by Nicole V Thaxton White Boutique Marie's Soapery LLC Dessert Junkies Primerica Door Décor Mrs.C's Sassy Sensations LLC. Luxury Love Candles M2 Scent Crochet Mary Kay Blohdi Reka’s Crafty Creations Un-Cursed Threads RX Doll Baby House Da' Sweet Spot BodyGasm Life's Little Buttons 1 of One Bye, Bye Belly Whipped Dreams I’m “Sew” Natural Maria’s Avon Business Sneaky Link Up Apparel LLC Fabuniquebagz Girlfriend Boudoir Follow DaBlaqAffair: on IG: on Facebook on Eventbrite Watch video from their last event.

Dear Evanston, Who made a difference in your life in a positive way when you were a child? How did this person make a difference? Have you ever told that person how they affected you? We’d love to hear your stories! I’m putting together a short video about Pastor Zollie Webb, who passed away in September. He was the pastor of Friendship Baptist Church of Evanston for 38 years, and he lifted up so many people! As a child, he lived in seven foster homes; as an adult, he took in many young boys and men and a couple of young women—and changed their lives in profound ways. It got me to wondering about experiences we may have had with someone who made a positive contribution to our lives— doesn’t have to be as monumental as Zollie Webb’s contributions, but just a story about a person/people who may have given you hope when you needed it, saw you when you felt no-one else did, steered you away from a bad situation. Let’s hear your stories. Here are Pastor Webb’s sons-- some fostered, some adopted--speaking about his influence on their lives. He was quite a man. Stay tuned for the full video.