City Cast Chicago

Gospel music has roots in southern spirituals during slavery and migrated north during the Great Migration in the early 1900s. Chicago has staked its claim as the birthplace of modern gospel thanks to Bronzeville’s Pilgrim Baptist Church and Thomas Dorsey, its choir director for 50 years. In the 1930s, Dorsey blended the style and chords of blues music with the praise and worship of traditional gospel hymns, and iconic singers like Mahalia Jackson took the sound global. We talk with writer and producer Stacy Robinson about the new WTTW documentary “Birth of Gospel” and Chicago’s place in music history. It will premiere Friday at 8 p.m.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Reproductive rights activists in Chicago are kicking into high gear after a draft majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked this week. In the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, the court’s conservative majority signals it will soon overturn Roe v. Wade. Chicago Abortion Fund head Megan Jeyifo says activists have been sounding the alarm and preparing for this for years. Even though Illinois has laws on the books to protect the right to get an abortion if/when Roe is overturned, Jeyifo tells host Jacoby Cochran how her organization is gearing up to help more people, especially those seeking abortion care from other states.Chicago Abortion Fund-A-ThonFor more ways to support reproductive justice in Illinois, check out our daily newsletter.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Lucy Westlake isn’t walking at graduation this spring with her class at Naperville North High School. That’s because the 18 year old is preparing to be the youngest American woman to summit Mount Everest. She graduated early last fall, and she previously broke the world record for youngest female to climb to the highest points in all 50 states. She’s also climbed the highest points on four of the seven continents. Westlake called City Cast producer Simone Alicea from a Mount Everest base camp.Lucy’s GoFundMeFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

Early voting in Illinois’ primaries begins in just a few weeks. After getting a new voter registration card in the mail, a City Cast listener reached out to us with several voting questions. Producer Simone Alicea, a Chicago transplant, also had questions about how to vote here. That’s why we reached out to Max Bever with the Chicago Board of Elections. He tells us everything you need to know about voting, including deadlines, what’s on the ballot, and all things vote-by-mail after the state expanded access to mail-in voting during the pandemic.The primary is June 28. Check your voter registration in Chicago and Illinois, and read our primary guide.Plus, we still want to know: What's something that's normal in Chicago that's weird elsewhere? Tell us in a voicemail at (773) 780-0246, and we might use it on the pod!Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

This week, the Chicago Reader and its former co-owner ended a month-long stalemate that threatened the future of the beloved alt-weekly. Len Goodman, and three allied board members, agreed to step down, clearing the way for the Reader to transition to a nonprofit structure. Two of the paper's writers, Kelly Garcia and Katie Prout, explain what why there's been an impasse for the last five months and what the future of the Reader is. They also discuss with host Jacoby Cochran a controversial metal scrapper in Pilsen, a new study on the rise of carjacking, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $12.5 million transit relief plan.And, make sure you stick around until the end, where our moments of joy will leave you smiling from ear to ear!TELL US! What's a Chicago thing that is weird to people outside Chicago?Call or Text Us: (773) 780-0246 or email us: chicago@citycast.fmFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

This week, five of Chicago’s selective enrollment high schools ranked among the county’s top 100 high schools, according to U.S. News and World Report. But until recently, Chicago Public Schools had its own ranking system: the School Quality Rating Policy. It rated individual schools’ quality from best-performing (Level 1) to needing the most support (Level 3). But after critics said the system punished low-rated schools for factors outside of their control, the Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to direct CPS to create a new accountability system. WBEZ education reporter Sarah Karp is here to break it down.A little bit of news: City Council approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $12.5 million plan to give away free gas cards and CTA passes to eligible Chicagoans. Here’s where to apply.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

When you live in a big city like Chicago, it can be really easy to forget just how much nature is available to us. Cook County has more than 70,000 acres of forest preserves. Our wetlands, prairies, woodlands, and savannas are home to hundreds of native plants and animals. Conservationists and organizers are working year-round to preserve these spaces and educate residents. As Chicago gets its spring colors — and the birds, butterflies, and river otters reemerge — we talk to someone whose passion is getting people outside and protecting those lands for the future. Brenda Elmore of Friends of the Forest Preserves tells Jacoby about how she got into the outdoors and why she wants to educate others.Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

**UPDATE**The Graduate Employees' Organization tweeted late Monday night that the strike was suspended. The podcast is updated to include that news.Statement from UIC about a tentative agreementAfter a year without a new labor contract, the graduate student union at the University of Illinois Chicago went on strike last week. Bargaining continues around wage increases, student fees, healthcare costs, and more. On Monday, the union sent a letter to Gov. JB Pritzker warning the standoff with the UIC administration will do “serious long-term damage to our students’ learning and to the university’s reputation.” The momentum around labor organizing is not just picking up on campus. Workers are fighting for better conditions across industries, from corporations like Amazon and Starbucks to smaller, local companies like tortillerías. We talk to Jeff Schuhrke, a labor historian and professor at UIC, about the importance of this moment. Schuhrke also did his graduate work at the university and was once part of the Graduate Employees' Organization that’s on strike. Some good news:Zine Club Chicago Online: Poetry Zines EditionFollow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

A month ago, Nicole Lee was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to finish the term of former 11th Ward Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, following his conviction for tax fraud. An alderperson’s responsibilities include voting on legislation, constituent services, allocating resources to the ward, and more. Lee is a third-generation Chinatown resident, Whitney Young alumna, and she most recently led community engagement at United Airlines. Lee is Chicago’s first Chinese American alderperson, in a city where Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group. Her appointment comes at a critical time as the ward remapping process continues. The two proposed maps each redraw the 11th ward as the city’s first Asian American–majority ward. We visited Ald. Lee at her Bridgeport office ahead of her first full City Council meeting Wednesday. Some Good News:ChiTeen Lit Fest 2022Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246

After a judge struck down the federal mask mandate on planes and public transit, Gov. Pritzker revoked the state’s mask policy on buses and trains. Soon after, CTA, Metra, and Amtrak, along with rideshare companies and airlines began moving to mask-optional policies. Harvey World Herald founder Amethyst Davis and Block Club Chicago’s Jamie Nesbitt Golden join us and tell us why they are keeping their masks on for the time being. We also discuss weekend plans across the city, our favorite cookout dishes, and the proliferation of security cameras in both Harvey and Chicago. Share this episode with just one friend and help us grow the City Cast Chicago network! Stories discussed this week:Patti LaBell's Mac and CheeseCPD's use of license plate camerasBronzeville trail campaign kickoffCheck out The Other Art Fair Chicago April 21-24 in Fulton Market.AND! Get 30% off The Other Art Fair with the Code: CITYCAST (One word)Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicagoSign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fmCall or Text Us: (773) 780-0246