Winter can be beautiful when we embrace it and Sam & Brittany did just that during our session. Sam & Brittany met through a mutual friend while they were both interning in Chicago and after 6 months Sam asked Brittany to hang out at a Blackhawks game. They wanted to capture them “in their natural […]
February 22, 2020
This October I attended the first ever Joy & Justice Conference at the historical Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago. The year was chosen to reflect on 400 years of the Black experience in America. The location was carefully selected too not for it’s design but for it’s history and legacy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahalia Jackson […]
February 19, 2020
“A makerspace is a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools,” Mrs. Johnson shared the vision of the Makerspace at J.T. Manning Elementary School surrounded by a green screen, bins of blocks, large wooden tools, and Ipads that are all part of the space. She […]
February 15, 2020
“What does it really mean to be kind anyway?” This question was part of a read aloud from the book Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller during Creating a Compassionate Community Day (C3 Day) at J.T. Manning Elementary School February 5,2020. In the book when a classmate; Tanisha, felt embarrassed the author’s voice asks us this […]
February 12, 2020
Friends came together to celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening of Ibtisam’s Tailor Shop in Lombard. As many small business openings there is a long story of the dreams, passion, and hard work that have lead up to and will; God willing, continue to sustain this business. Ibtisam Younis came to the U.S. in […]
January 12, 2020
“I’ve always believed that education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to help the world,” Bilel Dekhili is a talented and passionate leader who believes that education will change the future. He has built his company Engineering DN@ from the ground up and loves helpings children learn through a stimulating play focused environment. “Teaching […]
December 20, 2019
Nazish welcomes me to her apartment with a kind smile, a quiet voice, and welcoming hospitality. Within minutes we are talking about things that really matter in life; culture, education, faith, politics, trauma, and family. Her reserved and calm demeanor remains even as she shares deeply personal stories from her life and it is clear that her wisdom […]
December 4, 2019
Styles for Kidz hosted their annual Gala Making a Difference ’19 on Saturday November 2nd in Oak Park. There were more guests this year than any previous year as the organization celebrated so much this year; more hair care workshops, a new salon location that is constantly busy, more families and children served, & nationwide […]
November 12, 2019
When you enter Ms. Afre’s 4th grade Dual Language classroom it is abuzz with activity. There is discussion, concentration, quiet reading, sharing, reflection, and- because they are kids- occasional giggling. Students are at stations working on reading, analyzing text, and answering each other’s questions as well as her animated questions in Spanish. One student listens […]
November 4, 2019
