austin – The Columbia Chronicle

Artistic Director Blanca Acevedo walks junior dancers, dressed in blue and red practice skirts, through a choreography step for a dance originating in the Jalisco region of Mexico.

Junior ensemble helps young dancers tap into their Mexican heritage

February 14, 2020

On any given weeknight, a small dance studio on the edge of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is filled with the chorus of tapping Folklorico shoes and the sounds of shouted eight-counts. Located at 5824 W...

Local nonprofit urges students to dream big

November 11, 2018

Since 2012, nonprofit organization Dream on Education has tried to aid the development of high-achieving sixth to eighth grade students in underprivileged areas in Chicago, according to the program’s ...

Hugh Lee is a ‘Class Act’

April 29, 2018

From his life to his laurels, Hugh Lee always keeps it honest. The 22-year-old Chicago rapper keeps it cool, using his witty bars and skilled flow to voice a fresh message. Lee will perform May 2 at Elbo ...

Starbucks isn’t the problem, America is

By Editorial Board

April 28, 2018

Fitting the stereotypes put on many of its customers, Starbucks is the performative ally that says it’s against racism as it gentrifies neighborhoods.After two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks April 12 for not ordering anything from the store while waiting for a friend, the coffee chain was the target of demonstrations, protesting discriminatory treatment that was obvious even to loyal patrons. The scr...

Supporting Austin bombings’ victims means addressing racism

By Editorial Board

April 2, 2018

After mass violence, do we remember the victims or the perpetrators?A string of bombings beginning March 2 in Austin, Texas, terrorized the community. Of the seven explosive devices authorities connected to suspect Mark Anthony Conditt, three detonated in East Austin, home to the majority of the city’s black and Latino residents. The first three bombs were hand delivered to the victims’ homes, killing two men and injuring o...

Festival starts conversation, encourages action

January 21, 2018

Harriet Tubman descends from heaven to provide guidance using a long-form poem. A black man uses a hip-hop song to describe his experiences in a white man’s world. A woman tells the story of a black...

The Congress Parkway Bridge and the Civic Opera House have new plans to redesign the unused space.

Chicago preparing for major Riverwalk expansion

September 25, 2017

Chicago is planning to renovate three locations to further expand the city’s Riverwalk and is currently receiving public feedback to help select a design.The back of the Civic Opera House, the area...

The Windy City All-Stars played against the Milwaukee Bruisers, winning the first game of the season April 2.

Roller derby girls jam back to the top

April 22, 2016

The other girls were playing with Barbies and doing dress up, but Kristy Gregory was trying to outrun the boys on the school playground. Sometimes she would take them on in arm wrestling and sometimes won....

From alleyways to galleries

By Arts & Culture Editor

March 14, 2016

A crumpled bag of Cheetos, some balled-up t-shirts and maybe a PlayStation. In the mess of a student’s dirty dorm room, one icon shines through the clutter: a concert poster from a favorite band.“The concert poster represents a tangible connection to part of their identity,” said Dan MacAdam, illustrator and founder of Crosshair Silkscreen Printing and Design. “They can put it up in their room and display it to their frie...

Lisa Beasley, Peter Kim and Aasia LaShay Bullock make up part of e.t.c.’s diverse new cast for the theater’s 40th residential stage revue, set to open in April. Katie Klein, Julie Marchiano and Scott Morehead complete the six-person cast.

New Second City e.t.c. cast puts diversity in spotlight

February 1, 2016

The sketch comedy community breaks the gender ratio norms in the newly announced cast for Second City’s 40th revue in its e.t.c. theater. The revue opens in mid-April.The currently untitled producti...

People fill the street during the People's Climate March, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014, in New York. Tens of thousands of activists walked through Manhattan on Sunday, warning that climate change is destroying the Earth — in stride with demonstrators around the world who urged policymakers to take quick action. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Climate policies gain steam after march, summit

September 29, 2014

THE ISSUE OF climate change continues to garner attentionworldwide following the Sept. 21 People’s Climate March and Sept. 23 UN Climate Summit in New York City. Research on global environmental issues concer...

Quality is key

By Media Relations Editor

April 14, 2014

Life is too short to force people into limited lifestyles. A one way in, one way out policy—like the one proposed by NBA commissioner Adam Silver—is unfair because each individual player has his or her...