Friends of The Chicago Reporter is throwing a party to celebrate 50 years of The Chicago Reporter and reclaim its data-driven reporting, education and mentorship.
The Chicago Reporter published its first issue in July 1972. Founded by civil rights activist John A. McDermott, it has been shining a bright light on institutional racism and discrimination in metropolitan Chicago for five decades. Join Friends of The Chicago Reporter in honoring its rich history and valuable legacy. RSVP required.
(Note: These events are hosted by Friends of The Chicago Reporter, a group founded by alumni and other longtime supporters. Friends of The Chicago Reporter is not affiliated with The Chicago Reporter or the Community Renewal Society.)
CELEBRATION
THURSDAY, JULY 21, 6:30-9:30 PM
Bronzeville Winery / 4420 South Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago
Join us for fun, music, fellowship and complimentary hors d'oeuvres on the outdoor patio at Bronzeville Winery. A full cash bar will be available.
SCREENING & PANEL DISCUSSION
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 3-4:30 PM
Columbia College Chicago / 618 S. Michigan Ave., Room 207, Chicago
Alumni will convene a conversation about the Reporter’s influence on their work to shine a light on race and inequity. Excerpts from an alumni-led oral history project will be interspersed throughout the discussion.
Panelists will include:
Tonika Lewis Johnson, social justice artist and Folded Map Project creator
Ben Joravsky, senior writer for the Chicago Reader and host, The Ben Joravsky Show
Kevin B. Blackistone, ESPN panelist and professor, University of Maryland; sports columnist for The Washington Post
Lucio Villa, Senior Engineer, Vox Media
Angela Caputo, communications specialist on homelessness and criminal justice in Los Angeles
To make a tax-deductible donation that will help underwrite the cost of these events, visit https://bit.ly/FOTCR.
About Friends of The Chicago Reporter
For nearly 50 years, The Chicago Reporter served as a journalistic agent of change through data-based reporting on issues of race and equity — until the fall of 2020, when the Reporter’s fiscal parent, the Community Renewal Society, removed the editor and publisher and put the publication’s hallmark investigative work on hiatus.
The Reporter hasn’t published a single piece of original investigative reporting since. And while an interim editor and publisher has been in place for more than a year, there are still no full-time reporters on staff.
Over the past year, an alumni-heavy group has activated and maintained relationships with more than 800 journalists, civic leaders, donors and foundations, who are all eager to ensure the continuation of the Reporter’s methods and invaluable contributions to Chicago’s public square. For more information go to https://friendsofthechicagoreporter.org/.
Core Committee
Kevin Blackistone
Tom Brune
Angela Caputo
Thom Clark
Kay Humphries
Rui Kaneya
Alden Loury
John McDermott Jr.
Josh McGhee Sharon McGowan Jack Roberts John Schrag Susy Schultz Christine Wachter Laura Washington James Ylisela Jr.
