Community News

Chicago Spent $510.9M on Overtime in 2024, Including $273.8M for Police, Down Slightly From Last Year
Heather Cherone | Jared Rutecki | July 22, 2025, 4:38 pm The city of Chicago spent approximately $510.9 million on employee overtime in 2024 — 1.5% less than in 2023, with more than half of the total amount used to compensate Chicago Police Department officers for working extra hours, according to records obtained by WTTW News. The…

Chicago Eliminates Parking Minimums Near Transit
Changes to a city ordinance make it easier to build ‘by-right’ car-free developments near train stations and pave the way for more affordable housing. July 23, 2025, 6:00 AM PDT By Diana Ionescu Writing in Streetsblog Chicago, Steven Vance and John Greenfield praise the city of Chicago’s recent move to eliminate parking minimums near train stations…

Illinois officials express concern over Medicaid, SNAP cuts in new budget law
by: Jenna Barnes, Ethan Illers Posted: Jul 8, 2025 / 07:22 PM CDT CHICAGO (WGN) – Elected officials and local leaders gathered in downtown Chicago Tuesday to discuss their concerns now that President Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” is law. WGN-TV listened in on a roundtable discussion with the American Civil Liberties Union and several Democratic members…

LGBTQ+ health centers brace for Trump’s attacks
Chicago-area research labs and community health clinics are navigating illegal funding stoppages, censorship, and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ violence under President Donald Trump. by Devyn-Marshall Brown (DMB) June 25, 2025 John Peller’s two decades as an AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) staff member have been marked by highs and lows. In 2010, after President Barack Obama signed the…

What’s next for CPS?
New leadership and looming budget problems are on the horizon for Chicago Public Schools. by Maureen Kelleher June 26, 2025 June 18 was the last day on the job for Pedro Martinez, the long-embattled chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. Only a week before he left, the Chicago Board of Education narrowly voted to appoint…

Hundreds march in Chicago Disability Pride Parade that celebrates diversity, demands accessibility
Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune Sat, July 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM CDT You wouldn’t guess that Matt Keeth has a severe visual impairment from the way he skateboarded up and down Chicago’s Disability Pride Parade in the Loop — if not for the red-and-white striped cane he rolls in front of him. Keeth, 31, a…

Mother shares struggles obtaining help for her children through early intervention disability program
By Lauren Victory July 11, 2025 / 6:45 PM CDT About 60,000 children with developmental disabilities qualify for a free Illinois program that provides speech, physical therapy, and other services. It’s called “early intervention” and can be a game-changer. The problem is that the service is delayed for more than 2,000 kids. Meet the Heath…

LGBTQ+ health centers brace for Trump’s attacks
Chicago-area research labs and community health clinics are navigating illegal funding stoppages, censorship, and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ violence under President Donald Trump. by Devyn-Marshall Brown (DMB) June 25, 2025 John Peller’s two decades as an AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) staff member have been marked by highs and lows. In 2010, after President Barack Obama signed the…

What’s next for CPS?
New leadership and looming budget problems are on the horizon for Chicago Public Schools. by Maureen Kelleher June 26, 2025 June 18 was the last day on the job for Pedro Martinez, the long-embattled chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. Only a week before he left, the Chicago Board of Education narrowly voted to appoint…

Chicago’s Black-owned businesses hope Juneteenth support extends year-round
When Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, many Black-owned businesses reported strong sales. Now, Chicago companies say they hope the trend continues. By Mariah Rush Jun 19, 2025, 7:00am CDT For years, Essential Elements owner Melanie Whaley sold bedazzled Juneteenth T-shirts, with sayings like “Juneteenth Queen” and “Free-ish and fierce.” This year, the items are…
Local Organizations
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Rainbow PUSH Coalition - We protect, defend, and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields, and to promote peace and justice around the world.
Chicago Urban League - Since 1916, the Chicago Urban League—through collaborative community, corporate and civic relationships—has helped people find jobs, secure affordable housing, enhance their educational experiences, and grow their businesses. One of the oldest and largest affiliates of the National Urban League, we promote strong, sustainable communities through advocacy, innovation, and collaborative community, corporate and civic relationships.
Grassroots Collaborative - Grassroots Collaborative builds power with working families through strategic community-labor organizing, grassroots leadership development, civic engagement, and training. We started in Chicago and our 9 member organizations and their 125,000 members, along with an effective and diverse set of ally organizations across movements create transformative change to win fully funded resources for our public schools, social services, and affordable housing that working families depend on.
First Defense Legal Aid - First Defense Legal Aid provides free, 24-hour legal representation to people in Chicago Police custody and educates Chicagoans about how to protect their constitutional rights. We undertake these activities to promote fairness and accountability in the justice system.
Inner-City Muslim Action Network - The Inner-City Muslim Action Network is a community organization that fosters health, wellness and healing in the inner-city by organizing for social change, cultivating the arts, and operating a holistic health center. IMAN incorporated as a nonprofit in 1997 through the drive of people directly affected by and deeply invested in social issues affecting communities of color living on Chicago’s South Side.
One Northside - Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside is a mixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational organization that unites our diverse communities. We build collective power to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing. We accomplish this through developing grassroots leaders and acting together to effect change.
Polished Pebbles - The mission of the Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program is to provide girls (7-17 years old) with the opportunity of learning the vital life skill of effective communication. Our Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring program instills confidence in girls to face the challenges of daily life by substituting aggressive forms of communicating and problem solving with new strategies that allow them to gain a solid reputation and respect without retaliating.
Restore Justice Illinois - Restore Justice Illinois believes in the possibility of rehabilitation, redemption, and reunification with the community for all incarcerated people, even those who have committed the most serious crimes.
Safer Foundation - Safer Foundation is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit providers of services designed exclusively for people with criminal records. We focus on helping our clients secure and maintain jobs because we understand that employment offers the best chance at successful re-entry.
Dovetail Project - We give young African American fathers – ages 17-24 – the skills and support they need to be better fathers for their children and better men in their communities.
Black Youth Project 100 - BYP100 is National, member-based organization of Black 18-35 year old activists and organizers, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. We do this through building a network focused on transformative leadership development, direct action organizing, advocacy, and political education using a Black queer feminist lens. BYP100 envisions a world where all Black people have economic, social, political, and educational freedom.
Upcoming Events

State Fair of Texas: North Texas Food Bank
Description Big Tex hosts our largest canned food drive of the year, and we need your help! This is the most popular event of the year, and spots will fill up quickly! The North Texas Food Bank is the beneficiary of weekly promotions at the State Fair of Texas. Friday, September 29: Opening Day! Attendees can bring 2 jars of Peanut Butter and…

Conservation-in-Action Volunteer Work Day
Projects include Trail Maintenance, Educational Prairie Bed Project, and Habitat Restoration We are trying out new volunteer dates. We are another Saturday to our group volunteer days! So far, it will be the 1st AND 3rd Saturday of the month. Saturday mornings bring heavy traffic to the Preserve so please plan accordingly as projects start promptly…

Conservation-in-Action Volunteer Work Day
Projects include Trail Maintenance, Educational Prairie Bed Project, and Habitat Restoration We are trying out new volunteer dates. We are another Saturday to our group volunteer days! So far, it will be the 1st AND 3rd Saturday of the month. Saturday mornings bring heavy traffic to the Preserve so please plan accordingly as projects start promptly…

Feed The City: Dallas
Feed The City is a monthly volunteer opportunity where individuals come together at a local venue to make lunches for people in need. The lunches consist of sandwiches, chips and fruit. Feed The City events are open to all. It doesn’t matter how many people show up or what ages the volunteers are.

Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Up
Join For the Love of the Lake every second Saturday for our monthly Shoreline Spruce Up at White Rock Lake Park. Volunteers collect litter though out White Rock Lake Park, up White Rock Creek, and along the shoreline. Our Second Saturday Shoreline Spruce Up tradition happens rain or shine, snow or heat without fail. We…

2023 Hispanic Mental Health Conference
We at the Cannenta Foundation are excited to present our first annual Hispanic Mental Health Conference. The Hispanic Mental Health Conference will provide opportunities for mental health professionals from across the state to learn how to serve the growing Hispanic community.Sessions will be held in English and Spanish on best practices for mental health professionals…

The 48th Annual Harambee Festival
The original purpose created a safe space for children to enjoy an alternative to Halloween. It’s grown to include free groceries for the food insecure, free back packs with school supplies, and free health screenings and more. The children participate in fun educational activities while the parents enjoy live entertainment. On the last Saturday of…

“Places Between” and “Make It. Make Sense.”
Two new exhibitions are now on view at the Office of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station gallery. Tammie Dupuis explores the intersections of her heritage as an Indigenous and Western European person in her exhibition, Places Between. Using both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of making and seeing, her work spans several different processes and…

“Places Between” and “Make It. Make Sense.”
Two new exhibitions are now on view at the Office of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station gallery. Tammie Dupuis explores the intersections of her heritage as an Indigenous and Western European person in her exhibition, Places Between. Using both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of making and seeing, her work spans several different processes and…

“Space Cowrie” and “Perceiver/Perception”
Two new exhibitions are now on view at the Office of Arts & Culture’s ARTS at King Street Station gallery. Space Cowrie is a multimedia exhibition exploring African diasporic desire – the whirring space of longing, grief, joy and healing. Through experimentation with traditional and nontraditional forms, Le’Ecia Farmer examines both the fragmented and whole sides of individual…
Local Hero Spotlight
Members can nominate a local hero for recognition on their local LoveJustice.com city page!
Anyone and everyone can make an impact, and at LoveJustice we believe that they deserve to be recognized for their good, necessary work!
