The LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project brings together LGBTQ+ elders and younger adults in Chicago to share stories, build community, and bridge generational divides. Since 2019, it has engaged more than 130 participants through dialogue sessions, collaborative art projects, and university partnerships — helping to preserve the history of LGBTQ+ lives across generations. Reset learns about the project with its co-founder Karen Morris and participants Jonni Pepper-GoLions and Holly Davis.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
If you’ve ever wondered about the who, what, and where of Chicago’s fish species, you’re in luck. A new field guide gives a complete account of nearly 170 species of fish in northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Reset learns more about the field guide Fishes of the Chicago Region with co-author Philip Willnick. We also pick the brain of Sun-Times outdoor columnist Dale Bowman.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Illinois lawmakers missed the deadline to vote on a bill to seal a $770 million budget gap for public transit next year. This has heightened concerns of service cuts of nearly 40% of CTA, Metra and Pace buses and trains. Reset turns to daily CTA rider and strategic advisor for Better Streets Chicago Alex Nelson and Chicago native and lifelong daily CTA rider Maya Roberts to hear their thoughts on the issue.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Not only is spending time outdoors linked to lower stress levels, it can be a way to recognize the importance of nature around us. With all of the events throughout the city, it can also be a great way to meet new people. Reset discusses some of the events around town this month with freelance outdoor and travel journalist Erica Zazo and Reset’s sustainability contributor, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility Karen Weigert.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Immigration agents detained at least 10 people in the South Loop after the government sent them instructions via text to show up for a routine appointment. The Chicago Fire’s billionaire owner Joe Mansueto unveiled plans to build a $650 million stadium south of Roosevelt Road. Air quality in the city and suburbs was poor due to Canadian wildfires. Reset breaks down those stories and more with WBEZ midday anchor Lisa Labuz, Axios Chicago reporter Justin Kaufmann and Northwestern University’s Natalie Moore.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
The Night Out in the Parks program brings free performances and events to parks in all 77 of Chicago’s community areas, creating an opportunity for connection and exposure to different kinds of art. Reset gets a preview of what’s in store this summer from Night Out in the Parks program and event manager Krista Brynski, South Side Jazz Coalition executive director Margaret Murphy and founder of Cabinet of Curiosity Frank Maugeri.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Masked ICE agents detained 10 immigrants in Chicago’s South Loop on June 4, as city lawmakers, protesters and advocates for people in the U.S. without legal status attempted to disrupt the operation. Reset talks to Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez of the 25th Ward, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez of the 33rd Ward, and Ald. Anthony Quezada of the 35th Ward, who were on the scene.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
As the Chicago Bears work to finalize a site for a new stadium, possibly outside city limits, Chicago’s Major League Soccer team, which currently plays home games at Soldier Field, is developing its own plan for a future home in the city. Reset gets the details from Crain’s Chicago Business commercial real estate reporter Danny Ecker.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Tammy Gibson wants you to visit the gravesites of your deceased relatives.
“Have you checked on your ancestors?” said Gibson, the founder of Sankofa TravelHer, an organization dedicated to honoring the legacy of African-Americans who were often denied dignity in death.
As we learned last episode, Chicago’s long history of segregation affected both the living and the dead, as many area cemeteries once offered burial space “for the exclusive use of the Caucasian race.”
So where did African-Americans bury their loved ones in the 19th and early 20th centuries?
“From my research, African-Americans could not get buried in Chicago,” Gibson told Curious City. Instead, she said many African-Americans buried their dead in the South Suburbs, at cemeteries like Mount Glenwood in Glenwood, Ill., and later Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Ill.
In this episode, Gibson tells us about the people who first started these cemeteries and the notable people buried there. She talks about the work she does to continue honoring the deceased, including offering a reinterment ceremony years after the 2009 grave-stacking scandal at Burr Oak Cemetery. Gibson also works to get headstones for notable Chicagoans who do not have them. This includes Eugene Williams, whose death sparked the 1919 Chicago Race Riot, and journalist Ethel Payne from Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, who was known as the First Lady of the Black Press.
In the early 1990s Terence Alan Smith, a drag star who went by the name Joan Jett Blakk was involved in the Chicago movement for gay rights. She was a member of Queer Nation, which focused on anti-gay violence, trans rights, bi visibility, healthcare, housing, and more. Blakk never made it on the mayoral ballot in 1991, but her campaign put queer issues into the public consciousness. Reset checks in with former Queer Nation member Robert Castillo to learn more.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
