State Representatives Davis, Dunkin & du Buclet to join dignitaries at Chicago African Summit

Have you registered yet for the UAO's Annual Chicago African Summit on Saturday? Don't miss this great opportunity to engage with the African community and its allies.

The following State Representatives are among many dignitaries to join us at the Chicago African Summit:

 State Representative William Davis (30th District)

William Davis chairs the Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary School Education Committee and the Health & Healthcare Disparities Committee in the Illinois General Assembly. Davis was born on July 2, 1968, in Harvey, IL. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He is currently completing his Master of Public Administration Degree at Governors State University. He also serves on the Foundation Board of South Suburban College. Davis has been recognized as the "Legislator of the Year" by the Illinois Association of Code Enforcement, the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association and the Illinois Association of Park Districts.

State Representative Ken Dunkin (5th District)

Ken Dunkin is currently the State Representative for the 5th District in the Illinois General Assembly. Dunkin chairs the committees on Tourism and Conventions and Appropriations-Higher Education.Dunkin worked as social worker for many years, helping families access needed resources. Most recently, he was the Director of the Robert Taylor Boys and Girls Club of Chicago. For five years, he managed over $2.5 million in program services. He also worked as a consultant for Chicago's Department of Health and Chicago's Department on Aging.

State Representative Kim du Buclet (26th District) 

Kim du Buclet's committee assignments include Health Care Availability Access, Small Business Empowerment & Workforce and Higher Education. She attended High School at the University of Chicago Lab School, earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She was appointed to her seat in May, 2011.

Stay tuned for more updates! Remember to register today!

UAO to speak about Africans in Chicago Project at Oral History Conference tomorrow

Tomorrow the UAO will present at a conference entitled 'Imagining Black Diaspora Through Oral History Performance'. UAO's presentation, 'Reflecting on a Community-Based Oral History Project' will discuss the process and challenges of the UAO's Africans in Chicago Oral History Project. UAO Research and Policy Associate Tara Weinberg and Intern Sarah Travis will deliver the presentation. More details:

Time: 9:30am-6pm 

Venue: Program of African Studies (PAS) Common Room, 620 Library Place, Evanston, IL

UAO's presentation is at 11am. 

UAO Executive Director speaks at Equality Interfaith Prayer Breakfast

UAO Executive Director Alie Kabba spoke at Equality Illinois' Interfaith Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday. Equality Illinois's mission is to secure, protect and defend equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Illinois. At the breakfast Tuesday, clergy and community leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions spoke. At breakfast, Alie Kabba spoke to the need of various fights for social justice to be framed as part of a larger narrative, the “struggle to make this democracy work for all of us.” You can read the full article at this link.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to open Chicago African Summit on Saturday

We are all fired up and ready for the 6th Chicago Summit on African Immigrants and Refugees on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 8:30am!! Are you? Click HERE to register!

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will open the historic summit of the United African Organization with welcome remarks.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has been a dedicated community leader for over two decades, providing independent and progressive leadership founded on experience, know-how and a commitment to practical results.

President Preckwinkle has a strong vision of transforming Cook County government by operating with accountability, honesty, and efficiency. She has the integrity and forward-thinking ideas that are needed to transform county government into a world-class institution of which the people of Cook County can be proud.

As a high school teacher in Chicago,  Preckwinkle ran a non-profit organization aimed at neighborhood improvement. She stood up to the city's political machine, and despite failed first attempts, she prevailed. Toni ran an improbable campaign against the political establishment and was elected 4th Ward Alderman in 1991.

In her 19 years as Alderman,  Preckwinkle has improved the quality of life of her constituents by providing independent, transparent and accountable leadership. She ended the old patronage model in her ward that awarded jobs based on political clout. She has successfully fought for greater funding for education and affordable housing in her ward. She sponsored the Living Wage and Affordable Housing Ordinances, and was a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to institute a more racially equitable map of Chicago's ward boundaries. Toni sponsored an ordinance that limits the establishment of payday loan stores and was a lead sponsor of the anti-smoking ordinance. She has not been afraid to stand-up to the status-quo, voting against the parking meter privatization and standing with a small minority in opposition to the 2008 tax increases.

Preckwinkle independent and progressive leadership earned her the IVI-IPO Best Alderman Award in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2008, and the 1997 and 2009 Leon Despres Awards. Preckwinkle was elected Cook County Board President on November 2, 2010.

Cook County government is responsible for overseeing public safety, health, property and economic development for more than five million residents in the greater Chicagoland area.

Screenings of Senegalese movie Restless City this weekend

RESTLESS CITY tells the story of a Senegalese immigrant surviving on the fringes of New York City where music is his passion, life is a hustle and falling in love is his greatest risk. 

This weekend, ICE Theaters and the Dusable Museum will be screening the film on:

Days: Friday May 4, 2012 - Sunday May 6, 2012
Times: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm (cost $5) and 7pm ($7.50)
Venues: ICE Chatham 14, 210 West 87th Street, Chicago IL 60620 and ICE Lawndale 10, 3330 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago IL 60624RESTLESS CITY was an official selection at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Shot in 18 days for under $100,000, RESTLESS CITY breathtakingly captures the streets of New York City and embraces you with truth and poignancy. The director, Andrew Dosunmu is a Nigerian born and educated filmmaker. This is his first feature film.

Watch the trailer:

Fair Housing 101 Workshop next Thursday

There is a housing workshop taking place next week Thursday that may be useful to you. "Fair Housing 101" focuses on how to avoid illegal discrimination when applying for housing and what to do if you or someone you know is a victim. The workshop will be provided by the Fair Housing Education Consortium (including Access Living, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law, John Marshall Fair Housing Legal Support Center, and Lawyer’s Committee for Better Housing). Click the image below for more information.

 

Lecture at Northwestern tomorrow: Revolution & Transformation in Africa

Professor Horace Campbell will deliver The William Bross Lloyd Jr. Lecture TOMORROW, May 2, 2012 at 620 Library Place, Evanston. The  Lecture begins at 6pm. It is entitled: "Revolution & Transformation in Africa: Towards Freedom and Emancipation - Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Toward Freedom".