Businessman Eric France launches his campaign to succeed Rep. Robin Kelly in Illinois' 2nd Congressional District. With a diverse field and redrawn map, the 2026 race is already heating up (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback). This past Saturday, inside a cozy restaurant along the Little Calumet River, businessman Eric France launched his campaign for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District—one of the most closely watched races of the 2026 cycle. France, who...

Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan (Photo Provided).  A capacity crowd of State elected officials, Cook County elected officials, locally elected officials, civic leaders, and residents are expected to witness the historic swearing-in of Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan as he prepares for his second term of office. On April 1, Supervisor Jordan was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term of office by nearly 80% of the vote. In fact,...

Meet Patricia Andrews-Keenan, founder of Pigment International, leading a movement to elevate Black artists, build a sustainable art ecosystem, and make Chicago the North Star of Black fine art (Photo Provided). Her mentees call her “Auntie.” But it’s safe to say that Patricia Andrews-Keenan has helped mother a movement in Chicago—centering Black artists and building sustainable communities for them to thrive. As the founder of Pigment International, a Chicago-based platform...

From L–R: Deon Hodrick, community advocate and entrepreneur; Richard Wallace, founder of Equity and Transformation (EAT); Clinton Boyd, Jr., executive director of Fathers, Families & Healthy Communities; and Daniel Ash, president of the Field Foundation, speak during the “Breaking the Chains” panel on reclaiming wealth, power, and dignity for Black men in Chicago (Photo Courtesy of The Field Foundation). As a Black woman, I’ve seen firsthand how financial struggles...

Standing on the South Side of Chicago, where she was born, raised, and still resides, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton made it official: she’s running to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Dick Durbin — and she’s doing so with two major endorsements already in hand. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker formally endorsed Stratton's Senate candidacy at a rally on Friday. Speaking of Stratton as "one of Illinois’ fiercest fighters for working...

Attorney Ben Crump outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Photo Credit: Lorie Shaull). By James Bridgeforth, Ph.D. and Alexander Efird, Special to The Chicago Defender Introduction: The Battle for Justice Has a Voice — And It’s Ben Crump In a nation teetering on the edge of moral confusion and political regression, there are few voices who thunder with the clarity, conviction, and courage of Attorney Ben Crump....