Good Tuesday morning, Evanston.
In the summer of 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and a nationwide reckoning with racism following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer, community organizer DuShaun Pollard recognized that people needed spaces to rest and reflect.
Eventually, Pollard partnered with fellow activist Taylor Mason to found Black Brown + Breathing, an organization that has helped ETHS students rest and discuss their experiences in a safe space.
You might have heard of Evanston Own It (EOI) through its annual “Evanston Sings” choir concert, but the Christian organization works to strengthen the local Black community throughout the year.
Run entirely by Black Evanston clergy, EOI has raised more than $50,000 over the past five years and donates the majority of those funds to the Mayor’s Summer Youth and Employment Program.
At this time: 3:25 p.m. Monday. Afton Parks picks up a Valentine’s Day bouquet – for her mother, Laura. “She doesn’t know it’s coming,” Parks said. She was among about 400 customers who bought flowers over the long weekend at MilleFiori, 1943 Central Street. “Everyone loves flowers,” said owner Tracy Mullenix. “They make you feel good.”
COVID by the numbers: 13 cases were reported Sunday, Feb. 13, the last day the city updated case totals. The seven-day average is 19 cases per day.
Elsewhere on the RoundTable website
The week in photos: Feb. 7-14. Icy Evanston may not be comfortable, but it’s certainly photogenic in these stunning photos snapped by Jenny Heckathorne, Scott Garfinkel and Lisa Cyee.
Eye on Evanston: Thoughts on Design | Local proponent of good design keeps focus for over 50 years. Graphic designer Jack Weiss moved to Evanston in 1967 and his work is visible around town. He received the Mayor’s Award for the Arts in 2014.
ETHS superintendent search: Virtual community gathering on Feb. 16. The Evanston Township High School District 202 Board of Education is continuing its search process for the next superintendent and the community is invited to participate.
Video series honors Black women who helped build America. Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s “Black Women in American History” highlights the contributions and influence of Black women in different areas of American life.
Barbara J. Zimmer, activist and school board member, 1933-2021. Longtime Evanston resident Barbara Jean Malone Zimmer, 88, died Dec. 13, in St. Paul, Minnesota. A lifelong Democrat, she was active on civil rights issues and served on the District 202 School Board in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
ETHS girls wrestling: Flores, Ramirez write first chapter in girls mat history. Junior Ariana Flores and senior Alize Ramirez earned the right to represent the Orange and Blue at the first ever Illinois High School Association girls wrestling state finals.
ETHS boys wrestling: Wildkits bow out at Barrington Sectional. Three Evanston wrestlers just missed qualifying for the Illinois High School Association state finals at the tournament.
ETHS girls bowling: Summers qualifies for state tourney. Raivyn Summers became the first female bowler in program history to qualify for the Illinois High School Association state tournament.
ETHS boys swimming: Martin, Hardy rule at CSL South championships. Evanston’s swimmers accounted for an impressive five first-place finishes at the Central Suburban League South division championship meet.
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Around the web
Inside the sexual misconduct scandal involving workers at Evanston’s beaches. WBEZ reports that soon after quitting her summer job as an Evanston beach lifeguard, a teenage girl in June 2020 confronted a former manager about what went on, texting that “sometimes it’s just kind of shady and other times it’s full on grooming kids.”
The Week Ahead: What’s coming up in Evanston. From a film screening to a play to a city council member candidate forum, the Daily Northwestern offers ways to stay entertained and civically involved in Evanston this week.
How one Evanston pizzeria is taking a slice out of hunger. WGN reports on Panino’s Pizzeria, one of 200 pizzerias nationwide that teamed up with nonprofit Slice Out Hunger for National Pizza Day.
‘Not just Black history. American history’: How publishers are using Black History Month to cover the past that isn’t being taught in schools. Amid attempts to block critical race theory from schools, publishers like Blavity, The Root and The Washington Post are stepping in to fill the void, Digiday reports.
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