Though many of Chicago’s hot spots for spooky nighttime ramblings in the rubble are disappearing (the demolition of famed Edgewater Medical Center began a few years ago to make way for apartments), there are still a few abandoned structures in the metro area to be explored and appreciated. Check out these 6 nearby abandoned buildings:
Now called the Old Joliet Historic Prison Site by the Joliet Area Historical Museum, the correctional center was closed in 2002— long after complaints about its conditions surfaced in the early 1900s. Last year, the Joliet Area Historical Museum reopened the site for tours, upgrading the spooky abandoned prison to a still-spooky destination for history enthusiasts.
Once home to “the largest Methodist congregation of the Midwest,” City Methodist’s life as a church was bright but brief, and the structure has sat unused since the 1970s. In 2019, City Methodist received an Indiana state historical marker, though it retains its allure as a “symbol of urban decay.”
Known as Pilsen’s “ghost church,” Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1880, but was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1979. Several decades (and one windstorm) later, the facade and tower of the church have been restored, and remain as a kind of skeleton of the former house of worship.
St. Stephen’s Church
5640 S Blackstone Ave, Chicago IL 60637
A long line of developers, banks, and other interested parties have been unsuccessful in redeveloping this Hyde Park property since at least 1997. With an awe-inspiring domed interior and a massive, impressive facade, St. Stephen’s Church eludes demolition and renovation to this day.
Eileen Coglianese was a mom with two kids in grade school when her husband Edmond, a ChicagoFire Department lieutenant, died while trying to save people from a hotel fire on Super Bowl Sunday in 1986.
She was about to head to her sister’s house to watch the game when her doorbell rang. She saw a man standing outside with a fire department insignia on his shirt. Realizing he was a chaplain, she knew something was wrong.
“As soon as he said what his name was, I said, ‘You’re not here for that, are you?’ ” she later recalled. “And he was.”
Her husband died during the rescue efforts at the Mark Twain Hotel at Clark and Division streets. He led two people down ladders but, when he re-entered the building to look for more people still inside, was overcome by smoke.
As Mrs. Coglianese comforted her children, grappled with grief and sorted out funeral details, the family felt as if everybody else was celebrating the Bears’ Super Bowl victory and that reports of his death seemed like just a footnote in the news.
She went on, in 1991, to help establish the Chicago Fire Department Gold Badge Society, which assists families of firefighters and paramedics who’ve died in the line of duty.
Mrs. Coglianese, 72, who was president of the volunteer group for more than a decade, died Thursday at her Tinley Park home of complications from surgery, according to her daughter Allyson.
The society was the nation’s first formal support group for families of fallen firefighters and paramedics, according to the Rev. Tom Mulcrone, a former Chicago Fire Department chaplain who was also among the founders.
Mrs. Coglianese “wanted to help others and make sure they didn’t go through what we did,” according to her daughter.
“As soon as there would be a line-of-duty death, we would go to the E.R.,” said Allyson Coglianese, who is vice president of the society.
Stunned survivors would turn to Mrs. Coglianese and ask, “How are we going to survive?”
“She was there pretty much from the moment I heard my husband passed away,” said Susan Johnson, whose husband Capt. Herbert Johnson died fighting a fire in 2012. “She helped me and my children negotiate everything that was about to happen.”
Eileen Coglianese.Provided
The Chicago Fire Department Gold Badge Society helps families navigate their immediate needs after a loved one’s death, like securing death benefits.
“They had workshops for spouses and children,” said former Chicago fire Commissioner Bob Hoff, who lost his firefighter-dad Thomas Hoff in the line of duty in 1962. “You talked about your families. She ran all that stuff and was so good about it. What she did for the families was something no one else could do because she lived through it. She always knew the right thing to say.”
The society also holds annual golf outings and “Battle of the Badges” fundraisers, with police officers and firefighters squaring off at boxing matches and ballgames to raise scholarship money for the children of fallen firefighters and police officers.
Mrs. Coglianese worked to build a memorial park near McCormick Place for firefighters and paramedics who died in the line of duty.
“What Eileen and her cohorts did was nothing short of spectacular,” Mulcrone said.
Young Eileen grew up in Markham, one of seven kids of Joseph and Marion Coad. Her father was a CTA bus driver. She attended Bremen High School.
A 1985 family photo with Eileen Coglianese, her husband fire Lt. Edmond P. Coglianese, their children Allyson and Matthew and Mr. Coglianese’s parents Joseph and Helen.Provided
Her dad was in a citizen’s band radio club. She met her future husband, a CB fan, when he visited the Coad home. They were married in 1969 and raised their family in Mount Greenwood.
After her husband’s death, she enrolled at St. Xavier University and got a degree in religious studies and was a substitute teacher at Mother McAuley High School.
She enjoyed playing cards, golfing and trips with other firefighter widows to the Riviera Maya region of Mexico.
At family gatherings, she always wanted people to connect with each other — to the point that she once disconnected the satellite dish at her house so relatives and friends would talk to one another rather than watch TV.
Mrs. Coglianese also is survived by her son Matthew; sisters MaryRose Balassone, Geraldine Howe, Kathleen Turek, Bernadette Hughes, Rosella Lichtenstein and two grandchildren.
Visitation is from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Blake Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn and at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave., followed by her funeral there at 11 a.m. Thursday.
A fire in Des Plaines that killed four children and their mother in January likely started at least seven minutes before anyone called 911.
And firefighters were “challenged by a rapidly evolving scene” that included more victims than initially expected and fire blocking the only stairwell to the family’s apartment.
That’s according to a 43-page report released Tuesday by the Des Plaines Fire Department that provides a timeline and video of the city’s response to the blaze at 714 W. Oakton St.
The cause of the Jan. 27 fire remains undetermined, but the report said the blaze began at the top of the only stairwell leading to the second-floor apartment where the family was found. A space heater and extension cord were found in the area.
The apartment had a second exit — a small balcony — but it didn’t have stairs to the ground level, the report states.
A photo from the city’s report shows the top of the stairwell where the Jan. 27 fire apparently started.Des Plaines Fire Department report
According to a timeline of events, surveillance video shows a bright flash of light in the second-floor window at 10:03 a.m., indicting a possible fire. It wasn’t until 10:10 a.m. that a 911 call was received, and it took another two minutes until the caller could provide an address.
A Des Plaines police officer was the first responder to arrive, at 10:16 a.m., and survey the building and help remove two people safely from the building. An ambulance arrived at 10:17 a.m., and the first fire engine arrived at 10:19 a.m.
Firefighters, hearing that two children may be trapped on the second floor, encountered “significant” smoke and fire, and knocked down flames with a hose, the report states. Within seconds, crews found the first victim in a bedroom and four others in another room.
A casket for one of the Espinosa children killed in a house fire is carried into the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a funeral Mass on Feb. 9, 2021.Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic
The fatalities were Cythaly Zamodio, 25, and her daughters: Grace Espinosa, 1; Allizon V. Espinosa, 3; Genesis A. Espinosa, 5; and Renata P. Espinosa, 6. At the time, a neighbor said their father was work during the fire.
The report states that the department’s response to the fire satisfied standards set by the National Fire Protection Association and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Firefighters made a valiant effort to give those trapped a chance to survive by locating them and removing them from the hazardous conditions,” the report states. “The efforts of all those involved are to be commended.”
Des Plaines, a northwest suburb with about 58,000 residents, was rattled by the fatal fire — its worst in over a generation.
At the time, Des Plaines Fire Chief Daniel Anderson said it was his “worst day” in nearly 30 years on the job.
Robinson and the Bears appear to be at odds in regards to their current contract negotiations as there have been no discussions between the two sides since September of last year. Robinson has taken to social media to take cryptic shots at the Bears while his agent has been highly critical of off-season comments made by Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace.
Tuesday’s move likely will do nothing in resolving the tension between Robinson and the Bears’ front office. What the transaction does do is buy the Bears more time to work out a long-term contract extension with Robinson. With the franchise tag applied, the Bears and Robinson have until July 15 to come to terms on a long-term contract extension. If the two sides are unable to come to terms, Robinson will play the 2021 season with a cap hit of $16,430,000.
So, what is next for Allen Robinson and the Chicago Bears going forward?
For Robinson and the Bears, they now have until July to come to terms on a long-term contract extension. For all sides involved, a long-term extension between the Bears and Robinson is what is best. Robinson receives the long-term security that he has been seeking whereas the Bears are able to keep their primary receiver in the fold. The tag also allows the Bears to figure out their salary cap situation first before finalizing an extension for Robinson.
Bears placed franchise tag on WR Allen Robinson, per source.
What if Robinson and the Chicago Bears are unable to reach a long-term deal?
If a long-term deal is not finalized between the Bears and Robinson, then chances are the 2021 season will be the last season that Robinson plays for them. Robinson has not been shy of his criticism over how the Bears (specifically Pace) have handled negotiations. It stands that if no deal is reached in July, that would be the nail in the coffin for any potential long-term future for Robinson with the Bears.
What’s next for the Chicago Bears in terms of their 2021 offseason plans?
All eyes are on the quarterback position. Quarterback is without question the most important need that the Bears have. Russell Wilson has been the priority for the Bears this off-season. With Robinson being tagged, the Bears now can put all their attention towards acquiring the Seahawks’ pro-bowl quarterback.
Not to mention, if the Bears were to acquire Wilson, the team would have time to make room within the salary cap for an extension of Robinson by July 15. For now, we know that Allen Robinson will be with the Chicago Bears in 2021.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – JANUARY 29: Former NFL player Kyle Long speaks onstage during day one with SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on January 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Former Chicago Bears offensive guard/tackle Kyle Long is planning to come out of retirement after one season out of the league. This is according to Macon Gunter, who is an insider on the Green Light Podcast, hosted by Kyle’s older brother Chris Long. Kyle Long, 31, made three Pro Bowls during his seven seasons with the team.
Long originally retired on January 6th, 2020 and the team declined his option which made him a free agent despite his retirement. Due to this, Long is free to sign with whomever he desires as he would no longer be under contract.
Long played in 77 games for the Bears during his tenure, making 76 starts. Most of his starts came on the interior of the offensive line. However, he started 16 games at tackle in 2015, and he even made the Pro Bowl.
The Bears, who are planning to release right tackle Bobby Massie, could definitely use Long’s services. With the Jaguars tagging Cam Robinson, Kyle Long’s return replenishes the offensive linemen market which is filled with great veteran talents.
Three-time Pro Bowl OL Kyle Long is returning to the NFL. He is 315 lbs., healthy, happy, nasty, and shredded, and has signed with Jeff Nalley of Select Sports Group.
If Chicago wants to bring Kyle Long back, it would take some money. It could also demand a bit of reconciliation. Long has been very outspoken in his criticisms of head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. Even once saying he would not come back to play for the team under the current staff.
“Ryan Pace has hit on some late-round draft picks. Ryan Pace has also missed some fastballs on hitter’s counts,” Long said.
Additionally in the interview, Long was asked about still wanting to play.
“Everybody still wants to play,” Long said. “Can you still play is the question and I don’t know the answer to that. I may be seeking that answer until the day I die.”
Recently, Long has said that he still loves Chicago and would love for the fanbase to have a Super Bowl eventually. Long was a fan favorite so bringing him back would be a great move if he can stay healthy.
I hope all my former teammates win Super Bowls in Chicago and the fans get to flood the park and dye the river orange. I really really mean that, I just see so many opportunities to crack jokes and be salty. Don’t get it confused with I want the bears to do poorly. I don’t
With the Bears seeming to build a trade package for Russell Wilson, Kyle Long returning to the Bears could be a fantastic signing for the right price. The fans would no doubt love to see it.
This week, the Chicago Bears will likely go through some drastic changes, and the release of Bobby Massie is only the beginning.
The Bears announced they were declining Massie’s option for the 2021 season, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Bears’ starting right tackle for the past five seasons, Massie made huge strides in Chicago after coming over from the Arizona Cardinals.
Due to the salary cap changing for the 2021 season, Massie is one of many cuts which are going to happen around the NFL this offseason. Several cuts have already been announced, but more are on the way.
The Bears were going to part with either Massie or Charles Leno, or maybe even both, before the offseason is over. First and foremost, it’s about saving money. However, the close second reason is due to a blatant decline in play for Leno in particular. Massie’s issue is his recent struggle to stay healthy.
Needless to say, Chicago needs an offensive tackle or two before they take the field in 2021. But, didn’t they need one last year as well?
Going into the 2020 NFL Draft, most would have assumed the Bears come away with at least a mid-round tackle to compete with Leno or Massie. Offensive line was a major need, and Ryan Pace had to address it.
Instead, Pace skipped offensive line altogether in the first six rounds before finally taking seventh round fliers on two guys whom would never make an impact: Lachavious Simmons and Arlington Hambright.
Pace got lucky that Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars were able to step up in place of some injuries last year, but this year will be different. The Bears are not only declining Massie’s option but also not bringing back Rashaad Coward.
Frankly, neither one of them should have been brought back, so Pace is making the correct call with both. But, that means this year’s draft has to see the Bears take a serious approach when it comes to the offensive line.
Look, the Bears may end up with a quarterback like Russell Wilson if the stars align. But, even if they don’t, Pace has to find a better quarterback solution. His job depends on it.
That quarterback, whomever it is, must be protected. Without Massie, Pace absolutely must take an offensive tackle in the first three rounds next month. There is zero excuse for him skipping out on offensive line until the later rounds this year.
Pace likes to get cute and try to be the smartest man in the room at times with some of his picks, but he had to be kidding himself if he thought Simmons or Hambright were going to offer this roster anything of real value.
Leno is the best offensive tackle on the roster right now, and even if you count Bars as a potential tackle, that still holds true. Bars is better suited at guard, and should offer Chicago some great depth there going forward.
Tackle remains a question, and it is now more important than ever for Pace to take this position seriously. This is a position that successful teams have locked down, but the Bears haven’t drafted an offensive tackle higher than the fifth round since 2011. That has to change, and it has to change this year.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, already can feel surreal, with its cavernous duty-free stores, artificial palm trees, water cascades and near-Arctic levels of air-conditioning.
Now, the key east-west transit hub is rolling out another addition from the realm of science fiction — an iris-scanner to verifies each traveler’s identity, eliminating the need for any human interaction when entering or leaving the country.
It’s the latest artificial intelligence program the United Arab Emirates has launched amid the surging coronavirus pandemic — contact-less technology the government promotes as helping to stem the spread of the virus.
But the efforts also have renewed questions about mass surveillance in the federation of seven sheikhdoms, which experts believe has among the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world.
Dubai’s airport started offering the program to all passengers last month.
Travelers step up to an iris scanner after checking in, give it a good look and breeze through passport control in seconds.
No longer needed here: paper tickets or unwieldy phone apps.
In recent years, airports across the world have accelerated their use of facial recognition technology to move passengers more quickly to their flights.
But Dubai’s iris scan is a step up from the more commonplace automated gates seen elsewhere, authorities there say, connecting the iris data to the country’s facial recognition databases so passengers need no identifying documents or boarding pass.
They say the unusual partnership between long-haul carrier Emirates, owned by a Dubai sovereign wealth fund, and the Dubai immigration office integrates the data and carries travelers from check-in to boarding in one fell swoop.
“The future is coming,” said Major Gen. Obaid Mehayer Bin Suroor, deputy director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs. “Now, all the procedures have become ‘smart’ — around five to six seconds.”
But, like all facial recognition technology, the program fuels fears of vanishing privacy in a country that has faced international criticism for targeting journalists and human rights activists.
According to Emirates’ biometric privacy statement, the airline links passengers’ faces with other personally identifying data, including passport and flight information, retaining it for “as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.”
The agreement offered few details about how the data will be used and stored beyond saying that, although the company didn’t make copies of passengers’ faces, other personal data “can be processed in other Emirates’ systems.”
Bin Suroor said that Dubai’s immigration office “completely protects” passengers’ personal data so that “no third party can see it.”
Without more information about how data will be used or stored, though, biometric technology raises the possibility of misuse, experts say.
“Any kind of surveillance technology raises red flags regardless of what kind of country it’s in,” said Jonathan Frankle, a doctoral student in artificial intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “But, in a democratic country, if the surveillance technology is used transparently, at least there’s an opportunity to have a public conversation about it.”
Iris scans require people to stare into a camera. They have become more widespread worldwide in recent years as questions have arisen over the accuracy of facial recognition technology. Iris biometrics are considered more reliable than surveillance cameras that scan people’s faces from a distance without their knowledge or consent.
Despite concerns about overzealous surveillance in the United Arab Emirates, the country’s vast facial recognition network appears to be expanding. Last month, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also is Dubai’s ruler, announced without giving any details that the country would begin trials of new facial recognition technology to cut down on paperwork in “some private sector services.”
During the pandemic, the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai has advanced an array of technological tools to fight the virus in malls and on streets, including disinfectant foggers, thermal cameras and face scans that check for masks and take temperatures.
The programs use cameras that can record and upload people’s data, potentially feeding the information into the city-state’s wider biometric databases.
A man goes through an automated gate after he passed through the face and iris-recognition gate to board a plane at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates,Kamran Jebreili / AP
I have always been close with white women. Not casual “Let’s grab a coffee and catch up” (but only sorta meaning it) relationships. These are friendships of serious connection — in some cases, we’re like sisters. These women have, for the most part, fit seamlessly into my diverse circle of mostly Black girlfriends. Despite our different ethnic backgrounds, we share similar upbringings, educations, interests, and ambitions.
My very first white friend grew up in the house next door and taught the super-indoorsy me to climb trees while simultaneously fostering my obsession with the Nutcracker. And I met the woman I call SuperAce when we were in our crazy 20s working in politics. She inadvertently gave me mononucleosis during our daily ritual of a shared bagel and coffee. I have loved these women just as much as I’ve loved the women of color who also embrace my quirks and strengths and appreciate my saucy humor and unwavering loyalty. Our racial differences are obvious yet not obstacles.
Eleven years ago, I moved back to the Midwest from Houston. That’s when my relationships with white women changed. I’d lived in 10 cities in 10 years and had developed close relationships with women of many shades. I figured Chicago would be no different. I was so wrong.
When I had my baby girl the day after my 41st birthday, I needed a new community. My handful of existing friends in Chicago had already raised their babies and were wrestling tweens and teenagers. I pushed my daughter’s stroller around my mostly white North Side neighborhood — to the park and coffee shops and grocery stores. I joined local mom groups and invited complete strangers to my house for playdates, but those requests were largely ignored. And I felt like an outsider among the few mom friends I’d managed to make.
I’ve learned I’m not the only Black woman who has arrived in Chicago and struggled to find common ground with white women — who in some cases have never spent much time around Black people. I don’t talk about race with them for fear of putting myself in that awkward situation the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris describes as the “trapdoor of racism,” in which a “slip of the tongue” that’s “not always anticipated” pops up like a hormonal pimple: ugly and painful. It’s happened more times than I care to remember. So I’ve kept these women at arm’s length, and they, gathering without me to support each other as they navigate new motherhood, have done the same. It has been lonely.
That’s in part what inspired this look at Black women and white women (and one nonbinary person) who are the closest of friends: I wanted to understand how these duos met and how they sustain relationships in a notoriously segregated city. I asked them about how being of different races has informed and affected their friendships. Their answers, for me, were unexpected: like the baby boomers who have strikingly similar backgrounds despite growing up in a deeply segregated society; the white mom who has been intentional about living in Black neighborhoods; and the childhood best friends who were never afraid of discussing race because of their shared faith.
JAQUIE & REGINA
Regina McGraw
70, Arcadia Terrace (right)
Jaquie and I met about 10 years ago through a mutual friend who set us up on a blind friend date because he knew we would connect. The three of us went to a restaurant. We instantly clicked: We have both dedicated our careers to advocacy and community organizing, and we make each other laugh. I know, for example — and this isn’t a true concern — that if the FBI showed up at her door and said, “Regina’s a terrorist,” she would say, “Go eff yourself.” That’s my criterion for friendship.
One of the reasons our friendship has worked is because I’ve really been intentional about learning about racism and have not thought, Oh, it’ll just come to me. I am aware her experiences are going to be different. When we were in Prague, we came out of the subway and the cops stopped us to see if we had our tickets stamped. It was one of those things where I wondered if they treated us badly because Jaquie was Black.
I remember the first time Jaquie told me about her son, Langston. Here’s Jaquie, this woman I love, whose 19-year-old son was shot in 1995 while helping his friend move, and I will never look at gun violence the same way. Of course, I knew that the killing of young Black men was a horrible, horrible thing, but I had thought about it in a general way. With Langston, I had a picture in my mind of this handsome young man being murdered, and it just magnified the horror.
When people you love have experienced systemic racism in various ways, there’s no way you can just sit back and watch it happen. It’s the injuries that people of color face on a daily basis that just wear away the soul. They are like bruises. Bruise after bruise eventually is going to affect how you view yourself and the world.
Jaquie Algee
69, Roseland (left)
Regina and I aren’t timid. We have the kind of relationship where we can always say what we feel, especially about race. We live in very different neighborhoods. Mine on the South Side is primarily Black, hers on the North Side is not. But when she asked me during the uprising last summer if I was hearing gunfire and helicopters, I didn’t take offense to it because I knew she was asking out of concern for me, not just lumping my neighborhood into one filled with violence. I might not have felt that way if someone else had asked me.
One day I was at an event and heard two Black men discussing systemic racism and listing a litany of reasons Black-on-Black crime occurs. The lack of jobs, education, good housing. After a while, I’d had enough. I told them my grandparents had come to Chicago uneducated and they worked themselves up to have a decent life. I told them that what’s missing is the moral fabric, and there’s no reason why we should have our kids out here getting killed, like my son, because someone doesn’t have a good school to go to or they don’t have a job. The men didn’t want to hear that. Later I was still upset, and I told Regina and I figured she would agree with me. I had to explain to her that while I understand why those young brothers feel that way, I’m still not condoning violence. And Regina, being white, didn’t understand those men in the same way I did, and she and I talked about it.
She listens and has opinions when we talk about race, which I’m open to. I know I can talk to her about anything — politics, my frustrations with white people, my frustrations with Black people — from an honest viewpoint. I think there’s a divide between whites and Blacks because both sides create that. You have to tear down those barriers. Regina and I are an exception to the rule.
MOLLY & CHI
Chinyere Nwosu
32, Humboldt Park (right)
I was at a party at Indiana University with my friends and we saw this cute little baby-blue cabriolet with a white stripe. I remember thinking, like, Whoever’s in that car, I need to know them. It was Molly.
When I was in my 20s, I came out to Molly as gay, and she was like, “Dude, that’s dope.” With my Black friends and queer friends, who are mostly people of color, I feel like I’ll bring up specific race stuff that I know they will understand because it’s an experience that we share together. So I think that maybe lightens the burden on me and Molly’s relationship because I don’t depend on her to be the outlet for that. We can just kick it and have a good time.
I taught Molly a few things about Black culture, like my experiences with getting relaxers or being friends with somebody who was a little bit lighter skinned. I would talk about the different dynamics that would happen when you go to the club, how guys want to dance with the pretty light-skinned girl. I didn’t quite fit in with white kids. I didn’t quite fit in with Black kids because I was like a weird African girl. I think Molly understood because she would ask me questions, really try to gain a deeper understanding.
She’s also really clear about when she doesn’t understand something. We were watching trash TV, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and Kim was glammed up on screen, with her baby hairs laid as part of her look. I laughed and remarked that baby hairs are a tinge appropriative. Molly asked for more detail, and I explained to her the history of Black hair in this country and the pressure to adhere to a white European aesthetic, “neatness” and professionalism, and my interpretation of what “laying down edges,” or “baby hairs,” means beyond just the look. I also explained that when a Kardashian has her baby hairs done, it becomes a fast-fashion trend that often ignores the deeper conversation of history, access, and visibility. Molly doesn’t ask questions like strangers do, where the expectation is for me to be the educator. I know her heart, and we share knowledge equally.
Molly Sanford
30, Humboldt Park (left)
After I gave Chi a ride in my car and we hung out, they scribbled their name on a piece of paper and left it on my fridge, like it was a one-night stand. I told my boyfriend, “I met my best friend last night.” The next day, Chi came over, and we’ve been so close ever since.
When I was 21, I got pregnant, and moved to Chicago, with no family, to be near my daughter’s father. Chi moved here to be with me and basically helped me raise my daughter from the time she was 1 year old until she was 4. Chi’s family is having trouble accepting them as queer, and my family has completely embraced them. We spend holidays together. I can just be who I am.
There was this moment where we were hanging out with some friends and I was the only white woman there. The Black people kind of went on a tirade about white people and how annoying they are. And I was thinking, This is what it’s like for them? Wow. I felt left out or maybe embarrassed, you know? And I felt kind of ashamed, like, I’m so white right now in this room, which I think is probably a really frequent experience for a Black person in this country. Chi and I have had great conversations about race: Some things they’ve had to accept and some things I’ve had to accept. When we’re together, it’s just us and we don’t think about it.
MICHELLE & EMILY
Michelle Burgess
43, Austin (left)
We met about eight years ago at Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School in the Near West Side. I remember walking up to Emily on the playground and starting a conversation. There was something about the way she talked and the passion in her voice that drew me. We said, “I’d love to get to know you more.” And so we built upon that and used after-school playground time as ours to talk.
I remember telling Emily I am a stay-at-home mom, that I’ve got three young children, and she said, “I don’t normally meet Black women who are stay-at-home moms.” I shook my head and said, “Yes, my husband, their father, is actively engaged in their lives.” It was an aha moment: I realized that I am what some people would think is an anomaly.
Emily and I began having very deep conversations, not dancing around race. But a relationship like this is not for the faint of heart. As a Black woman in America, as a deep-pigment-skinned woman in America, as a woman, period, in America, I’ve had to fight to get my voice heard. We would be talking, for example, in the hallway at school, and certain parents, even teachers, would approach Emily and acknowledge her and want to know her opinion, and they would ignore me, despite me being the head of the Parent Teacher Association. Emily recognizes when this happens and immediately begins to include me in the conversation.
I’ve always felt ignored by society — especially by white people. So when Emily would not respond to my calls or texts, I called her out on it. I needed her to be more attentive in our communication. There was a learning curve for her to understand that because she is dealing with someone who is African American, it is going to require more sensitivity and thought.
Being a Black woman is like walking through a path of half-dried cement. Everything takes a tremendous push because my voice has been muffled. I didn’t want to have to do that with Emily. Conversations with white people can be awkward and sometimes intense. But Emily would ask me very straightforward questions. It was a matter of just questioning each other and giving space for answers and not judging. My greatest gift from Suder was Emily.
Emily Fong
45, Bronzeville (right)
Michelle is just a really effusive person. She’s engaging and loving and kind, and she wants to help everyone feel like they belong. I’m a little more gun-shy when it comes to making friends, so Michelle has this knack for pulling out of me a desire to build friendships with people. She and I talk about things as humans, but there’s also the fact that we are from two different socially defined race groups. That difference informs our friendship in countless ways.
Let me explain. I don’t intentionally “ghost” people, but I am an introvert. Sometimes I just feel overwhelmed and pull back, or I will even go through times when I have no contact with anyone. Michelle told me it hurt her, and that she was imagining me being in touch with the white people we knew more than I was with her. It doesn’t even matter if she can logically think it through and be like, Well, Emily is telling me that that’s not true; she treats everybody that way. It still sometimes triggers painful experiences: All her experiences with white girls, and white women as she got older, were informing how she was seeing that. She was being really honest with me about it and told me, “I know that maybe this isn’t just me, but it still hurts me.”
And it has changed the way that I interact with her. It made me aware of the fact that I needed to know that every little decision I made or anything that I do in this friendship can be defined by the trauma that she’s been through. Because our friendship is so important to me, it was significant for me to put what she was saying to me first. I wouldn’t necessarily do that for anybody, but I would do that for sure for Michelle.
BRIDGET & JOCELYN
Shoot Location: 21c Suite Courtesy of 21c Museum Hotel Chicago; Photo Assistant: Jessica Jones
Jocelyn Reynolds
38, Northbrook (right)
Bridget was my very first friend. We don’t remember not being friends. I lived on one block in Glencoe, and she lived on the next. Our parents were friends, as we were both raised in a Baha’i household — my parents moved to the North Shore to work in the U.S. Baha’i National Center. I was raised in a household that was passionate about the Black-white issue. In the Baha’i faith, we believe that we are all one people, all one humanity.
For our entire lives, when we are together, sometimes people have looked at us with disapproval, like, What are those two doing together? And for us, it’s like, What is your problem with it? Eighteen or 20 years ago, we were downtown at a restaurant eating and someone passed by us. I don’t remember the comment, but it was like they were disgusted seeing us together. It’s not as if I don’t think color matters. But in the end, we are both human beings and spiritual beings, and Bridget is like my sister. I don’t know anything different. Despite her being a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman who doesn’t look like me, we’ve always loved each other. In this country we need to see these relationships like they are normal.
The only challenge we sometimes have is understanding one another’s experiences. There may be something I find challenging around being Black, and she may not completely understand it. But she’s not like, “I’m uncomfortable with this conversation because I don’t understand it.” It’s like, “OK, tell me more about it. Let’s start.” When we discussed my anxiety and fear about my son living and going to school in Northbrook and possibly being the only Black child in his class, she didn’t initially understand. I explained to her that teachers might not give him the attention he needs, try to put him in lower-level classes even if he excels, or treat him differently for negative behavior because he’s Black. She had empathy because my son is special to her too, and she would never want him to have those experiences.
Bridget Mora
37, Jefferson Park (left)
Jocelyn — I call her Ja — and I laugh because when we go out, we see and talk about how people react to us. We get funny comments sometimes, but good ones for the most part. People will just say, “Now that’s a beautiful thing.” [Laughs.] A lot of people have an appreciation of seeing Black and white together. I feel like it’s not a big deal.
I can remember from my youngest age her discomfort in some places. We didn’t talk about it, but I just could see it. Like even getting in the car going to school, because we’d carpool, I could sense it. And it just seemed like a sad feeling.
Jocelyn is kind, loyal, forgiving, patient, thoughtful, beautiful, positive, fun, loving, giving, an incredible mother, and a true friend to me. She knows me and has been there for me, and she will always be there for me. I know I will always be there for her too. We have had a bond of love since before we can remember. She is family to me, like a sister, even though we don’t talk every day.
It really upsets me [begins to sob] that she has to worry about her 6-year-old son for something he shouldn’t have to worry about. I worry about how my kids do in school and if they’re going to make friends, but when you have to worry about how someone’s going to treat your child, you just know there’s a lot of pain in the world.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 05: Ezekiel Elliott #21 and Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys talks with Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks after the Cowboys defeated the Seahawks 24-22 in the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have been in the Russell Wilson rumor mill for a few weeks now. We don’t know for sure if the Seattle Seahawks are actually going to trade him but it would be nice to see the Bears finally get that franchise guy after 100 years of having the wrong guy. The impact that this guy would have on this city both on and off the field would be as big as any athlete ever. The Bears were on his list of four teams that he would go to if he had to leave the Seahawks.
The Chicago Bears road to Wilson might have just gotten a little easier this week.
The future Hall of Fame Seahawks quarterback named the Chicago Bears as a team he would go to in addition to the New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, and Dallas Cowboys. Well, the Cowboys are officially out of that sweepstakes as they finally inked Dak Prescott to a new deal. It is a long complicated deal that is going to make him a very well-paid quarterback. Adam Schefter has all of the details of the deal on his Twitter.
We wondered if that deal was ever going to happen. It has been a topic of conversation in the football world for over a year now. It would have made a lot of sense to trade Prescott and then go trade for Wilson. Instead, they signed him and pretty much took their name out of the hat.
As for the other three teams, the Saints feel like the most likely (besides the Seahawks). Drew Brees hasn’t announced his retirement yet but it sounds like it could be the case. They have Taysom Hill there and could be bringing back Jameis Winston but Wilson would be a great fit if they really wanted to go in that direction.
There have been some other reports out there that Wilson is intrigued by the Bears for a variety of reasons so you just never know. With the way things are going, this is starting to get exciting. The Dak Prescott news is good news for Bears fans as of right now.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 19: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks acknowledges the crowd after getting his 1000th career point on an assist on a goal by Brandon Saad in the third period with against the Winnipeg Jets at the United Center on January 19, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Jets 5-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a lot of great moments so far this season. They are playing better than expected and a few different Blackhawks have reached some pretty awesome milestones. Well, there is another milestone to behold in tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars. Patrick Kane is going to play in his 1000th career game. They all happened to come with the team that drafted him first overall back in 2007. It has been quite the journey for number 88 and it is going to be fun to celebrate him.
This game will be played in Dallas and it is the first of six straight on the road. As a result, the Hawks won’t be able to honor his 1000th until they return but it will be worth the wait. Those are special nights as a fan because so many memories are attached to his legendary career as a Blackhawk. These milestones keep getting more and more impressive as he builds on a Hall of Fame legacy.
Kane will become only the seventh player in the history of the Blackhawks to reach 1000 games. He is nine games away from catching Bob Murray’s sixth place record of 1008 games. He is 379 games away from catching Stan Mikita for the most in the history of the team. He has quite a lot of hockey to play before he reaches that milestone but he absolutely has a chance to get there.
Just a couple of games ago, Patrick Kane scored his 400th career goal. He also has 660 assists for 1060 points which is the fourth most in the history of the team. So far this season, he is second in the league in scoring with 38 points (11 goals and 27 assists). In addition to all of the statistics and accolades, he has matured into one of the leaders on the team. This is a guy who is the complete package when you think of offensive players.
In the 1000 games, he has earned some personal awards. We all know about how much playoff success he has had with the three Stanley Cups and Conn Smythe Trophy. His regular-season play has been just as excellent as you can tell by the stats. It has earned him an Art Ross Trophy, Calder Trophy, Hart Trophy, and a Ted Lindsay Award throughout his career. All of this warrants extra celebration for a player reaching 1000 games. This isn’t just your durable above-average player. This is a legend in the history of Chicagosports.
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