The Chicago Reporter's 50th Anniversary Celebration Event Program and Speaker Bios

In honor of the Chicago Reporter's 50th Anniversary, CRS hosted an in-person event to celebrate TCR’s 50 years of investigative reporting on racial equality. The program included remarks by Richard Steele and proclamations and resolutions from Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago City Council. The keynote, Perspectives on Race, Poverty and Social Justice, was given by Karen Freeman-Wilson, President & CEO of Chicago Urban League.

Event Program and Speaker Bios

Art Sims: Radio personality Art “Chat Daddy” Sims has been an essential voice on Chicago media landscape for the past 26 years. He is currently the executive producer of “Real Talk, Real People” with Chat Daddy. It’s a nightly entertainment magazine show on the legendary WVON 1690 heard globally on iHeartRadio.

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson: Wilson took the helm of the Chicago Urban League in January 2020. As President and CEO, Freeman-Wilson has been a national voice for dismantling institutional racism and growing black wealth by supporting black businesses, expanding educational opportunities for youth, promoting home ownership and developing the next generation of black civic leaders. Prior to joining the League, Freeman-Wilson served eight years as mayor of her hometown, Gary, Indiana and was the first woman to lead the legacy city and the first Black female mayor in Indiana.