Events and Guest Speakers
January 15, 2026
Sugarcane Documentary Screening
Post-screening discussion with director Julian Brave Noisecat.
Sugarcane by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Set amidst a ground-breaking investigation into abuse and death at an Indian residential school, the film empowers participants to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths – and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide. Description adapted from promotional material.
Co-sponsors: Public Narrative, Build Coffee and Books, Center for Native Futures.
February 25, 2026
Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice Launch Event
Featuring a briefing with former Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Report ICE Now.
The official launch of the Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice, an innovative new resource for the local media community. A collaboration between DePaul and Public Narrative.
The event featured a briefing with former mayor Lori Lightfoot on Report ICE Now, a platform to increase transparency and accountability with ICE activities.
December 2, 2025
Covering Courage: Journalism's Role in Movement Building
A conversation on Trayvon Martin’s legacy, the story that broke hearts and opened eyes to a new era of activism.
Trymaine Lee, award-winning journalist and author of A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America, and Vondale Singleton, founder and CEO of C.H.A.M.P.S. Male Mentoring, visit for a powerful conversation about truth, justice, and the role of journalism in shaping national consciousness. Moderated by South Side Weekly's Malik Jackson.
Co-sponsor: Public Narrative
Institute Workshops
Professional development for local independent journalists
May 8 2026
Freelance Bootcamp
A full day of skills bootcamp and networking with Chicago’s hyperlocal, independent media community. The bootcamp featured hands-on sessions for skills refreshing and creating content with a racial equity lens. The afternoon featured presentations, panels, pitch sessions and networking.
October 6, 2026
Discovery and Networking Session
A discovery session to gain insights on the unique needs of freelance journalists, bridging design thinking and capacity building to achieve optimum retention and sustainability of freelancers in Chicago’s media ecosystem.
Co-sponsors: Public Narrative, Reparations Media, Medill Local News Accelerator.