mitchell
Mary A. Mitchell biography
Mary A. Mitchell is an editorial board member and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a recipient of numerous journalism awards, including the prestigious …
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In accepting his fate, Nelson Mandela walked into greatness
In Nelson Mandela’s beloved Soweto, I walked the streets where a protest by schoolchildren was put down with violent force. Any one of those things would be enough to turn a human heart to stone. That is why so many were fascinated by Mandela’s ability to forgive and reconcile with his enemies. His capacity to do so transcended the human condition.
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Grandma’s ‘nightmare’ goes on after murder
MARY MITCHELL: A piece of a parent dies when a child is killed. But when the state has custody of the living link the grieving parent has to the deceased, and refuses to even consider the rights of that parent, it is like killing the parent hopes and dreams over and over again.
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Arlington Heights couple struggles to get home loan modified
My friend Susan Filstead is the most giving person I know. She welcomes her friends into her home with a special treat and warm smile no matter what she is going through. Her graciousness is humbling. You see, Susan has been paralyzed on her left …Read More
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It’s easier to give free turkeys than help the poor leave poverty: Mitchell
When you consider how many organizations handed out free turkeys and groceries this year, you know the need is growing. On Tuesday, “Black and Black Love” hosted its 18th Thanksgiving Food Give-A-Way at Kennedy King College on the South Side.More than 400 families showed up for the donated turkeys and other food items.
Postal worker’s murder keeps spotlight on carrier problems
MARY MITCHELL: Letter carriers across the country are outraged. Tyson Jerome Barnette, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was fatally shot while he was delivering mail last Saturday night. His murder is focusing attention on operating procedures that puts some letter carriers out on the streets delivering mail after dark.
Mail carriers hold vigil to bring attention to assaults during deliveries
In a civilized society, the preacher isn’t too scared to leave the door unlocked during church services. Teachers aren’t reluctant to park in the school’s parking lot. Medical and fire personnel aren’t worried about being shot when they are trying to save a life. Unfortunately, …Read More
Police call veteran’s death a suicide, but mom wants investigation reopened
Elmerre Goggins’ Lake Shore high-rise apartment has been turned into a war room. The cocktail table is stacked high with boxes containing files and her son’s personal papers. The kitchen counter, draped like a shrine, is where her son’s watch, wallet, IDs, keys, driving license …
Time for black leaders to declare African Americans an endangered species?
Right now, homicide is the leading cause of death among black men, according to a recent study by the Florida Atlantic University’s School of Medicine. But African-Americans of both genders and of all ages are getting killed in so many ways, it’s a wonder black people aren’t praying 24/7.
Too many children died under DCFS director’s watch: Mitchell
It is shameful and shocking that more children in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are dying of child abuse and neglect. Chicago Sun-Times reporters Chris Fusco and Monifa Thomas, and Tony Arnold, a reporter for WBEZ, report that abuse …
Dad: Son was victim of bullies, CPS principal didn’t take it seriously
In Joseph Parker’s eyes, his 11-year-old son is a perfect target for bullies. He is a “little guy, wears glasses, and gets A’s and B’s” at an elementary school in a low-income neighborhood where some students have to fend for themselves. Heck, at his son’s …
‘227’ creator brings humor to book about battling Alzheimer’s
I’m sure there were days when Christine Houston, a Chicago native and the creator of the hilarious ’80s sitcom “227,” thought she would never laugh again. Her late husband, Ike Houston, started showing signs of dementia in 1999, but Houston — who was 23 years …
Man provides thousands of books to impoverished areas
When William Hall, 29, pulled up to CHA’s Altgeld Gardens one day last summer, he drew a huge crowd. But Hall wasn’t selling CDs or bootleg DVDs out of his trunk. Hall, a youth minister and founder of “Acts of Love,” was pushing free books. …
McCarthy breaks city’s long-standing racial barriers: Mitchell
At a recent hearing on the city’s budget, sparks flew when Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) accused Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy of not promoting enough African-Americans. But the testy exchange between the city’s top cop and the West Side alderman seemed to run a lot …
In a tough biz like the NFL, bullying unlikely to elicit much sympathy: Mitchell
MARY MITCHELL: And no matter what we tell our kids, many of us don’t have much respect for people who run to the manager complaining about how our co-workers are treating us. Yet bullying in the workplace is no joke. Indeed, sexual harassment and racial discrimination are forms of bullying.
Group aims to stop violent, explicit misogynistic lyrics on radio
A small band of activists is going up against a couple of Goliaths. Calling it the “Clear the Airwaves Project,” protesters are trying to stop two local radio stations from playing music with violent, misogynist and explicitly sexual lyrics. They are trying to do that …
Blackface isn’t funny — especially during Halloween: Mitchell
Nearly 200 years after the first white men used burnt cork to blacken their skin to mock black people, some whites still think it is funny. Are these people ignorant or just belligerent? Every Halloween you can count on some white entertainer or college students …
Tio Hardiman’s wife says she wasn’t punched but was verbally abused: Mitchell
When Alison Hardiman dropped domestic violence charges against her husband, Tio Hardiman, I rolled my eyes. “There goes another one of those “stand-by-your-man at any costs,” I thought, surmising that Hardiman was trying to save her husband’s career. The domestic abuse charges led to her …
Saggy pants simply a ‘disgusting trend’
One of the most appalling sights on TV Tuesday night was the image of a Chicago Police officer taking away a handcuffed Julian High School student. It was bad enough the teenager was being hustled out of school because he was allegedly involved in one …
Al Sharpton aims to raise profiles of local activists — if he can steer clear of city politics
The Rev. Al Sharpton picked up the keys to his West Garfield Park apartment on Sunday afternoon, keeping a vow he made months ago. But unlike the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s move to a slum building in 1966 to put the spotlight on Chicago’s …
The Neitzels get more compassionate media coverage than inner-city drug addicts: Mitchell
I’m already sick of seeing and hearing from the three Lockport women who injected themselves with a flesh-eating drug. Amber Neitzel, 26, and her sister, Angela, 29, are admitted heroin addicts. Their mother, 48-year-old Kim Neitzel, also is addicted to the illegal drug. The women …
