What if the most important thing growing in a community garden isn’t food? 🌱 On Chicago’s West Side, paid urban agriculture programs are giving young people space to work, lead and imagine what comes next. Read our latest story: www.15west.org/featured/on-...

On the West Side, the Farm Is the Classroom

Two West Side agriculture programs show how paid work, responsibility and belief in young people can widen the futures they imagine

15west.org

Spotted in the wild: 15 West in print! 😍

The biggest misconception about Local School Councils? They don’t do anything. Local School Councils remain the most direct way West Side residents can influence decisions at their neighborhood schools. But participation remains a challenge. @15west.org reports: blockclubchi.co/4yMKpbH

Nelly brought the 2000s to Brookfield Zoo on July 25. 🎶 But how does a zoo become a concert venue? Learn how: www.15west.org/brookfield-z...

A new athletic field opened in #Berwyn. Just steps away, a pile of dirt tells a different story. Read more about it: www.15west.org/featured/whe...

‘Where Are Kids Supposed to Go?’

David Avila asked the question while opening Berwyn's newest athletic field. Just steps away, a pile of dirt marks a flood relief project that remains on hold.

15west.org

Same Keyne, same 🥹. I got an email from the post office to check our P.O. Box and was absolutely gagged to see that @15west.org, in its infancy, had been awarded 2nd Place for Youth Emerging Audiences by Local Media Association. Thank y’all for recognizing us! Oh, and GOOO SPAIN 😤! #goool

At Jem Junkies, custom grillz and tooth gems are both craft and care 💎 Learn how co-founders Kristy Ramsey and Kimberly “Kim” Randall built a Black- and queer-owned Chicago studio are building clients up through safety, design, and confidence with NaBeela’s story: www.15west.org/featured/jem...

Can plastic be redeemed? Our latest story explores artist Cody Norman, whose coral-like sculptures at Garfield Park Conservatory transformed discarded plastics into forms of adaptation, repair, and possibility. Read NaBeela (@nabeelawashington.com)’s full story: www.15west.org/featured/cod...

“Black people need services too,” Asia Bee said. Her Austin nonprofit, Darrin’s Voice, supports autistic youth and families through creative programming, caregiver resources, and community-centered care. Read NaBeela (@nabeelawashington.com)’s full story for 15 West: www.15west.org/featured/one...

🚨 A FOIA response from Chicago Fire Dept. confirms the cause is listed as undetermined because collapse and heavy damage made it impossible for investigators to safely determine an exact origin. Residents described how quickly conditions changed inside their homes.

15 West@15west.org · 4mo ago

🚨 DEVELOPING—A fire burned through at least two residential homes in West Garfield Park this morning. Chicago Fire and Police are on scene. Residents gather as crews work to contain the blaze. More details as they become available. #WestGarfieldPark #Chicago #BreakingNews #15West

The Continental Pageant is more than a competition. It's set the stage for performance, legacy, community, and queer resilience ❤️ Founded in Chicago in the 80s, the pageant continues to shape drag pageantry locally and beyond. Read Alondra Carmona’s full story: www.15west.org/featured/ins...

A new Little Village mural is turning grief into a public call for cancer prevention. Residents gathered for the unveiling of “En Memoria a las Víctimas de Cáncer,” honoring community members lost to cancer and urging prevention, screening, and care 🎗️ Explore our latest story by Araceli Ramirez.

REPOST from our student reporter, Erica Afenya: “I had the privilege of attending the 49th annual Peter Lisagor awards on behalf of 15 West. Thank you to Chicago Headline Club Foundation for having me!”

🚨 DEVELOPING—A fire burned through at least two residential homes in West Garfield Park this morning. Chicago Fire and Police are on scene. Residents gather as crews work to contain the blaze. More details as they become available. #WestGarfieldPark #Chicago #BreakingNews #15West

Access shouldn't depend on your ZIP code 🚫 Our latest story explores data from @cdph.bsky.social and disability access on Chicago's West Side, where residents face uneven infrastructure and limited neighborhood resources.

So so so proud of my neighbors! We did that y’all 🥹. #BerwynProud

15 West@15west.org · 4mo ago

101 lbs. 13 volunteers. 2 hours. 😮‍💨 Earlier today, neighbors across #Berwyn came together for our FIRST block cleanup — and they weren’t playing around. 3 routes. 13 bags. Over 100 lbs of trash off our streets, alleys, and litter hot spots near train tracks.

101 lbs. 13 volunteers. 2 hours. 😮‍💨 Earlier today, neighbors across #Berwyn came together for our FIRST block cleanup — and they weren’t playing around. 3 routes. 13 bags. Over 100 lbs of trash off our streets, alleys, and litter hot spots near train tracks.

👀 Have you heard? Today is #LocalNewsDay, a day to celebrate the local news you trust and info that keeps our communities informed. At 15 West, we’re honored to serve the West Side of Chicago and suburbs every day. Support local by reading our latest stories on 15west.org and/or subscribing.

Every time I'm in Pittsburgh, @alternatehistories.bsky.social is on my list for a visit. Their art is delightful, and their latest shirt design is raising funds for a group that does rapid response training for safely witnessing and documenting immigration enforcement activity

Alternate Histories@alternatehistories.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Abolish ICE shirts are BACK in black and a new heather gray, along with stickers too! Hurry, they're only on sale until April 10! Printed at Commonwealth Press, a union shop in Pittsburgh, and net proceeds benefit Frontline Dignity. www.compressmerch.com/collections/...

Humans vs trash, 2-0 😤. Join us this #earthday & #localnewsday for a #Berwyn community cleanup in Ward 2. Use this form to request cleanup on your block: bit.ly/BerwynWard2C... DM or Email programs@luckyjefferson.com to volunteer!

One of our own @nabeelawashington.com 🥹

Metcalf Institute@metcalfuri.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Congrats to the three fellows chosen for the 2026 Metcalf Ocean Nexus Academy (MONA)! We're excited to welcome @gaeacabico.bsky.social, @jgasspoore.bsky.social, and @nabeelawashington.com to the URI campus in Kingston, May 4-6. 🌊 @uprootproject.bsky.social ow.ly/WLWc50Yy7YG

For #OakPark residents, the upcoming March 17 referendum on a $40 million indoor aquatic center is raising questions, mainly because the ballot doesn’t mention that the Ridgeland Common outdoor pool would be replaced.

For more than 20 years, Anita Piotrowski kept a sketch tucked in a drawer. Then she retired, and used fabric to bring it to life.

For longtime #LittleVillage residents, September 2025 was unlike anything they had ever seen. And even though the National Guard withdrew from their operation in December, fear stayed behind.

ALL MY CHICAGO PEOPLE. LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARIAN: Don’t know which judicial candidates to vote for this primary election? @injusticewatch.org has researched all of the candidates for their 2026 Cook County judicial election guide. #CheckYourJudges 2026primary.injusticewatch.org

March 2026 Cook County Judicial Election Guide | Injustice Watch

Injustice Watch's guide to the March 2026 Cook County judicial primary elections.

2026primary.injusticewatch.org

8% of Illinois Muslims identify as Hispanic. For Chicago’s Latino Muslim community, finding a space that felt like home meant building one yourself. For years, that’s exactly what Ojala Foundation has been doing in Berwyn: a home for Latino Muslims, and a neighbor to everyone else.

How often have you seen Palestinian children smiling? A Chicago exhibition called “Between Sky and Sea” aimed to change that.

Mayor Frey: "I just saw a video of more than 6 masked agents pummeling one of our constituents and shooting him to death…How many times must local and national leaders must plead with you, Donald Trump, to end this operation and recognize that this is not creating safety in our city."

Celebrating the remaining hours of an unseasonably warm day by honoring the people who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty to build something better. El Paseo Community Garden in Pilsen — once a polluted “brownfield” — is now a sanctuary where land stewardship, culture, and resistance grow.

Here’s the story I’m most proud of writing in 2025. It says what many know. We don’t need more data or another white paper stating the obvious. We need ACTION - leaders with integrity. We need to give communities of color what they need to live FULL, thriving lives. Why is this so hard? 😔

Prism@prismreports.org · 9mo ago

How many are dying from heat in Chicago? The city stopped counting & hasn’t shared the tool that could help, @nabeelawashington.com reports. A heat vulnerability index created by Northwestern University could direct resources to Chicago’s impacted neighborhoods, but it’s locked behind bureaucracy.