Join the Chicago Reader and Haymarket Books for a Reader 50th Anniversary House Party themed around the question of "What's Next for Chicago Politics?"

This roundtable discussion will not only cover what is happening right now in Chicago politics but also give space to imagining a future Chicago that serves the interests of ordinary people, not just the city's wealthy elites.

This event is part of the Chicago Reader's 50th Anniversary celebration, and proceeds will go toward the Reader's Century Fund which aims to ensure another 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning, culture-defining journalism and reporting as we transition to a fully nonprofit newsroom. The fund will ensure that future generations of Reader leadership and staff are prepared to weather whatever comes our way, while providing the investigative and cultural journalism the Reader has been known for during its first five decades.

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Speakers:

Stacy Davis Gates is the Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union. In the fall of 2019 she helped to lead a 15-day strike and to negotiate an historic contract that provides for smaller class sizes, ensures a nurse and social worker in every Chicago public school, secures sanctuary protections for immigrant families, and supports students and families experiencing homelessness. While at the CTU, Davis Gates has been the architect of bold political and legislative campaigns for the schools and city that all Chicagoans deserve.

Ben Joravsky is a Chicago-based journalist, author, and podcast personality. He began reporting on local politics, sports, and city life for the Reader in the early 1980’s, and joined the paper as a full-time staff writer in 1990. Joravsky has won many journalism prizes, including the 2010 Chicago Journalist of the Year Award from the Chicago Journalists Association and the 2011 Illinois Journalist of the Year Award from Northern Illinois University. In addition to covering citywide issues in his long-running Reader column, he hosts the political podcast, The Ben Joravsky Show.

Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez is a mother and resident of the Albany Park neighborhood. Prior to taking office, Alderwoman Rodriguez-Sanchez worked as a youth educator and was involved in community groups as an activist and organizer. Her priorities as Alderwoman include protecting neighborhood affordability, supporting our ward’s immigrant population, young people, and diverse communities, and creating more democratic processes so that ward residents are involved in the decisions that impact their lives.

Kim L. Hunt (moderator) is the executive director of the Pride Action Tank (PAT), a project of AIDS Foundation Chicago, where she also serves as the Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy Operations. She drives the innovation, collaboration and learning necessary to make PAT a leader in improving the health, safety and progress of individuals and groups within the LGBTQ+ community. Kim is the receipt of numerous honors and awards and serves on multiple boards and advisory councils. She is a facilitator for the Aspen Young Leaders Fellowship program and is also a founding co-host of OUTSpoken LGBTQ Storytelling, a monthly show in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago. Hunt is a board member of the Chicago Reader.

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The Chicago Reader is a community-funded newsroom. Every dollar you give helps fund the experienced, diverse journalists and editors producing the Reader. As a 501(c)(3), your donation to the Reader Institute for Community Journalism, publisher of the Chicago Reader, is 100% tax-deductible and supports free, alternative reporting by and for Chicagoans. Make a donation here: https://tinyurl.com/HMReader50