Chicago Defender: The News Stories that Defined Chicago in 2023, Part 1

Black excellence. Black history. Black issues. From our purview, those themes characterized 2023. It was our great pleasure to profile the best and brightest from the realms of business, politics, social justice, sports, the arts and entertainment. We zoomed in on the lives of our history makers. Yet, we also covered those nagging issues plaguing our city.& This year was historic in that Chicago voters elected its third Black mayor ever in Brandon Johnson.& It has also been an “eventful” one for the New Mayor, who has grappled with the migrant issue, a politically manufactured humanitarian crisis impacting our city and others in simple and profound ways. Every year brings about loss, but 2023 was especially painful in that we lost so many of our homegrown luminaries, from Edward and Bettiann Gardner of Soft Sheen to DJ Casper of the “Cha Cha Slide.” If it weren’t for our contributors, we would not have been able to bring you such rich and varied content that genuinely reflects the Black Chicago we know and adore.& Before we present to you our favorite stories of 2023, I want to thank our contributors who delivered rich and meaningful stories for our website and social...