Greetings:

This month’s cover connotes a message of peace. As warmer weather approaches, our hope is for peace in the streets of Chicago, throughout the nation, and for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.  

March is Woman’s History Month, and the women of Chicago deserve a month of celebration. They’ve been busy in Chicago politics, advocating for environmental justice, and being our doctors, our teachers, and our healers. Sometimes, being busy takes a toll on our health. Especially since Black women are more prone to have health problems and strokes by not taking care of themselves. A prime example is Dr. Deleshia D. Kinney. Dr. Kinney, who is known to many as Dr. Dyi, suffered a stroke at a young age; in fact, she is still relatively young, and she is not only a stroke survivor, but she is a living stroke success, and you’ll find out why when you read the article. Dr. Dyi tells her story and recommends some lifestyle changes that will guide our readers to a good and healthy life. 

It’s election month, and Mark Wallace has been busy, not just during this month or even last month, but all year long helping to keep our politicians accountable to their constituencies and making sure we’re voting them in or out accordingly. His organization, 10×10 to Win, develops a slate of candidates for each election based on the votes of his members. In this issue, Mark tells our readers a little about his organization, and presents the slate of recommended candidates for this election that is coming up. 

If you want to exclusively talk about women in politics and voting for women, then you’ll want to check out the article on Ida’s Legacy. An organization that supports Black women candidates, educates Black women voters, and helps make all candidates accountable to the needs of Black women. You’ll find that article informative and interesting. But what’s more informative is the slate of women candidates that Delmarie Cobb, the creator of Ida’s Legacy, is presenting to our readers in this issue. 

You’d think the way we love to praise our Black women that they could literally walk on water. Well, not quite. But they can stay on top of our water issues. 

That’s what our article, Three Sisters on Top of the Water, is about. Out of the nine-member board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, three of the commissioners are Black women, and one of those three Black women is the president of the Board. How cool is that? You’ll find out when you read all about these three sisters in this month’s issue. 

What if there was an organization right here in Chicago that was all about racial and environmental justice? There is such a place and it’s called the EcoWomanist Institute. The EcoWomanist Institute was an idea that came out of the mind of two innovative and creative women, Veronica Kyle, and Valerie Hill Rawls. Veronica Kyle is a proud Chicago resident, and since this issue is about Black Chicago women, this story is about her journey, her partnerships, her creations, her awards and her many accomplishments. 

Please be aware that South Side Drive Magazine does not endorse candidates. We have published articles that we trust you’ll appreciate, by and about prominent well-respected individuals on the southside.