Greetings:
Welcome to September. July and August were two record-breaking months. Illinois and Indiana shattered all-time tornado records, experienced unprecedented summer dry streaks, and broke multiple temperature and humidity records. So, we’re looking forward to September bringing us a much-needed break.
We’re looking forward to the House Music Festival, August 27th – 30th, and the Chicago Jazz Fest, September 3rd through 6th; both of these festivals are being held at Millennium Park and beyond. Visit www.choosechicago.com for details,
The South Side Drive Magazine is a proud sponsor of the South Shore Community Wealth Forum on September 1 and also the African Festival of the Arts, taking place September 5th – 7th, which is our cover story and one of the nation’s premier celebrations. For thirty-six years, Chicagoans have gathered in Washington Park for the food, fun, and connection to our African roots this festival always provides.
We’re looking forward to more of the same this year.
South Side Drive is all about guiding our readers to the good life, and we’re happy to report that the Good Life is Getting Better. In this issue, we explain how Mayor Brandon Johnson is keeping his promises to build a stronger, safer Chicago.
September has traditionally been back-to-school month, and it’s a great time to talk about improvements in our public school system. CPS has come a long way from the Willis Wagons to an elected school board – the subject of our article that looks honestly at CPS history and hopefully toward the future.
South Siders can also be proud of our own UChicago Medicine and we’re looking forward to the new AbbVie Foundation Cancer Pavilion, which starts in April 2027 and will be dedicated exclusively to cancer care and research. Our managing editor recently accompanied a friend to UChicago Medicine. In this issue, she shares how impressed she was with the staff and services. It’s reassuring to know this level of care is available in our community.
September is also Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. In this issue, Ranoule Tatum presents the hard facts about prostate health, prostate disease, and racial disparities in cancer detection and outcomes. He spoke with Joseph Harrington and Rael Jackson to continue the conversation about the importance of testing. We hope our readers will share this issue with the men in their lives.
We lost a great warrior in July. Will Crosby, my friend, the activist and a major Chicago known influencer. The kind that got the votes out and stayed informed about so many issues and causes. I hope the article about him will help you understand why his passing meant so much to so many.
Will talked about getting the vote out until the very end. So, as a tribute to Big Will, I’m asking all my friends and readers to do more than vote — check your voting status, check the status of those you may be concerned about, get on the phones, knock on doors, even use your vehicle to transport voters. It’s not a presidential election this time, but it is just as important – and every single vote counts.
We hope this issue – and its good news about a better Chicago, an improving public school system, and the South Side’s new cancer center – will inspire you to celebrate with us. For August, we skipped our Friday Jazz at the Quarry event and redirected our jazz energy to the 2026 Jazzapalooza on August 28th, and to support a weekend at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival as well as the African Festival of the Arts.
The next Friday Jazz at the Quarry is on September 25th.
Please join us in thanking the MacArthur Foundation and the Field Foundation of Illinois for their support, which helps South Side Drive Magazine amplify Black voices and remain a major Chicago publishing force – valuable in print and accessible online. Find us on social media and at www.southsidedrivemag.com.
#SouthSideDrive
With Gratitude and Pride,
Yvette Moyo
Editor-in-Chief
