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The front porch.

Culture

Stepping. Food. Chicago — loved hard, worried about honestly. Conventions, trending culture, Black celebrities, and the sports teams that keep breaking our hearts. This is the stuff you come for when you’re not doing research.

Stepping

Chicago’s own dance — smooth, precise, grown. Born on the South Side, danced everywhere Black Chicago gathers. The Savoy Ballroom floor it grew up on is in the archive.

Food

From the kitchen to the carryout window: the food that raised us. Deep dish debates, Harold’s vs. the world, and the recipes that travel in families, not cookbooks.

Chicago

Loved without condition, worried about without flinching. The city that built the Black hair-care industry, the blues, house music, and this nerd — and the trajectory that keeps him up at night. Start with Bronzeville →

Sports

Bears. Bulls. Sky. The heartbreak is the point — and the data helps. The pay gap, explained: 4.8 to 1 →

Conventions & trending culture

Where the nerds gather: conventions, premieres, and whatever Black culture is doing this week. If it’s trending, it’s being watched — and graded.