Favorite Spot for Monkey Bread Kanela Breakfast Club
(Multiple Locations)
Best Cheeseburger
Small Cheval
(Multiple Locations)
Best Glass Noodles –
Duck Duck Goat
(Location: West Loop
857 West Fulton Market)
A couple of weeks ago my family and I were out on a bike ride enjoying the summer like temperatures. It was a beautiful day and we decided to bike through some of Chicago’s beautiful neighborhoods and we eventually landed at park to meet up with one of our very good friends. It was a great day to be outside and it was good to see other people enjoying the sunshine with their friends and family while social distancing. The city appeared to be coming back to life, but I also felt like something else was a little different as people greeted me from afar.
After a few hours of biking and grabbing lunch at an outdoor restaurant we headed back towards our hood. As we got closer, I saw a few people carrying Black Lives Matter signs and I acknowledged them with a nod as we rode by. We continued to bike towards the main square and from a distance I could see that there was a rally or a protest going on. I asked my wife is she wanted to check it out, so we decided to ride a little closer to see what was happening. When we reached the main street, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. There were hundreds and hundreds of protestors lined up along the main stretch of Lincoln Rd. holding signs and shouting “Black Lives Matter”. Cars were driving by beeping their horns, a dad held his son on his shoulders, and little girls were enthusiastically screaming and clapping. Of course, this is what happens at a protest, but what put me at a loss for words was that these protestors were all white. Hundreds of all white people fighting for Black Lives. I was overwhelmed and both my wife and I became emotional. Our two sons noticed tears streaming down our masked covered faces and they didn’t understand why. In-fact, my oldest son asked us if he should be crying too and my youngest stated that he “didn’t get it”. Trying to get kids to understand racism and protests is exceedingly difficult, but I explained that the people we saw protesting were standing up for our rights as black people. This was important, because when someone is not necessarily directly impacted by your struggle, but fights for you anyway, it is a big deal.
The George Floyd murder has sparked outrage in many countries. The moment is kind of fitting for this month’s FLM travel issue as we take a look at protests happening around the world. Our cover story is particularly relevant as our resident film critic invites us to take a journey through films that put racism front and center. I thank those non people of color for standing up and speaking out with us and for us, because that is the only way change will ever happen. I hope you enjoy our June issue. And yes, Black Lives Matter.
Publisher's Note
D.C.
FLM
FLM
Fete Lifestyle Magazine