King Moosa News Today

A weekly column from the Chicago Reader covering the top stories on the our radar and how they impact our communities.

Former “ULMII” National Talent Competition winners Lil Hyste, Cole Diamond, King Moosa and Ace return to perform Sat. April 15th via Zoom.

*Singers, songwriters, dancers and actors showcase talents at the 23rd Los Angeles “ULMIII” Entertainment Conference Sat. Nov. 5, 2022.

When people are incarcerated in Illinois prisons, they cannot vote until they are released and re-registered to vote.

Reggae’s Hezron Clarke, Gospel's Calvin D. Tucker, Jr., Calypso's King Cosmos and Dancehall’s Kalico Di King performs at ULMII Nov. 5, 2022.

The Paper Prisons Initiative estimates more than 500,000 people are eligible to have their records cleared. But advocates say that’s not happening for many of them. It’s an issue that disproportionately affects Black people, particularly in the Chicago area, says Aisha Edwards, executive director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid.

Though there are about 1,300 permanent punishments on the books in Illinois — and countless more that aren’t — there are only a handful of ways to get around them. They often involve a complicated mix of paperwork and expenses. The records sealing or expungement process, for example, involves filing a petition in court, costing around $157 per charge.