Around 30 people painted canvases with their ideas around abolition outside of Evanston Police Department on Sunday in an effort to build community as part of Evanston Fight for Black Lives’ third “Reclaim the Block” series.
Amalia Loiseau, a University of Illinois student and an organizer, said the goal of the event was to create a safe space for community members.
Sydney Salem works on a painting. Evanston Fight for Black Lives organizers prompted community members to paint what abolition means to them. (Jack Austin/The Daily Northwestern)
With the city’s Black population declining, Loiseau said it is imperative to improve the quality of life of Black residents. Loiseau sees EFBL’s “Reclaim the Block” events as an opportunity to take back power for the people and create a strong community.
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Nestled between Coffee Lab Evanston and Noyes Barber Shop, Tomate Fresh Kitchen is run by Tania Merlos-Ruiz and her husband, Polo Ruiz. Awarded Best Restaurant in The Daily Northwestern’s Best of Evanston for the past three years, the popular Latin American eatery opened in 2013 as a storefront for empanadas she had sold at farmer’s markets.
During the pandemic, the small business twice first in March 2020 for around three months and then again from December 2020 for three months when Merlos-Ruiz contracted COVID-19. The couple spoke to the Daily about the challenges they’ve faced trying to keep their employees and families safe. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Foster-Walker Complex to shift from quarantine housing to residence hall
Foster-Walker Complex will return to its original residential hall status in the fall.
Over the past year, the dorm, known as Plex, served as Northwestern’s on-campus COVID-19 housing. Students who received positive tests quarantined in the east wing, while those who only came in contact with the virus isolated in the west.
For underclassmen who plan to live in the dorm building next year, excitement about the upcoming academic year outweighs any anxiety associated with the quarantine dorms.
Weinberg freshman Clarissa Brill-Forman said the residence hall’s history influenced her housing decision process. She was apprehensive to commit to a dorm known for its isolation this year, and had to remind herself throughout the process that living near friends would be worth it.
Isabelle Sarraf was named the next editor in chief of The Daily Northwestern, the paper’s publisher announced Tuesday night. Sarraf, a Medill junior, is currently a print managing editor and a diversity and inclusion chair for The Daily. She has previously served as campus editor, summer copy chief and development and recruitment editor. The Great.