Hirsch High School students gather for the 10th Annual Teen Town Hall Meeting led by Founder and Project Director of Sacred Ground Ministries, Mary Long. / Photos by Trig When you think of a typical town hall meeting what comes to mind? Well, when it came to the Sacred Ground Ministries Annual Teen Town Hall Meeting, the words informative, support, and community are just a few that could be used. Taking place at Hirsch High School, this was the 10th Annual Teen Town Hall Meeting, led by Founder and Project Director of Sacred Ground Ministries, Mary Long. Sacred Ground Ministries is an anti-vio ..read more

Southpaw shares a moment with little league players during Jackie Robinson Day at Guaranteed Rate Field on the city’s Southside. Monday, April 15 was Jackie Robinson Day across Major League Baseball, celebrating the life and legacy of the first African-American to play in the major leagues. In 1947, Robinson took the field as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn wearing #42 on his jersey. Now 77 years later, on the Southside of Chicago, the White Sox and Royals faced off in a divisional matchup, all wearing that same #42 on their backs. The festivities began before the ..read more

Tyler the Creator set the stage for the Coachella 2024 performances. / Getty Coachella was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, from Jhene Aiko cleansing the crowd’s energy with a sound bath to Deftones coming back in full force. Crashing through a faux “broken down” trailer in a park ranger uniform, Tyler the Creator set the stage for Coachella 2024. Fans who hadn’t got the chance to be there are experiencing some serious ‘FOMO – Fear of Missing Out’. Known for his jokes and banter between songs to keep fans engaged, Tyler’s stage presence and artist appearances like Childish Gam ..read more

Angel Reese proudly shows off a Chicago Sky jersey along with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert during the 2024 WNBA draft. Reese (No. 7) and Kamilla Cardoso (No. 3), aka the “Big 2,” are the Chicago Sky’s newest rookies. The 2024 WNBA Draft met the expectations of many and brought a few surprises. The night began with Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark receiving the No.1 overall pick for the Indiana Fever. In an interview with NBC, Clark expressed her anticipation for joining the league, stating, “I think more than anything, I’m just really excited.” Clark, who has broken records for the m ..read more

Are you really ready to be in a relationship or just doing it because it’s what’s expected of you? Ahhhhh, those thrilling moments of crushes — butterflies in the stomach, and the exhilarating feeling of being in love. But hold your horses, before you try to get into a relationship just because everyone else seems to be doing it, let’s take a moment to discuss peer pressure and the importance of timing. In most cases when you’re hanging out with your friends, the topic of relationships is bound to pop up. Before you know it, you’re feeling the pressure to find someone to date, simply because i ..read more

Do you have good ideas that can be turned into a story? Know some interesting people who deserve exposure and shine? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Since True Star is Chicago-based, we like to focus on Chi-town content and feel-good stories that aren’t about the negative things happening across the city. We’re more interested in spreading hope and motivation to our audience. If you’d like to see a certain story or have an idea that today’s youth might be interested in, email suggestions@truestarmedia.org for a chance at the topic being covered and posted to our platforms. We can’t wai ..read more

Everybody’s parents who attended an HBCU are tuning in to Hulu’s documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told to make sure they’re not featured in. Held annually in the spring, Freaknik’s origin dates back to Atlanta, Georgia in the 1990s. Picture lots of music blasting out of cars and extremely short shorts – sounds like a time, doesn’t it? Origin of Freaknik Freaknik started as a simple Black college cookout for Atlanta HBCU students during spring break and evolved into a timeless, huge cultural phenomenon that brought people together. Soon, the popularity spread far beyond the Atlan ..read more

Imagine being awake for over 20 hours propelled by excessive caffeine and sugar intake, feeling mentally exhausted yet strangely immune to fatigue. This scenario is a common reality for numerous students who use caffeine to pull all-nighters to study. Recent discussions revolving around wellness topics shed light on how caffeine consumption has resulted in impacting the lives of college students, and according to Gitnux — a website focused on market trends,statistics and data — states that approximately, 80% of students rely on it daily for alertness, energy boosts, and as a coping mechanism ..read more

Bronzeville: The Musical is now playing at the Studebaker Theatre until April 14th. Get your tickets now. Last Friday, the Mahdi Theatre Company put on their very first show of Bronzeville: The Musical at the Studebaker Theatre downtown. It was indeed a great show, especially if you’re into Black history or theatre. This musical nailed the assignment. It told the story of a young Black man trying to figure out his way – torn between following his friends down a risky road or sticking to his parent’s values. Zion Ali takes center stage as Red Bone Tone in the production. His mom worries about h ..read more

South Carolina players and coach Dawn Staley celebrate after the recent Final Four college basketball championship game against Iowa in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks won 87-75. (AP) After the South Carolina Gamecocks win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 Women’s National Championship, the amount of hype around the sport as a whole is at an all-time high. The championship game itself set unbelievable records for viewership, averaging 18.7 million viewers (peaking at 24M viewers), the most-watched basketball game (men’s or women’s, college or pro) since 2019. It’s also the most-wat ..read more