Residents’ Journal Records

Dates: 1996-2013. Size: 42 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Residents’ Journal is a newspaper written by and for residents of Chicago public housing. Led by former Chicago Daily Defender journalist Ethan Michaeli and Mary C. Piemonte (née Johns), the publication began in 1996 with funding from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). When this funding ended in 1999, the staff opted to form the not-for-profit organization, We the People Media, to take over Residents’ Journal and the Urban Youth International Journalism Program. Together, the two programs trained thousands of adults and youths in all aspects of journalism and news production. The collection contains the editorial and production notes, newspapers, photographs and research files created to document life in Chicago’s public housing. [Partially Processed]