Read, Discover and Create: A Journey to Empowerment

Teens, discover the exhibit Journey to Empowerment: 110 Years of the Chicago Defender at Harold Washington Library Center and get inspired for earning read and create credits during the Defy Gravity: Teen Summer Challenge.

Remember to share on social media with #cpldefygravity, too! If you're looking for more ideas for reading, discovering and creating, the following ideas are a great place to start.

Get inspired to write your own jazz poem after reading Langston Hughes' poem My People. The poet, who was featured in The Chicago Defender, was one of the earliest innovators of the literary art form known as jazz poetry.

Check out the award-winning book A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson. It captures the tragic loss of Emmett Till, whose powerful, open-casket photo is featured in the exhibit.

Learn more about the Bud Billiken Club in Chicago Defender. The club was created to encourage youth in reading, social conduct and pride in their race. Consider creating a mascot for youth in your community. How will your mascot be a good example or inspire youth to take the path to empowerment?

Robert S. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender, one of the nation's most influential black weekly newspapers, with the goal of creating a source of empowerment in the midst of injustice. Consider the people highlighted in this newspaper, the exhibit and in our Journey to Empowerment reading list; think of someone who inspires you and create a portrait silhouette of them and fill it in with an empowering quote.

Share your thoughts about your visit to the exhibit in the comments below.