SaveChicagoMedia

Happy #SaveChicagoMedia Launch Day!

Starting today, 43 members of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) are joining forces to raise funds and awareness for our groundbreaking work. The full list of participating outlets is below.

The CIMA fundraiser runs from May 12 to June 11 at savechicagomedia.org. Through the campaign, you can choose your own adventure: give to all 43 outlets, give to just a few of us, or just support Rebellious. We appreciate you.

In last year’s joint fundraiser, two-thirds of the 1,000 supporters gave to all of the participating outlets, and it was a wonderful testament to how much independent media means to all of us.

Last year—and I can’t even pretend to #humblebrag about this—Rebellious raised more money than any other outlet.

Imma say that again.

In the 2020 campaign, we raised more money than any of our 40+ colleagues, meaning we got the biggest slice of the matching fund pie.

That support allowed us to continue being the longest-running feminist publication in Chicago with a mission to center women, nonbinary, and transgender folks in coverage of arts, culture, politics, news, sexual health and reproductive justice, in print and in podcasts.

(I also maintain that we’re the only publication in town run by a mouthy Black lesbian feminist, but you’ll just have to take my word for that.)

This year, we’re back in the CIMA fundraiser with a specific purpose in mind: to help fund our first-ever Feminist News Reporting Project. Chicago’s feminist activists, organizations, businesses, and leaders deserve their own coverage in a way that only Rebellious can provide. And we need a way to tell the stories our colleagues in media overlook or don’t tell with the necessary nuance and respect.

Chicago feminist communities need our own journalism and storytelling, written by us and for us.

You already rely on us for our cultural and sexual health coverage, now we’re ready to launch sustained news coverage like we’ve never had before.

To fund reporting that is truly of our community, we need our community’s help.

Visit savechicagomedia.org today to give.

Thank you for your support,
Karen

CIMA Chicago Independent Media Alliance

ABOUT CIMA:

The Chicago Independent Media Alliance (CIMA) is made up of nearly 70 outlets covering the African American, Latinx, Asian American, Polish, immigrant, LGBTQ, and other Chicago communities. CIMA believes there is no better way to reach the city’s most underserved communities than through community media outlets for and by those communities. We stand for information, accessibility, and equity.

CIMA JOINT FUNDRAISING PARTNER MEDIA:

  1. AirGo Radio: Podcast and media hub showcasing people reshaping Chicago for the more equitable and creative.
  2. Borderless Magazine: Borderless Magazine is a nonprofit news outlet covering immigration issues in the Midwest.
  3. Block Club Chicago: Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
  4. Bronzeville Life: Bronzeville Life is not about geography, it’s about a lifestyle! Throughout our publication, we are building on the vision of our forefathers.
  5. Chicago in Arabic: Chicago in Arabic is a media outlet bringing Chicago news into focus in Arabic.
  6. Chicago Music Guide: Your guide to great music in Chicago. Music Promotions, resources and more.
  7. Chicago Public Square: Free daily email news roundup for Chicago. The Reader poll’s pick for Best Blog.
  8. Chicago Reader: The Reader, founded 1971, is Chicago’s in-depth and curated guide to culture, politics, and more.
  9. CHIRP Radio: CHIRP is your live, local community radio station focused on independent music and culture.
  10. Cicero Independiente: A volunteer-run, bilingual, independent news outlet for and by residents of Cicero.
  11. City Bureau: Nonprofit civic journalism lab serving Chicago’s south and west sides.
  12. Current Magazines: South Shore Current Magazine, good news from Chicago’s Cultural Soul Coast—the southeast and southern shore communities. The West Side Current Magazine, good news from Chicago’s west side—focused on pride, honor, and value of community. West of the Ryan Current Magazine, good news from Chicago’s west of the ryan
  13. E3 Radio: E3 Radio is an online station playing queer and independent music. Queer radio done right.
  14. Evanston Roundtable: The Evanston RoundTable is the community’s leading source of news about local government, schools, civic and artistic activities, and other important issues facing our city.
  15. Free Spirit Media: Opportunities for emerging creators (ages 14-25), primarily from communities of color, to produce and create.
  16. Gazette Chicago: Gazette Chicago is a free, independent newspaper serving ten Chicago neighborhoods, committed to unbiased news coverage that tells all sides since its founding in 1983.
  17. Gozamos: Gozamos is an independent online magazine and community of journalists, bloggers, and progressive activists covering culture, music, and politics.
  18. Growing Community Media: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, connects citizens through community journalism. We promote civil discourse, thriving communities and a vibrant democracy across seven communities on the west side of Chicago and its near west suburbs through the Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review and Riverside Brookfield Landmark.
  19. Hyde Park Herald: Hyde Park Herald is a weekly community newspaper rich in a 138 year history and journalistic excellence.
  20. Injustice Watch: Injustice Watch is an investigative newsroom that exposes systemic inequities in the justice system.
  21. Inside Publications: Skyline, Inside Booster, News Star newspapers: Your friendly 110-year-old neighborhood newspapers, serving Chicago’s north side.
  22. Invisible Institute: Invisible Institute works to enhance the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable.
  23. La Raza Newspaper: The voice of Chicago’s Latino community for 50 years. La voz de la comunidad latina en Chicago por 50 años.
  24. Loop North News: Loop North News serves the Loop and Near North neighborhoods of downtown Chicago.
  25. Midway Minute: Midway Minute is the morning outlet for Chicago sports.
  26. Mild Sauce: Mildsauce is an extra tasty blog driven by discourse. Based on discussion, young multi-media journalists of color visit spaces, events, and other professionals in Chicago.
  27. Newcity: The publication of record for Chicago culture.
  28. North Lawndale Community News: Providing news and information on resources and events that improve the lifestyle of individuals and families.
  29. Paseo Podcast: A weekly Puerto Rican podcast dedicated to telling stories by, from, and about the Puerto Rican Community.
  30. Polish Daily News: Polish Daily News is the largest and the oldest Polish language newspaper in Chicago. Since 1908 it is a destination of choice for tens of thousands of Poles in Chicagoland looking for reliable news.
  31. Public Narrative: Public Narrative exists to balance public health, safety and education narratives affecting marginalized communities.
  32. Rebellious Magazine for Women: Rebellious Magazine for Women is a feminist news and culture website founded in 2012.
  33. Rivet: Rivet brings your stories to life and life to your stories.
  34. Sixty Inches from Center: Midwest-focused arts publication and archiving organization that supports BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, and women’s culture.
  35. SoapBox Productions and Organizing: Film and social activism non-profit specializing in multimedia storytelling for equity and structural change.
  36. South Side Weekly: Independent, nonprofit newspaper for and about the south side of Chicago.
  37. StreetWise: Empowering those facing homelessness with access to employment to work toward self-sufficiency with dignity.
  38. StudentsXpress Magazine: A magazine of art and writing by students in CPS, preK-8th grade.
  39. The Beverly Review: Weekly newspaper covering Beverly Hills, Morgan Park, and Mt. Greenwood.
  40. The Daily Line: The Daily Line does critical reporting on policy and politics for professionals.
  41. Third Coast Review: Chicago’s online arts and culture magazine, specializing in quirky, underground aspects of the arts scene.
  42. Win-TV Channel 24: KoreanTV operating 24/7, and producing its own local news, documentaries, and  talk shows covering all issues related to or affecting Korean communities in Chicago and the United States.
  43. Windy City Times: Windy City Times is an award-winning newspaper serving the Chicagoland LGBTQ community since 1985.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Karen Hawkins is the Founder and Rebelle in Chief of Rebellious Magazine. She is a recovering mainstream media reporter and editor who wants to thank her former boss for naming the online magazine she's...