Chatham/Avalon Park Community Council: SNEAK PEEK at Maryam Banikarim / UChicago $10 Million Center / COALPower Breakfast

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C. Dwayne West / CEO, MG Media

PUBLISHER'S PEACEEasy is Easy...

The number one question I receive from most people about TBTNews is, 'how do you produce a daily news service? That has to be difficult.' I always answer with a series of questions: What do you do for a living? When they reply, I then say, 'the same way you get up each day to go to your profession and produce, is how I get up each morning and deliver.' I then followed up with, 'it's just that easy. You have your job, I have mine.' I think that people assume that TBTNews is a hobby. NO! It's a real gig. It's my incredible and innovative profession. And because I love my daily grind, it's super easy.

Easy is easy. That may sound strange or confusing, but it's not - once you think about it. Don't be lazy... give it some thought. During my journey, I've discovered that in America, with all its innovation and world transforming mechanisms the last ten years, there are portions of Americans who take life too easy. They don't wanna do the hard work. They only want to travel down the easy road. They're either afraid or content with their lives, and don't want to explore the hard road to self-fulfillment.

This is a real problem. That's why people will ask me that question. There is nothing seriously hard when you have a plan, a mission, an objective and a passion. If the fact that you don't have these things is what makes my presentation look hard, then maybe you need to take a look at your life and stop expecting easy.

Here is how I came to this premise for these Works of Word today. Each time I go into a shopping center for food or apparel, for instance, when people approach the checkout counter, if there's a line, I hear shoppers moan. They're looking around as though they're trying either to find the shortest line or a manager to get another line opened up. I always ask, 'what's the rush? Take a moment, stop and relax. We're always in such a rush to nowhere. This is the perfect time to have a quiet moment to reflect.'

People want to walk up to the checkout line and immediately get served. They want easy. It doesn't bother me at all to have to wait. With my hectic life, I embrace moments to just stop and reset. It's actually a great time to recharge!

How easy is your life's mission, or are you traveling down your life's journey to happiness? I don't like easy. I enjoy challenges. I want to take the hard road, most times. Especially if the easy road doesn't have as many advantages. If easy is too easy, I rather go a different route. Peace and One Love.

I Write to Differ...

FM Supreme

TBTNEWS ALERT

If you have never heard of FM Supreme, you need to find out about this incredible young lady. I've been a part of her life for years, and hopefully I've influenced her along the way. But whomever has helped to transform her thinking and ambitious desire should be applauded.

Whenever I meet someone so dynamic, I always ask, 'who are your parents?' Because this kind of young person is hard to come by. Her parents should be cloned, and so should Supreme. This young woman and her amazing team has organized Chicago International Peace Movement Conference this weekend. She transported to the Chi, Young Leaders from around the country to participate on a series of panels to highlight, discuss and present solutions for young people in how they can reach for peace. To get details on conference, call Isha Haley at 786.7091561. - CDW

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Ricky Dillard & New G

Pastor Charles Jenkins

Israel Houghton

Bryant Jones

This past weekend, the Chicago Gospel Festival experienced a rainy day, but the crowd of loyal lovers of great gospel music came out to hear some of their biggest stars perform some of their biggest hits. (Photos: Melanie L. Brown)

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Maryam Banikarim

SNEAK PEEK at Maryam Banikarim

Iranian American Maryam Banikarim was recently highlighted in Fortune Magazine online after accepting the position of Chief Marketing Officer with Hyatt Hotels.

Born in Iran, Banikarim has lived and worked in several countries, including Argentina, Brazil, France, and the United Kingdom. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Barnard College, and holds an MBA and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Formerly the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Gannet – the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. – Banikarim was able to guide the company through a major decline within the publishing industry and revive profitability. After the spinoff of Gannet’s publishing unit, Banikarim decided it was the opportune moment to jump into a new industry – hospitality.

“I always said that if it wasn’t going to work in media, I would work in retail or hospitality. They are very similar industries. They are engaging and experimental. Customers have an emotional response to a Hyatt the way they do to the story that they love. Don’t get me wrong –they are different businesses, but there is something incredibly interesting in that they are very focused on their consumers,” Banikarim told Fortune.

Hyatt Corporation's Tyrone Stoudemire and Ariel Capital's Mellody Hobson hosted a welcome party for Maryam at the Hyatt Regency Chicago this week. The special invited friends and supporters of Tyrone and Mellody were also joined by Hyatt's CEO Mark Hoplamazian, who welcomed Mrs. Banikarim and her family to Chicago and the Hyatt family of hotels.

President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels, Hoplamazian, expressed confidence in his new CMO, describing Banikarim’s experience and skill set as “highly relevant to our own plans to take advantage of similar disruptive forces.”

Banikarim and her family moved from New York City to Chicago, where she's reshaping the future direction of Hyatt Hotels and the hospitality industry. As a mother of two teenagers, Banikarim acknowledged that the move hasn’t been easy for her children, but highlighted the potential gains from this experience for them. “In today’s world, if you can’t be flexible and agile and go with change, you are at a disadvantage,” explained Banikarim.

Banikarim’s dynamic personality and ability to revive businesses has garnered the attention of the corporate world, and has allowed her to enjoy great success wherever she has landed. - Hannah Volmar / PAAIA

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Kenneth Polonsky, Prof. Carole Ober & President Robert Zimmer join researchers from Duke & Northwestern universities & other officials for launch of the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center

UChicago Medicine to Lead $10 Million Research Center

Preterm births continue to be a critical health problem in this country, despite all the medical knowledge about babies born too soon and the modern technology used to treat them. While the critical challenges facing babies born before 37 weeks are known and well-documented, what is not understood are what causes a woman to go into labor prematurely.

In an aggressive effort to fill this vast knowledge gap, the University of Chicago Medicine has joined forces with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine and the March of Dimes Foundation to establish a collaborative aimed at unraveling the mysteries of premature birth and helping more women have healthy, full-term babies.

Leaders and researchers from each institution announced the launch of a new March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center that will focus on identifying the regulatory genes responsible for ensuring a pregnancy continues to full term and how stress can influence those genes. The center will be led by Carole Ober, PhD, Blum-Riese Professor and chair of the Department of Human Genetics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Chicago. The March of Dimes will commit $10 million over the next five years toward the effort.

The center is the fifth nationwide devoted to prematurity research. “Today, we understand virtually nothing about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that trigger normal birth,” Ober said. “Our center will focus on one central question: Does the mis-regulation of key genes cause premature birth? We’ll approach this challenge from two angles: first studying the changes that happen in normal pregnancy with respect to gene regulation and then trying to understand what part of those mechanisms go awry.”

Preterm birth is the most common, costly, and a serious health problem for newborns in the United States, affecting nearly half a million babies each year. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges, such as vision and breathing problems and learning disabilities. Even those born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants. The premature birthrate among African American women is almost twice that of any other racial group in the country. Some of this disparity, researcher say, may be the result of lifelong exposure to stress.

“We’ll be paying particular attention to racial and socioeconomic groups that have elevated prematurity rates,” Ober said. “We think that stress may directly affect gene regulation and manifest itself in biology. While the genes themselves do not change, those genes may be turned up or down with the stress of discrimination or poverty. We’re excited to pursue this line of research.”

The prematurity research center will operate in the backdrop of one of the largest neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Midwest. The Margaret M. and George A. Stephen Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital provides advanced specialty care for more than 1,000 infants each year. “This new Prematurity Research Center continues our commitment to understanding the underlying causes of preterm birth. Too many babies, here in Illinois and throughout the United States, are born too soon,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. To learn more visit: http://prematurityresearch.org/uchicago-northwestern-duke.

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THE CRITICOpening Reception for RaceSpacePlace

Join us Friday, June 5th from 6:00p - 9:00p at Blanc Gallery in Bronzeville for the Opening Reception for RaceSpacePlace, an exhibition by Eve Sanford and Devin Mays. We look forward to seeing you! - Eileen Rhodes & Cliff Rome

eta to Open With Chicago Premiere of Liberty City

eta Creative Arts Foundation, Chicago’s oldest African American theater production company will officially reopen on Friday, June 5 with the Chicago premiere of the off Broadway hit play Liberty City, written by Tony Award-winning producer/actor April Yvette Thompson and Jessica Blank. The compelling one-woman play tells a story of Miami in the 1980s – where race, politics and police brutality spark a community on edge and ignite a city-wide riot that a 10 year-old girl must navigate to get her young brother safely home. Liberty City is directed by Jonathan Wilson, Professor of Theater and Drama in Loyola University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts and features Loyola University graduates Anna Dauzvardis and Dionne Addai. The production will be staged in eta’s Gallery Theater at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. and will run thru July 12. For tickets and show times, call 773.752.3955 or visit www.etacreativearts.org. For more information, contact Kemati Porter at kematip@etacreativearts.org.

Trinity United Church of Christ Host Party With a Purpose

Trinity United Church of Christ and Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III are proud to invite all to a Party with a Purpose happening Friday, June 5th at 7:15pm at Trinity UCC, 400 West 95th Street, Chicago. The evening celebrates Rev. Moss’s 7th year anniversary and also serve to honor special guests from two local charities, A Safe Haven and Mercy Home for Girls and Boys. Those who will enjoy a full music concert featuring local jazz great Joan Collaso as well as vocalists Meagan McNeal and Kevon Carter. Comedian Ron Baker, Jr. and DJ Kaos will keep the people laughing and people dancing. Party with a Purpose is free for all ages. Trinity is currently accepting gifts of toiletries, household cleaning items, CTA bus cards and other items to donate the shelter. For more information, please contact Sonya Harper at 773.680.7953 or smharper@trinitychicago.org.

COAL Power Breakfast

Ms. Kimberly Foxx, Chief of Staff, Cook County Board President will be the special guest, discussing Public Safety / Justice Series: Juvenile Justice on Saturday, June 6, at BJ's Market at 8734 S. Stony Island, Chicago. 8:30am - Breakfast, 9:30am - Program. The Coalition of African American Leaders (COAL) believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people.