Naperville News Digest: North Central College planning several events for Black History y Month; Naperville program to offer discounts on defibrillators to businesses; League of Women Voters to hold annual issues briefing in Naperville

North Central College planning several events for Black History Month

North Central College has planned several events in February for Black History Month.

The college’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, the city of Naperville and the Naperville Public Library will present “1619: Journey of a People, The Musical” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave.

The musical features singers, actors, spoken word artists and dancers who reflect on the past while tackling contemporary social issues, according to the college’s website.

The event is free, but tickets are required. There will be a question-and-answer session after the performance.

Voices of Praise 36th annual gospel extravaganza will be presented at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Wentz Concert Hall. The event features the Voices of Praise Gospel Choir, local college choirs, spoken word artists and other performers who will share African-American culture.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for children, college students and staff.

The Drifters, the first African American vocal group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, at Pfeiffer Hall, 810 E. Benton Ave.

Tickets range from $35 to $45.

Social media star and Chicago South Sider Shermann “Dilla” Thomas will present “Everything Dope about America Comes from Chicago,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at Wentz Concert Hall.

Thomas’s 60-second history videos on Chicago have been viewed over eight million times, and he has been featured nationally on “The Today Show” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

For tickets and more information, go to Black History Month | North Central College.

Naperville program to offer discounts on defibrillators to businesses

Naperville organizations have joined together to create a new program to increase the number of Automated External Defibrillators available in local businesses.

As part of the initiative, businesses can buy an AED machine for $500 and receive free on-site training from the Naperville Fire Department. The machines typically cost about $2,000.

The program is limited to the first 20 participants by contacting NFDPublicEducation@naperville.il.us.

The “Make Naperville a Cardiac Conscious Community” initiative is an effort by the Naperville Fire Department, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce,  Naperville Citizens Appreciate Public Safety organization and the Rotary Club of Naperville.

Cardiac emergencies are unpredictable and an AED nearby can be life saving, officials said in a news release.

Fire officials said in the news release they monitor the number of AEDs and are concerned about the absence of the machines in businesses.

League of Women Voters to hold annual issues briefing in Naperville

The League of Women Voters of Illinois, a nonpartisan organization, will hold its annual Issues Briefing from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Northern Illinois University Naperville Conference Center, 1120 E. Diehl Road.

Tickets are $10 to attend online or $20 to attend in person.

The League of Women Voters will talk about current issues with nonpartisan experts so participants can advocate for local and statewide changes, the organization said. Throughout the day, there will be four sessions.

The first, “Government Transparency and Accountability,” will feature Dave McKinney, reporter for WBEZ, and will include information about anti-corruption legislation in Illinois that the league will be supporting.

Another session on new migrants and budget policy will feature speakers Demian Kogan, director of organizing for Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and Jeremy Rosen, director of economic justice for Shriver Center on Poverty Law.

In the afternoon, Christopher W. Schmidt and Steven D. Schwinn, both professors of law at the University of Illinois Chicago, will talk about misinformation, disinformation and freedom of speech.

The day ends with a session on gun violence prevention with Sara Knizhnik, chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, and Maralea Negron, director of policy, advocacy and research for The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. The session will also cover legislation the league will support in the spring.

Register at lwvil.org/issues-briefing-2024.

State of the Naperville Park District podcast now available

The 2024 State of the Naperville Park District, featuring interviews with various park district officials and staff, is available on podcast.

The ParkTalk program features six episodes that review the district’s achievements last year and what to expect in 2024, officials said in a news release. The theme is “Growing into the Future.”

Executive Director Brad Wilson, Park Board President Mary Gibson and district staff talk about such topics as managing park growth, community partnerships and upcoming milestones.

The podcast offers a convenient way for residents to learn more about their park district, officials said. It’s available at www.napervilleparks.org/podcast and on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.