Pitches wanted (Chicago, community healing) | ~25+ cents per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: CITY BUREAU

In the wake of a global pandemic, an economic downturn and a historic uprising, Black and brown Chicagoans are working to mend the wounds left behind.

It can be difficult to see 2020 as a year of triumphs. Though each month has brought new outrage, loss and fear, it has also given rise to the largest public uprising in U.S. history.

This cycle of injustice and fiery protest threatens to drown out a quieter, more deliberate work that is just as critical in this moment, but often occurs in private spaces and without fanfare: healing. Whether through mural painting, grocery distribution, intergenerational storytelling or holding community circles, Black and brown Chicagoans are uplifting the needs of their people while addressing the root causes of trauma.

At City Bureau, we’ve begun to record what community healing looks like today in Chicago. We hope others will join us in documenting how Chicagoans connect with one another, to offer refuge, safety, solidarity, sustenance and joy in the midst of crises that threaten to keep us apart.

If you know an individual or group who should be featured in this series, or if you want to contribute to this series, please let us know.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

City Bureau seeks submissions for short profiles to be part of the “How a Community Heals” series, which features community healers who identify with marginalized groups and see their work as part of the ongoing movement for racial and economic justice in the U.S. Examples:

• Putting Paint to Plywood: https://www.citybureau.org/newswire/2020/10/6/dorian-sylvain
• A Brave Space for Healing: https://www.citybureau.org/newswire/2020/10/6/lasaia-wade

Email your ideas to healing@citybureau.org and use the subject line “Healing pitch.” Please indicate if you are suggesting a story topic or if you plan to write it yourself. Include in your email: a brief description of the subject and their work in community healing in 2020; if they have changed their work in 2020 to respond to current events, and how; and who their healing is meant to serve and how they identify with this community. This should be only a paragraph long.

If you intend to write or create the submission yourself, please include links or clips of your own published work as samples. For accepted submissions, we will pay $200 for a completed written story of 800 words or less. Multimedia pitches are welcome and price will be negotiated on a per-piece basis.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• Questions / submissions: healing@citybureau.org
• Website: https://www.citybureau.org

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: City Bureau is a neighborhood newsroom and journalism training lab aimed at regenerating civic media within Chicago’s historically disenfranchised and underreported neighborhoods. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.