Event Space at CCICS
CCICS welcomes guests to reserve the many spaces in our historical building situated in the heart of the Bronzeville neighborhood. We have many options for your customized events, meetings and presentations. We offer an auditorium, conference rooms, meeting spaces and classrooms. Our spaces are equipped with audio and visual projection options, seating, parking options, Wi-Fi and facilities.
Reserve Space for Northeastern Events/Meetings
Reserve Space for Non-Northeastern Events/Meetings
Upcoming Events at CCICS
NEIU Black Caucus homecoming: Renaissance tour
Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. 7:00-10:00 p.m.
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies is excited to host the NEIU Black Caucus Renaissance Tour. Come celebrate the homecoming to the Fall 2023 semester!
NEIU students: (free)
College students (with ID): $5
Non-college students: ($7)
Divine 9 Greeks: ($3)
Black Caucus alumni: (donation)
Bus service available for Northeastern students.
Past Events at CCICS
Monica Smith retirement celebration
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) congratulates our beloved Program Administrative Assistant Monica Smith on her retirement from Northeastern, effective Aug. 31, 2023. Please join the faculty and staff of CCICS as we honor, thank and celebrate Monica Smith at CCICS in the Student Lounge.
With more than 30 years of commitment and dedicated service to the University, Monica has positively impacted students, faculty and staff. She has provided various resources and been a liaison between our University's multiple locations, creating multiple partnerships along the way. Monica joined the Office of Human Resources, Payroll in October 1989, where she served for 19 years before joining the team at CCICS in September 2008, where she has served for the past 15 years. She has greeted many with a warm smile and continues to be a welcoming spirit to anyone she encounters.
CCICS black august fun fair
Aug. 26, 2023
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is pleased to have hosted the Black August Fun Fair from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 at CCICS, 700 E. Oakwood Blvd.
It was a celebration of Black freedom struggles throughout our communities across the country during Black August. Guests mix and mingled with Northeastern students, alumni, faculty and staff and enjoyed music, food, fun activities, games and more!
This event was co-sponsored by Center for College Access and Success, Student Leadership Development, Northeastern Illinois University Division of Student Affairs, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs
Jazzy Mondays presents bruce henry
Monday, July 10
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) hosted Jazzy Mondays featuring Bruce Henry with Will Kurk, Josh Ramos and Linard Stroud .
Jazzy Mondays at CCICS presents great music the first Monday of every month. The performance will be hosted by Joan Collaso and Iris Dunmore and presented by CCICS' Great Black Music Project.
Film Screening: "the Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument for Ida B. Wells"
Saturday, June 24
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) hosted a film screening and discussion with filmmaker Rana Segal and sculptor Richard Hunt, moderated by Jamie Golden Nesbitt of Block Club Chicago. The film is a 60-minute documentary about the creation of the Ida B. Wells National Monument by renowned Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt honoring the Civil Rights activist, journalist and suffragist, Ida B. Wells. The film screening was part of the 2023 Ida B. Wells Festival: Celebrating Bronzeville. This event was co-sponsored by NEIU's Urban Community Studies.
community conversation with dr. carol adams at ccics
May 18, 2023
The Jacob H. Carruthers was excited to host, "Community Conversation with Dr. Carol L. Adams". She is the author of, "That's all she Wrote: Reflections and Remembrances", which is collection of reflections and remembrances never intended for publication. Written at various times in her life, these observations, testimonies, laments and challenges were the way one woman processed her life experiences and the world around her. This lyrical expose’ chronicles her journey in a manner that is intensely personal and introspective.
CCICS Mental Health & Violence Prevention Forum
May 13, 2023
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies, in collaboration with The Association of Black Psychologists, Public Equity, Gro Community, and Blue Door Neighborhood Center present Mental Health and Violence Prevention Community Planning Forum: Youth, Public Safety, & Mental Health.
public narrative's 28th annual community media awards at ccics
May 11, 2023
"The Jacob H. Carruthers Center is excited to host Public Narrative’s 2023 Community Awards. Through our rich history and culturally relevant lens, the Center continues to cultivate academic scholarship, creative arts, social justice and more.” -Interim Director of CCICS Akua Cason
Founded in 1989 as the Community Media Workshop, Public Narrative has been elevating community voices in journalism for more than 30 years. Building on that legacy, the organization facilitates training, programming and resource-building focused on cultivating media literacy, uplifting community voices in media, and shifting narratives around public health, public safety and public education. This will be the first in-person gathering of the awards since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tHE dRUMS ARE CALLING US HOME AGAIN: Tribute to Safisha
May 6, 2023
Dr. Carol D. Lee, lovingly known as Mama Safisha Madhubuti, will be honored with a vibrant tribute concert at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies. “The Drums Are Calling Us Home … Again!” is a production of drummers, shekere players, youth and adult storytellers, visual artists, vocalists, parents, alumnae and current students. They will come together to say “Thank You!” to Mama Safisha for her more than 50 years of dedicated service to the education of African-descended children and their families. Tributes will honor her as a drum major leading the way back to the educational practices and principles that contributed to the building and strength of the first civilizations on earth.
Build 2 heal: national Poetry month
April 20, 2023
Join us for an evening of building community in Bronzeville at the Carruthers Center from 5:30-9:30 p.m. on April 20 to uplift, support and celebrate the work of communities directly impacted by mass incarceration. The evening will focus around the performances of various spoken word artists and poets like, Vai Shakoor, Eros the Poet, Jeronimo Speaks, Orion Meadows.
joy and wellness: Walking wednesdays
March 22 and 29, 2023
Conference speakers will discuss the importance of mental health care for Black women, and how we must live an intentional lifestyle.
Black girlhood summit: creating, cultivating, belonging
March 31, 2023
Summit to promote joy and wellness for black girls, femmes, and gender expansive folks. Keynote speaker is Veronica Precious Bohanan, founder of Create. Heal. Share. Contact Olivia Perlow at o-perlow@neiu.edu for more information.
The 5th annual ccics poetry slam: breaking barriers; striving for greatness
April 13, 2023
April is Poetry Month. The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is excited to host its Fifth Annual Poetry Slam, themed “Breaking Barriers, Striving for Greatness," from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in person at CCICS. Sign up to attend. Prizes will be awarded.
We are holding auditions for the best and brightest talent NEIU has to offer. Sign up to audition.
CCICS Bronzeville Writing Workshop
Northeastern Illinois University’s Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) will begin the Bronzeville Citizens History Project writing workshops on Thursday, Sept. 29. The goal is to have Bronzeville residents share their knowledge of ;Bronzeville’s storied history of culture, art and business that is too often left out of the textbooks. Workshops will be held monthly and will feature history-writing and oral history workshops for residents and educators. A permanent interactive display of creations will be displayed in the CCICS library.
If you are interested in attending the Bronzeville History Citizens Project workshops, please sign up. For further information, please contact Akua Cason at alcason@neiu.edu.
I am her 2023 annual empowerment conference
March 18, 2023
Conference speakers will discuss the importance of mental health care for Black women, and how we must live an intentional lifestyle.
Writing Palooza
March 4, 2023
The National Writing Project and the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) presents a day filled with writing fun! We will have workshops with educators and community members. An exciting Keynote Speaker Miyiti Sengstacke-Rice will share her writing expertise and more.
"blended" exclusive premier movie screening
Feb. 25, 2023
Writer and director Messiah Equiano and producer Tawana Hartsfield present the riveting, groundbreaking TV pilot, “Blended.”
Black heritage Awards ceremony at ccics
Feb. 24, 2023
Awards Ceremony honoring faculty, staff and students for exemplary service to the NEIU community
18th annual jacob h. carruthers conference
Feb. 17, 2023
The theme of this year's conference is "Ancestral Answers for Today's Challenges." Join us as we explore the relevance of African thought and the wisdom of our ancestors to building a future for African world.
An Evening with the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party
Dec. 15, 2022
Join us at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies for an evening with the historical Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. The Illinois Chapter was in charge of the entire Midwest region of the U.S. Learn about the Party’s programs and initiatives in our city, state and region. Find out how the Illinois Chapter would not let the city of Chicago forget the government assassinations of Chairman Fred Hampton and Defense Captain Mark Clark. Understand the landmarking initiative. Take this opportunity to ask questions. This is a free event.
Build 2 Heal Kick Off
Dec. 9, 2022
CCICS hosts the kickoff event for Build 2 Heal. Throughout the day there will be a silent auction, panel discussions, and art and performances. Advance sign-up is recommended.
Build 2 Heal is a local movement to push back the dominant narrative about people in communities directly impacted by criminalization, violence and incarceration. It brings together activists, spoken word performers, musicians, visual artists, educators, witnesses directly impacted by violence and subject matter experts.
Build 2 Heal is dedicated to improving community safety through nonviolence, restorative justice and criminal justice transformation efforts, in the spirit of formal and informal cross-cultural and intersectional alliance-building by, with, and for denizens of Chicago. Build 2 Heal envisions community healing from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-incarceration syndrome (PICS) experienced in our city’s communities when the realities are shared through the looking glass that art provides.
This event is co-sponsored by Prison+Neighborhood Arts/Education Project (P+NAP), University Without Walls, the Institute for Non-Violence Chicago and NEIU’s Formerly Incarcerated Standing Together (FIST).
Exclusive Bronzeville screening of "King of kings"
Nov. 22
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is proud to invite NEIU students, staff, and faculty to the exclusive Bronzeville Screening of the French filmmaker, Harriet Marin-Jones' documentary, "King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones."
France/USA | 90 minutes | in English
Harriet Marin-Jones searches for the truth about her grandfather Edward Jones, a legendary African American who rose to the heights of financial and political prominence in Depression-era Chicago. In shaping the destiny of a city, Ed Jones could not deny his race, his community. In conflict with both the mob and the Feds, he was forced into a life on the run.
Exploring the rise and fall of the most famous ‘Policy King’ of all times, Harriet uncovers an unparalleled story, providing indispensable insight into America’s ceaseless, divisive relations with race and community.
This is us 2: the black adoption podcast celebration + conversation
Nov. 10
November is National Adoption Month. The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is excited to host the two-year celebration and conversation of The BlackAdoption Podcast, a podcast which opens the conversation of the experience of Black adoptees adopted by Black families. The podcast is hosted by Sandria Washington and Dr. Samantha Coleman who are the co-founders of Black to the Beginning, LLC which was established in 2019 to amplify the Black Adoption conversation with Black adoptee and Black family voices at the center. In 2020 during National Adoption Awareness Month, Black to the Beginning: The Black Adoption Podcast launched.
For the past two years there has been an exciting whirlwind of sharing stories from people across the United States who have dared to own their voices and share their Black Adoption Experiences with the world. CCICS will not only celebrate this milestone, but will also bring you into the conversation at the first love podcast recording.
Join us for a live conversation with Dr. Sam and Sandria, Dr. Marcia Walker-McWilliams, Executive Director of Black Metropolis Research Consortium and our very own Dr. Zada N. Johnson, anthropologist and Assistant Professor at Northeastern Illinois University.
Bra Drive at CCICS for Breast Cancer Awareness month
Oct. 7-31
For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Northeastern Illinois University’s Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) will host a bra drive. Please donate new or gently used bras into the donation bin in the CCICS lobby.
CCICS Building Hours
- Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- Sunday: Closed
Book Talk with dr sunni ali-howard
Oct. 28
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is honored to host a Community Conversations book talk with Associate Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and author Dr. Sunni Ali-Howard as he talks about his new book “An American Love Story: Islam and the Black Experience”.
Campfires Stories with ms. carmenita
Oct. 29
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) hosts Campfires Stories with Ms. Carmenita. Celebrate Autumn Harvest, Halloween, and Dia de los Muertos with campfire stories narrated by storyteller and educator Carmenita Peoples. T
Appropriate for ages 6 and up. Tickets available on Eventbrite.
Dia de los muertos and ancestor day at ccics
Oct. 31
Join the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) to celebrate Dia de los Muertos and Ancestor Day in order to appreciate the good works and memories of those who have passed and of our ancestors. CCICS is NEIU's Bronzeville neighborhood location where many historical figures have worked and left their legacies behind.
Bring mementos of loved ones that have passed to add to our three altars in the CCICS lobby. Other activities include:
- Free face-painting by Brown Books and Paint Brushes to get you ready for an evening of trick-or-treating!
- Free sip-n-paint session from noon-1:30 p.m. with renowned Chicago muralist Erick "Roho" Garcia. Space is limited.
- Screening of the Academy Award-winning film “Black Orpheus,” a 1959 romantic tragedy film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus. It is a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, set during the time of the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
Breakin' it down conference
Oct. 28
NEIU’s Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) hosts the Breakin' It Down Conference: Redefining Leadership. Launched in 2003, the Breakin' It Down Conference grew out of a desire to engage diverse nonprofit management and fundraising professionals in conversations about the present state and future of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. The programs are under the organizing rubric of racial equity and healing practices.
Chicago Open House Tour at CCICS
Oct. 15
Northeastern Illinois University's Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is excited to be part of this year's Open House Chicago (OHC) tour! Visit our historic Bronzeville building, originally called the Abraham Lincoln Center in 1898, and designed in part by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago is a free annual event that invites visitors to explore hundreds of great places and spaces across our city. OHC is part of a worldwide family of over 50 similar events. The 12th annual Open House Chicago will take place in the OHC app, open Oct. 1-31, and will be coupled with a classic in-person OHC weekend Oct. 15-16.
Breast Cancer Walk and Discussion at CCICS
Oct. 7
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Join the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) for our annual Breast Cancer Walk-a-Thon followed by an information discussion. There will be snacks and giveaways! For more information, email Monica Smith at m-smith5@neiu.edu.
This event is co-sponsored by the Chicago Park District, Chicago Housing Authority, Ujima, Inc., 4th Ward Alderman Sophia King.
To request disability accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at (773) 442-4595 or sds@neiu.edu at least 48 hours in advance.
Jazzy Mondays at CCICS with Jazz Diva Bobbi Wilsyn
Oct. 3
Join the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) for Jazzy Monday featuring Jazz Diva Bobbi Wilsyn.
Jazzy Mondays at CCICS presents great music every Monday of every month. Hosted by Joan Collaso and Iris Dunmore and presented by CCICS Great Black Music Project.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is $15. Reservations are strongly recommended by emailing GBMPJazzyMondays@
An Evening with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Sept. 15
“Justice is not a natural part of the lifecycle of the United States, nor is it a product of evolution; it is always the outcome of struggle.” -Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation. NEIU faculty, staff and students enjoyed a lunch and a presentation by Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Author, Activist, Scholar, Northeastern Illinois University Alumna and 2021 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow.
Black Caucus Club 6th Annual Homecoming Dance
Sept. 16
The Black Caucus Club (Student Organization) held their 6th Annual Homecoming Dance at CCICS. There was food, music and fun. The theme for this year was “Black Carpet.”
Cyber-Safe Families Conference
Sept. 17
On behalf of Northeastern Illinois University, the Center for College Access and Success, Siemens Foundation and Manufacturing X Design, we would like to invite you to our Cyber-Safe Families Conference.
CCICS 4th Annual Fun Fair
Sept. 10
Join us for live music, games, video game truck, global food and more fun as we welcome back our NEIU students and community and celebrate the start of the new academic year.
Citizen's History of Bronzeville KickOff Event
Sept. 1, 2022
Rediscover Bronzeville’s rich history with a panel discussion featuring award-winning columnist John Fountain; author, speaker and public historian Michele Duster; President and CEO of Chicago Defender Charities Myiti Sengstacke-Rice; and founder of the Bronzeville Historical Society Sherry Williams. The discussion will be moderated by Associate Professor of Urban Community Studies Zada Johnson.
This event is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Writing Project, and the Illinois Writing Project, in collaboration with the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies and the Bronzeville Historical Society.
CCICS 4th Annual poetry slam: Together we heal; together we rise
April 14, 2022
April is Poetry Month. The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) is excited to host its Fourth Annual Poetry Slam, themed "Together We Heal; Together We Rise," in person at CCICS. Prizes will be awarded. The talent will be judged by Donald Waddell, Alex Gonzalez and Ten'Ja Martin.
"Southside With You" Streamed Live
Feb. 28, 2022
The Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies will stream the movie "Southside with You," which chronicles the 1989 summer afternoon when the future President of the United States, Barack Obama, wooed his future First Lady, Michelle Obama, on a first date across Chicago's South Side.
ShermanN "Dilla" Thomas at CCICS
Feb. 22, 2022
In honor of Black History Month, The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies hosted renowned local historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas in the CCICS Donn F. Bailey Legacy Hall.
CCICS MLK Movie Day
Jan. 13, 2022
CCICS screened the HBO documentary, "King in the Wilderness," honoring Martin Luther King Day. This documentary chronicles the final chapters of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, revealing a conflicted leader who faced an onslaught of criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.
Giving Tuesday 2021
Nov. 30, 2021
#GivingTuesday is a global movement that inspires people to celebrate generosity. We at CCICS believe that education can combat the detrimental effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our current and prospective students. We need to remind our youth that college combats COVID!
Family Night and Open House at CCICS
Nov. 17, 2021
Come and see what the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) has to offer for Fall 2022. We will have current student ambassadors for you and your families to speak with as well as presentations on academic and financial aid.
Rock the Mic with Soul Music Fest
Oct. 29, 2021
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies hosted Rock the Mic with Soul music fest. Presented by Deeply Rooted '07 and Rep your Culture.
Headlining the show is Hxllywood accompanied by Glizzy G, Duke Ahmilllion and Cinoevil.
The Japanese American Redress Conference
Sept. 22-23, 2021
Northeastern Illinois University in collaboration with numerous local and national supporting organizations hosted the Japanese American Redress Conference. The conference, titled "With Liberty and Justice for All: Racism, Redress and Reparations," commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Commission on the Wartime Relocation and Internment of civilians (CWRIC) hearings held on our Main Campus in 1981.
3rd Annual Fun Fair at CCICS
Sept. 11, 2021
NEIU Alumni, current faculty, staff, students, student clubs, and the community mixed and mingled at the 3rd Annual Fun Fair at CCICS. There was music by DJ K from Big Time Entertainment, live painting and art exhibition by Erick “Roho” Garcia, henna body art and games, global food and more!
Follow our Facebook page for event pics and news @CarruthersCenter.
The CCICS Third Annual Poetry Slam: Let your Mind Speak
April 16, 2021
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies is excited to host its Third Annual Poetry Slam, "Let Your Mind Speak." We will be presenting some amazing NEIU student talent. The Poetry Slam will be presented virtually and will be judged by Zakita Mason, Nekenya Walker and Tim Mays.
Vision and Action: Celebrating Black Women Faculty at NEIU's Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies
March 23, 2021
The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) and the Urban Community Studies Program are honored to host this Women’s HERstory Month panel. The event is open to all students, faculty and staff. Panelists include Dr. Carol Adams, Dr. Gloria Latimore Peace, Dr. Iva Carruthers, Dr. Zada Johnson and Dr. Kimya Barden,
Racial Oppression and the On-Going Movement for Black Liberation
Lecture by Dr. Kamau Rashid
Feb. 18, 2021
This presentation is co-sponsored by The Goodwin College of Education and the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies. It will consider the contributions of two thinkers, Jacob H. Carruthers and Anderson Thompson, to the theorization of race. Further, it will examine the genealogies and present state of Black liberation movements, and their prospects in the shifting sands of neoliberal globalization, right-wing fascism, and the atomization of Black people.
