Longtime activist Lori Cannon stands in front of a sign in support of Black Lives Matter that hung at North Side Food Center (Groceryland), 5543 N. Broadway. The sign was painted by local artist David Lee Csicsko.
The Center, which Cannon manages, primarily serves Chicagoans with HIV/AIDS and has been especially active in recent months, having resumed outside deliveries with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Cannon founded the organization Open Hand/Chicago, which was ultimately folded into the Heartland Alliance health network. She is Heartland's Food Program Coordinator.
The Center was briefly boarded in early June, Cannon said, but the banner, which covered the boards, was "warmly embraced by the Edgewater neighborhood, as well as our clients and volunteers." She noted that Heartland President Ed Stellon wanted to make sure clients had up-to-date information and knew that the organization was in support of the BLM movement.
The boards have since come down, Cannon said. As for now, "A rainbow flag hangs proudly in the same window."