About

Residents’ Journal is a newspaper written by and for residents of Chicago public housing. Led by former Chicago Daily Defender journalist Ethan Michaeli and Mary C. Piemonte (née Johns), the publication began in 1996 with funding from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). When this funding ended in 1999, the staff opted to form the not-for-profit organization, We the People Media, to take over Residents’ Journal and the Urban Youth International Journalism Program. Together, the two programs trained thousands of adults and youths in all aspects of journalism and news production.

Topics covered include Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) plans and programs, childcare, community events, crime, elections, housing issues, schools, social issues, stories about public housing residents and youth activities. The issues span 1996 to 2010.

The original publications along with photographs, editorial and production notes, newspapers, photographs and research files created to document life in Chicago’s public housing are housed in Special Collections at Harold Washington Library Center.

Questions or concerns about rights and access to this digital collection? See our Copyright and Takedown Policy.

Acknowledgment of Harmful Materials

Chicago Public Library collects images, documents and other archival materials from different communities and time periods to preserve and make available the cultural and historical record. As historical objects, some of these materials contain harmful or disturbing content. CPL presents these artifacts as an unfiltered social record and does not endorse the views expressed therein.

Related CPL Collections

• Materials about public housing
• On the topic of journalism
• Austin Newspapers Collection
• Back of the Yards Newspapers Collection
• Chicago African American and Latinx Newspapers Microfilm Collection
• South Shore Newspapers Collection
• West Side Newspaper Collection