Social scene for young black professionals in Chicago

This is a short article about a few different people trying to nourish the social options for young black professionals in Chicago.  One person interviewed is the younger brother of one of my best friends.  It appears that promoters of mainly-black social events in Chicago really face an uphill battle, because many venues see an black crowd and balk. 

I really applaud the young entrepreneurs profiled in the article.  While parties and happy hours may on the surface seem frivolous, these things are key to attracting and retaining young black professionals to Chicago.  If talented, upwardly mobile people in Chicago are excluded from social spaces of their own, and treated like second-class citizens, they will continue to flock to places like Atlanta or DC that, despite perhaps lacking in the sophistication and history that Chicago offers, seem to appreciate their young black folk more and offer them venues to have a good time.  The guys arranging parties and theme nights at clubs are probably doing more than most of us experts in social justice and community development in terms of stemming the exodus of black talent from Chicago, and keeping it as a viable, thriving city.