Playlist Firsthand

Firsthand

A group of people stand in front of a bus while Chicago's Chief Equity Officer Candace Moore addresses them

Bus Tour Encourages Chicagoans to "Disrupt Segregation" By Visiting All Neighborhoods

Daniel Hautzinger

“You can understand another person’s perspective when you see their neighborhood and what it’s like to live there,” says Tonika Lewis Johnson, the founder of the Folded Map Project, who is organizing tours in partnership with the city and popular historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas.
Nicholas Crayton from WTTW's FIRSTHAND: Life After Prison

A "Daily Struggle": WTTW's 'FIRSTHAND' Explores the Challenges Complicating Life After Prison

Daniel Hautzinger

Thousands of restrictive laws govern people who have been released from prison in the United States, making it difficult for them to find housing, employment, and to restart life after they have done their time, as WTTW's FIRSTHAND: Life After Prison explores. The producer of the documentaries spoke about the project. 
Ebony Scott

Five Ideas That Can Change the Conversation about Poverty

Meredith Francis

WTTW’s new digital series, FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty, follows five people experiencing intergenerational poverty. As part of the FIRSTHAND Talks series, five experts offer their take on issues related to poverty. Here are some takeaways.
FIRSTHAND: Coronavirus’s producer and director Pat Odom and director of photography Kimmer Olesak interview sanitation worker Sammy Dattulo. Photo: Liam Alexander/WTTW

"I've Never Covered a More Important Story": Journalism During COVID-19

Daniel Hautzinger

"I've never covered a more important story in my career," says the producer of the new Frontline: Coronavirus Pandemic. But how are journalists and broadcasters working now, when most people are confined at home? Frontline, WTTW News, and WTTW's FIRSTHAND discuss.
Melissa Fonseca in FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty. Photo: WTTW/Liam Alexander

A Look Ahead at 'FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty'

Julia Maish

Go behind the scenes of the upcoming digital series FIRSTHAND: Living in Poverty, which follows five people experiencing intergenerational poverty to better understand the daily challenges that make their circumstances difficult to escape.
Sgt. Jermaine Harris

Five Ideas That Can Change the Conversation About Gun Violence

Meredith Francis

Though the number of Chicagoans killed by gun violence has declined in the past two years, the persistent problem is still a reality for many of the city’s residents. WTTW’s new digital series, FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence, examines gun violence from the perspective of five people who have experienced its effects.

India Hart is a college-bound high school senior featured in FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence. Photo: Zakkiyyah Najeebah for WTTW

Using Storytelling to Build Empathy for People Affected by Gun Violence

Daniel Hautzinger

"I really believe in the power of storytelling," says the director and producer of WTTW's new digital series FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence, which tells the stories of five people whose lives have been upended by gun violence. 
Reality Allah. Photo: WTTW and Zakkiyyah Najeebah

A New WTTW Digital Series on Gun Violence

Daniel Hautzinger

FIRSTHAND: Gun Violence, a new WTTW digital series, follows the stories of the real people behind the statistics of gun violence in Chicago who are living with the repercussions and the psychological trauma it leaves behind. 
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