In May 2024, True Star Foundation marked 20 years of empowering the youth of Chicago. This milestone reflects the organization’s unwavering dedication and positive influence on the city. For two decades, True Star has offered young people a safe space and valuable hands-on experience in various fields including marketing, promotions, radio broadcasting, event production, and editorial work.
As we get ready for their annual From The Go Fest which will be held Saturday July 27th at The Legendary Dusable Muesum.
Let’s celebrate this remarkable journey with 20 impactful moments for 20 years!
True Star Launches quarterly Magazine- “In 2006, True Star Magazine was born as a print publication, becoming one of the first media entities in Chicago produced by teenagers. The magazine featured Twista”. ~ Via Southside Weekly
The Launch of True Star Radio- With the guidance of radio vet Bionce Foxx, True Star Radio made its debut on Power 92 Chicago.
Curates From the Go Fest: Students Zuri Yearwood and Xia Bryant curated “From the Go Fest,” a festival for teens by teens in 2021. The event featured prominent and upcoming Chicago artists such as Dreezy, Sonta, Queen Key, Big Mouf Bo, and Chanelle Tru.
Barrack Obama is featured- Following the election of the United States first Black President, Alumni Randy Bonds was awakened in the middle of the night to attend a conference with Barack Obama. His story made the cover of True Star Magazine.
Introduces the world to Chance the Rapper- In 2013, True Star Radio became the first Chicago media platform to feature Chance the Rapper.
Launches Legacy League for Alumni- Initiated by alumni Tashay Dennie, In May 2024, True Star introduced its Legacy League. This league provides the foundation with an opportunity to recognize distinguished alumni. It fosters a celebratory environment and offers former students a chance to network with their peers, as well as to connect alumni with current True Star students.
Mcdonalds All-American Game- The Mcdonalds All-American Game returned to Chicago in 2011 after a two-decade absence. True Star gained full access to the event, making it one of the only youth-led platforms to cover the festivities.
Interviewing T.I- True Star Alumni Henry Collins recalls the time he interviewed T.I, “My favorite memory is interviewing T.I for the premiere of the Takers. During that time, he was actually one of the hottest rappers in the game and he was my favorite rapper. True Star would literally have us in the streets everyday meeting celebrities at 16 and 17, which is crazy! Thankful for the opportunity and the exposure at such a young age.”
Linking with Lupe Fiasco- True Star gave former student Joshua Turner the opportunity to kick it with his favorite rapper Lupe Fiasco. “I believe it was Robeson High School when they were going through a huge pregnancy epidemic with their girls that year and had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, damn nearby. I don’t know why they brought Lupe out to speak to them when I think about it, lol, but it was an interesting conversation, nonetheless. And I ended up in the conversation with him and all the girls that attended. At 16/17. That was crazy to me. He was my favorite rapper at the time. Still is. And we were just talking like two people on the street.”
Derrick Rose Magazine Cover – In 2008, True Star’s Michael Mahaffy interviewed Chicago’s Derrick Rose.
Celebrate Sweet 16 with New Boyz- In 2009, True Star celebrated their 16th issue with a celebration featuring hip-hop duo The New Boyz. The Sweet Sixteen celebration, similar to MTV’s My Sweet 16, was a party full of teenagers with food drinks and a performance by the New Boyz.
50 Cent stops to talk with TS youth at Power 92.3- TS Alumni recalls the time she met 50 Cent “During my time as a student at True Star Media, I had the incredible opportunity to meet some remarkable individuals who left a lasting impression on me. One of my favorite moments was meeting rapper 50 Cent while participating in the radio program. He was one of the hottest artists at the time (circa 2009) and TS was invited to a media press room at Power 92 to meet him. I had every intention on not being impressed by him, mainly due to my judgement of his snarky reputation back then. To my surprise, he was very kind and super down to earth. The most impactful part was that we were the very last people to get to interview him. His management was rushing him out the door, but he stopped and spoke to us because he saw that we were the youth media in the room, and he felt is was important to talk to us. Even though it was only a couple of minutes, that exchange left a lasting impression because he intentionally stopped to talk to us, recognizing that we were the only youth media in the space.”
Deanna McLeary and Na-Tae launched the True Star Foundation- True Star was conceived in 2004 by Deanna McLeary and Na-Tae Thompson. Alongside their seventeen students, the ladies used their connections in the music industry to curate a four-page newsletter. The first newsletter featured broadcast journalist Tamron Hall and Chicago rapper Common, with whom the students had the opportunity to do a phone interview.
Singer Jeremih graces the Cover- In 2010, Newly R&B Singer and Chicago Native Jeremih sat down with Alumni Jasmine “Jayy Marie” Morales for an interview on his sophomore album “All About You“.
Meeting Jerry Reinsdorf- Alumni Tashay Dennie recalls another unforgettable experience was meeting Jerry Reinsdorf. “I was with DeAnna attending Jackie Robinson tribute program and Jerry shared an opening speech highlighting Jackie Robinson’s legacy and the value of being a risk taker and a leader. After the speech, I asked to take a picture with him. Hearing him speak about the knowing and working with Jackie Robinson was very enlightening.
It wasn’t until I spoke with my mom later that day about the experience that I learned he was actually the owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. I hadn’t quite put that together when i was at the events but afterwards I was really inspired that I was able to meet a sports owner and hold a conversation with him, without even knowing. This has left a lasting impression on me because it taught me that you never really know who’s in the room, and why it’s important to treat everyone with kindness and just like a regular person.
At the young age of 18, 19, 20 years old… True Star literally gave me the opportunity to meet prominent people that left such a lasting impression on me. These experiences definitely enhanced my confidence and made me the go-getter I am today.”
True Star goes Digital – Shifting gears, the publication went digital in April 2018, as they continue to adapt to what the teens gravitate to. “What Gen Z wanted was very instantaneous; they didn’t wanna work on something for two months and then wait another month for it to come out. They wanted to work on it and see it the next day and there was no way to do that with print,” said McLeary-Sherman. ~ Via Southside Weekly
True Star makes its debut on National Television- In 2017, True Star was featured on Rap Reality show “The Rap Game”. A show dedicated to finding the next hot young talent by super producer Jermaine Dupree. The show gave us an introduction to rappers such as Latto and Nia Kay. True Star provided the rappers with their own magazine cover.
Created Lyrical Lab- In 2012, True Star carried the torch for the Chicago music blog era by creating Lyrical Lab, a hip-hop based website that focused on Chicago music and helped launch local rappers. With the help of Brihana Gatlin of Swank Publishing and True Star staff like Ms Joi, a former True Star instructor who had a marketing and music industry background, True Star was able to gain access to celebrities. ~Via South Side Weekly
True Star makes front cover of South Side Weekly– In 2023, the newspaper South Side Weekly featured True Star’s journey. Snagging the cover, alumni Jasmine “Jayy Marie” Morales and Isaiah “Thought Poet” Veney curated a profile piece, highlighting the foundation’s 19-year journey.
Mayor Brandon Johnson Declares True Star Day in Chicago- This past May, Mayor Brandon Johnson declared May 9th True Star Media Day.
To donate to True Star log onto Truestarmedia.org
