Evanston resident Terri Shepard spots Black children waiting for a bus in her neighborhood early every morning — rain, snow or sunshine — in Evanston’s Fifth Ward. At 3 p.m. every weekday afternoon, ...

A young girl waves from her mother’s arms as Evanston sanitation vehicles roll past, tailing the local Fourth of July Parade. “Our Public Works agency is the backbone of our community,” Evanston ...

Substitute teacher Gabriel Garcia sports gray “Mexicans Ain’t Going Anywhere” shirt at parade to protest ongoing discrimination and represent cultural heritage. Photo by Juliana Agudelo Ariza / North ...

A man hangs Grand Marshal Jill Wine-Banks’ sign onto her carriage-like parade vehicle before the 2025 Evanston Fourth of July parade. Photo by Stella Bleiweis / North by Northwestern A father beckoned ...

Juliana Agudelo Ariza is a student in the summer 2025 Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute.

Gus Kohl arrived two hours early for Evanston’s Fourth of July parade. The 13-year-old set up his freezer and chair at a nearly empty Independence Park on Central Street, and he was ready. His goal ...

A golden retriever accompanies its owner during the Evanston Fourth of July parade. Many dogs attended the event in costume, wearing bandanas, onesies, or tutus. Photo by Hailey Lloyd / ...

The Rotary International’s parade float, a U-Haul trailer filled with nearly every national flag where Rotary operates, drives down the Evanston streets during the 4th of July parade last Friday.

Logan Szymanski is a student in the summer 2025 Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute.

Evelyn Kraber is a student in the summer 2025 Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute.