Investigative Project on Race and Equity

03/31/2026

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity has named Adrienne Samuels Gibbs as its first full-time executive director, marking a major milestone in the organization’s growth and evolution.

An award-winning journalist, editor and media executive, Samuels Gibbs brings more than two decades of experience leading high-impact newsrooms, shaping audience strategy and building mission-driven media organizations.

Learn more about Adrienne here: tinyurl.com/239ky4hb

03/26/2026

The Illinois General Assembly is considering a trio of bills that would amend the state’s tax sale laws to make sure that homeowners are fairly compensated when their properties are seized for delinquent property taxes.

Efforts in other states offer road maps for improving outcomes for homeowners and addressing the harms of tax foreclosure.

03/13/2026

Real estate investor Greg Bingham made a fortune taking Cook County homes through tax foreclosure. Along the way, he has been dogged by allegations of fraud, according to court records and a previously undisclosed probe by the Treasurer’s office.

Bingham has amassed hundreds of tax-foreclosed properties since the 1990s. Along the way, he’s been dogged by allegations of fraud, an Injustice Watch investigation found.

03/11/2026

The Chicago Headline Club, the nation’s largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Investigative Project on Race and Equity are proud to announce its 2026 FOIA Fest Boot Camp cohort.

The FOIA Fest Boot Camp is a training program for Chicago-based reporters from marginalized communities to help them navigate accountability journalism — from story-idea to publishing.

Get to know the cohort here: tinyurl.com/3ewsajhz

02/06/2026

Someone asked for a tutorial on filing FOIA requests, and we delivered. Check out the guide for more thorough instruction.

If you are still curious about FOIA requests, check out the FOIA Fest, happening March 21, 2026. The annual public records conference will include pressing conversations about the legal challenges and limitations to information that newsrooms and journalists are facing, as well as workshops, case studies and breakout sessions about the Freedom of Information Act, accountability reporting and other investigative techniques.

Check out the Fest Bootcamp through the link in our bio.

01/29/2026

When ICE won’t release records, journalists look local.

That strategy — using FOIA requests with police and city agencies — was the focus of the Investigative Project on Race & Equity’s latest training on immigration enforcement reporting.

Read the full story through the training page at the link in our bio.

Story by ✍🏼

01/27/2026

A closer look at the latest investigation by the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and Injustice Watch, which opens with Charles Griffin, a former mayor of Ford Heights who gave away 17 village-owned homes to friends, family members and political supporters.

The village seized the 17 houses through a Cook County revitalization program that allows municipalities like Ford Heights to take over tax-delinquent properties. At the time of the 2017 transfers, the homes were collectively worth about $410,000, according to Cook County Assessor’s Office data.

Read the full investigation at the link in our bio.

✍🏼 Reporting by Emeline Posner (Investigative Project on Race and Equity)
📱 Video by Ismael Perez (Investigative Project on Race and Equity)

01/27/2026

A closer look at the latest investigation by the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and , which opens with Charles Griffin, a former mayor of Ford Heights who gave away 17 village-owned homes to friends, family members and political supporters.

The village seized the 17 houses through a Cook County revitalization program that allows municipalities like Ford Heights to take over tax-delinquent properties. At the time of the 2017 transfers, the homes were collectively worth about $410,000, according to Cook County Assessor’s Office data.

Read the full investigation at the link in our bio.

✍🏼 Reporting by Emeline Posner (Investigative Project on Race and Equity)
📱 Video by Ismael Perez (Investigative Project on Race and Equity)

01/15/2026

A new investigation by the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and Injustice Watch examines how Cook County’s revitalization program — intended to return vacant properties to productive use — has been misused, allowing local officials to seize tax-delinquent homes, transfer them to political allies and leave properties neglected.

✏️ Reporting by Emeline Posner (Investigative Project on Race and Equity)
📸 Photos by Taylor Glascock for the Investigative Project

Poor oversight has allowed properties seized through the program to fall into disrepair or be used by public officials for personal gain.

12/10/2025

A federal judge ruled in a class action lawsuit that the way Cook County handles unpaid property taxes violates the U.S. Constitution, a win for homeowners who lost their properties — and their built-up equity — in tax sales.

A 2025 investigation by the Investigative Project on Race and Equity and Injustice Watch found the initial debt that cost people their homes was collectively $2.3 million, but the homes had a total market value of more than $108 million — with the sales representing, in many cases, a transfer of wealth from Black neighborhoods to affluent outside investors.

Read more from the Chicago Sun-Times:

The case affects more than 1,700 homeowners who lost their properties in tax sales, but whether the county owes them money hasn't been decided yet.

12/09/2025

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity hosted a virtual training this fall on “Investigating History for Reparative Storytelling,” led by Logan Jaffe of ProPublica and journalist and public historian Laura Kebede-Twumasi.

The session gave reporters tools to weave history into accountability reporting and to uncover how systemic racism shapes today’s news.

✍🏼 Jake Wittich

Look back at the training here: tinyurl.com/4mebwzm9

Sign up for our newsletter for updates on upcoming training and highlights: tinyurl.com/4jmz33vz

12/03/2025

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity has a new look, but our mission remains the same.

Our updated design reflects who we are today: a growing newsroom and training hub for journalists who want to dig deeper into issues that matter. Alongside our latest investigations, we’re sharing highlights from training events, practical reporting resources and — through our newsletter — standout stories from journalists advancing equity nationwide.

Same commitment. Greater impact. Sign up for our newsletter.

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