In 2008 my then graduate school instructor Bette Lawrence-Water invited us as students to attend messages of hope community conversations. Messages of hope was a forum Bette had been instrumental in founding in an effort to create a round table where African American women and women of African descent could meet and talk about health issues that remained disparately high in their communities.

Chicago Cranes is a soccer team of Ugandans residing in Chicago metropolitan with voluntary players and sponsors with a base of fans from Uganda and so many other countries. The origin of the Cranes was an idea floated by 1995 Chicago residents attending the UNAA convention, and since then training took course but not on serious note as of today.

The Pearl dancer of the Uganda Community in Greater Chicago (UCiGC) was founded in summer of 2004 by former president Omulongo Wasswa Ddamulira initially trained by Sophie Mukasa and John Bisegerwa with a group of pioneer dancers including, Hamidah Ddamulira, Victoria Matovu, Joan Luganda, Vanessa Bukenya, Lauren Kaboggoza, Angel Musaazi, Elizabeth Musaazi, Anna Nankya, Dominique Latrice and Persis, Christopher Kirya, David Lwanga, and Hafez Ddamulira.