Category Archives: Voices

Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago

Posted on December 2018 by John Palen

If you’ve read Robert Caro’s biographies of Lyndon Johnson, you know what it’s like to be kidnapped by a historian who’s also a great story teller. The reading lamp burns late. I’ve just finished a new book on Illinois history … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Chicago, Politics | Comments Off on Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago

A Muslim on the Inside

Posted on November 2018 by Isra Rahman

“Praise the Gods, Martin Luther King is dead.” Monroe Haynes was an 18-year-old in Vietnam fighting a war he did not understand, with people he did not know, when he heard his commander proclaim this statement. Just barely an adult, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Islam, Prisoners | Comments Off on A Muslim on the Inside

1968 – Not Really So Long Ago or Far Away

Posted on November 2018 by Janice Jayes

“I want kids to see that it wasn’t just Martin Luther King making things happen in the 1960s, it was local folks here as well. Just as it is today.” Katie Snyder, Education Program Specialist, Museum of the Grand Prairie … Continue reading →

Posted in 1968, African Americans, African Americans, Environment, University of Illinois, Vietnam War, Youth | Comments Off on 1968 – Not Really So Long Ago or Far Away

Trustee Trip

Posted on September 2018 by Jay Rosenstein

This past spring, two U of I Trustees set out on a secret mission to solve the seemingly endless Chief Illiniwek problem once and for all. And they did it. But I doubt they’re happy with the result. They hoped … Continue reading →

Posted in Indigenous, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off on Trustee Trip

An Exciting Change in Children’s Literature Book Awards!

Posted on September 2018 by Debbie Reese

Back in February of 2018, I was astonished and excited when I learned that the American Library Association’s Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) was taking a look at the names of its book awards, asking if the award … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Indigenous, Literature, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off on An Exciting Change in Children’s Literature Book Awards!

Trump Pardons Jack Johnson

Posted on June 2018 by Neil Parthun

On May 24, 2018, President Donald Trump officially signed a posthumous pardon for heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson. As a radical and a sports fan, it was a surreal moment on a number of levels. But to explain how, it is … Continue reading →

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Police Gun Violence: An Epidemic in America

Posted on May 2018 by Public i

By Salma El-Naggar Salma El-Naggar is a sophomore at Uni High and a member of the student organization team for the local walkout and other social justice even In the light of the recent Florida school shooting, gun violence has … Continue reading →

Posted in Gun violence, Police, Students | Comments Off on Police Gun Violence: An Epidemic in America

Student Coalition Protests Gun Violence

Posted on May 2018 by Public i

By Annemily Hoganson, Anya Kaplan-Hartnett, Victoria Kindratenko and Emma Lowenstein.   Left to right: Annemily Hoganson is a junior at Uni High and an organizer of the CU-March For Our Lives. Anya Kaplan-Hartnett is a sophomore at Uni. Victoria Kindratenko … Continue reading →

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History Matters: Remembering Two “Dangerous” Labor Union Women

Posted on March 2018 by Stephanie Fortado

By Stephanie Fortado Dr. Stephanie Seawell Fortado is a Lecturer at the University of Illinois Labor Education Program, providing workshops and extension programming for unions and the general public on the Champaign-Urbana campus and throughout Illinois. Before joining the University, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Feminism, labor, Labor/Economics, Women, Women | Comments Off on History Matters: Remembering Two “Dangerous” Labor Union Women

The Alt-Right Comes to Town

Posted on March 2018 by David Prochaska

by David Prochaska TARIQ KHAN INCIDENT Last November 16, on the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s election, Tariq Khan, a 39-year-old Ph.D. student in history, was just finishing speaking at a rally when hecklers, including Joel Valdez, called out, “No … Continue reading →

Posted in Alt-Right, bigotry, Free Speech, Indigenous, News-Gazette, University of Illinois | Comments Off on The Alt-Right Comes to Town