Category Archives: Voices

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

Abused: Working Women Face Widespread Harassment and Violence

Posted on March 2018 by Patricia Simpson

By Pat Simpson Pat Simpson, Emerita Professor, Loyola University, formerly taught in the Labor Education Program, UIUC. A longtime labor and social justice activist, she is  currently a member of the Chambana Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and of the … Continue reading →

Posted in labor, Labor/Economics, Sexual abuse, Women, Women | Comments Off on Abused: Working Women Face Widespread Harassment and Violence

Is Chancellor Jones in the ‘Sunken Place’?

Posted on March 2018 by Sunny Ture

by Kurtis ‘Sunny’ Ture Kurtis ‘Sunny’ Ture is a music producer, organizer, and graduate student at UIUC. As a founding member of Black Students for Revolution and the Speak Truth Collective, Sunny seeks to raise political consciousness, celebrate Black culture, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, bigotry, Indigenous, Voices of Color | Comments Off on Is Chancellor Jones in the ‘Sunken Place’?

Women and the Environment

Posted on March 2018 by Jacquelyn Potter

By Jacquelyn Potter, Sierra Club Prairie Group About a month ago I had the “great” idea to write an article in honor of Women’s History Month about women in the environmental movement. I soon realized the futility of this. Writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Environment, Women, Women | Comments Off on Women and the Environment

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Nika Lucks

Posted on February 2018 by Rachel Storm

A column curated by staff of the Urbana Public Arts Program Nika Lucks is a local photographer originally from the Chicago Southside. Her most recent work, People of Speech: Part I, draws inspiration from parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Arts | Comments Off on ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Nika Lucks

New Bill Takes Effect Cutting Cost of Calls from Illinois Prisons

Posted on January 2018 by Brian Dolinar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2018 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brian Dolinar, Program Director, Independent Media Center, (217) 621-5827, briandolinar@ucimc.org The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) is proud to announce that as of January 1, 2018, a new state law took … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Prisoners | Comments Off on New Bill Takes Effect Cutting Cost of Calls from Illinois Prisons

“You’re Still in Jail”: How Electronic Monitoring Is a Shackle on the Movement for Decarceration

Posted on December 2017 by James Kilgore

(A longer version of this article originally appeared in Truthout.) By James Kilgore Despite the “law and order” vows of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, states and counties continue to take steps to reduce prison and jail populations. In August, Cook … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Prisoners | Comments Off on “You’re Still in Jail”: How Electronic Monitoring Is a Shackle on the Movement for Decarceration

Stream some Laughs: Four Political Comedies from Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico

Posted on December 2017 by Audrey Wells

Subtitles don’t bite. Turn them on, if you need, and check out a superb satire from Mexican director Luis Estrada, The Perfect Dictatorship (La Dictadura Perfecta, 2014), streaming on Netflix. Prepare to laugh and squirm. In this uncomfortably relevant and … Continue reading →

Posted in film, Latino/a, Media | Comments Off on Stream some Laughs: Four Political Comedies from Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico

UI Bans “War Chant”

Posted on October 2017 by David Prochaska

On February 21, 2007 the University of Illinois got rid of the Chief Illiniwek mascot. On August 24, 2017 they got rid of the “war chant.” The “war chant,” separate from but related to the so-called “3-in-1,” was created during … Continue reading →

Posted in Indigenous, News-Gazette, Trump | Comments Off on UI Bans “War Chant”