Monthly Archives: February 2010

JUST WHEN THE WINTER BLUES and economy woes had me in a headlock, I attended a panel on local foods on February 24 hosted by Champaign County Net and grew a new attitude: hope! I gave an audible affirmation when … Continue reading →

STOP TASING OUR BLACK CHILDREN IN KANKAKEE Junior High School.” This is the message being sent by eight parents of eight junior high students, aged 12–14, in four multi-million lawsuits in the U.S. Federal District Court, Central District of Illinois–Urbana … Continue reading →

OVER THE PAST YEAR, it has become almost impossible to ignore the movement growing on college campuses both within and outside the United States. While diverse in their demands, seemingly independent local struggles converge around a common critique of the … Continue reading →

HISTORIAN, AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST Howard Zinn died on January 27, 2010. He was 87. He was involved in social justice movements and the author of over twenty books including A People’s History of the United States. Reading A People’s History … Continue reading →

ON FEBRUARY 27 AND 28, the University of Illinois chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) will be hosting the first national conference for the organization since it’s October 2008 Conference in Chicago. The Campus Antiwar Network is a collection … Continue reading →

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES of February 2, columnist Bob Herbert discusses the 2009 statistics on NYPD stops and other police practices in that city. The data are for the first three quarters of that year, when 450,000 pedestrians and … Continue reading →

* The organizers of the 2010 MLK Essay Contest asked that the names of these young authors be withheld. Dear Barack Obama, My name is K___ and I am 18 years old. I go to the READY Program and I … Continue reading →

SUSAN DAVIS IS TAKING HER FIRST unpaid furlough day on February 15, along with other faculty and members of the Campus Faculty Association at the University of Illinois. “Since the University demands that we not do our jobs,” she says, … Continue reading →

On December 8, State’s Attorney Julia Reitz released a 13- page report concluding that Kiwane Carrington had been shot “accidentally” by Champaign police officer Daniel Norbits. While dedicating only one paragraph to Norbits’ history, and failing to mention his involvement … Continue reading →

This commentary first appeared on WILL 580’s Public Square. MY NAME IS JAN KRUSE and as a resident of Champaign County I wanted to share with listeners the experiences I recently had while serving as a Champaign County Juror. I … Continue reading →

community of Champaign-Urbana, is the Douglass Center. It was named in honor of the great African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass who reportedly made a stop in Champaign while on a speaking tour. When the Center was first conceived, it served … Continue reading →