Friday Forum + Conversation Café
Spring 2026 Series
Please join the University YMCA and Diversity & Social Justice Education for our Spring 2026 Friday Forum + Conversation Café series. We will hear from community leaders tackling our most pressing public concerns through an unwavering pursuit of social justice.
All presentations are open to the public and free on Fridays at 12 PM in Latzer Hall at the University YMCA. Free lunch is provided.
- 2/6 – Justice Lives in Community, DeShawn Williams, City of Urbana Mayor
- 2/13 – Liberating Abortion: A Conversation with Renee Bracey Sherman, Reproductive Justice Organizer, Author, and Advocate
- 2/20 – Advancing Community + Legacy with the Divine 9, moderated by Kellie Blanden, Diversity + Social Justice Education
- 2/27 – Faith Over Fear: Interfaith Organizing for Democracy in Chicago, participants TBA
- 3/6 – Collective Flourishing: Women, Community, and Shared Success, moderated by Rebecca Hodson, International Education
- 3/27 – Labor Unions and Immigration, UIUC Graduate Employees’ Organization
- 4/3 – People v. Power: Litigation as a Strategy for Social + Economic Justice, Nick Sansone, Public Citizen
- 4/10 – Indian Boundary Prairies, Debra Williams, The Nature Conservancy
- 4/17 – Where History Lives: Creating Spaces for Learning, Reflection, + Pride, Natalie Beck + Antonio Burton
An audio recording of each program can be heard the following Wednesday at 6–7 pm on WEFT 90.1 FM, weft.org.
Also rebroadcast on UPTV6 YouTube channel at youtube.com/@UPTV6.