Category Archives: Voices

Youth Making History at Home

Posted on 02/02/2009 by Karen Simms

”Our youth are not failing the system; the system is failing our youth. Ironically, the very youth who are being treated the worst are the young people who are going to lead us out of this nightmare.”—Rachel Jackson The Peer … Continue reading →

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WAMPANOAGS FOUR CENTURIES OF STRUGGLE FOR TRIBAL RECOGNITION

Posted on 11/01/2008 by Public i

The Wampanoag were the Native American tribe encountered by the early colonists when they arrived to the shores of Wampanoag lands. The tribal nation, however, was not to receive federal recognition until last year. The struggle for tribal recognition faced … Continue reading →

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Code Pink

Posted on 10/01/2008 by Antonia Darder

CODEPINK IS BRINGING THOUSANDS of women together to struggle for peace, even if it requires civil disobedience. The organization is working around the clock, to educate the public about the costs of war and its affect on the world and … Continue reading →

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Tamms CMAX Super-Maximum Security Prison

Posted on 06/01/2008 by Neil Parthun

Imagine being in solitary isolation twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Imagine no telephone calls. Imagine limited visits with loved ones. Imagine the few visits that are allowed to take place happening with no physical contact. Imagine the … Continue reading →

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UPTV and the Chief Controversies

Posted on 06/01/2008 by Belden Fields

The glaring similarities between the controversy surrounding the broadcast of the anti-Semitic videos on Urbana Public Television and the characterization of a Native American during athletic events and in the Homecoming Parade at the U of I are that: (1) … Continue reading →

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Aramark™ Makes Horrible Lunches, and Kids Do Something About It

Posted on 05/01/2008 by dezyp

I go to Leal Elementary School in Urbana, and our school lunches suck. Most of the kids in my class think the school lunches are unhealthy, and should not be served at our school, or any other elementary school. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Food, Human Rights, Youth | Leave a comment

The Labor of Black Women

Posted on 05/01/2008 by Amira Davis

IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, Black women have labored harder within its borders than any other group. Black women have constituted the most disposal segment of the American labor force, working in the least desirable, least paid positions. Not only … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Human Rights, Labor/Economics, Women | Leave a comment

Jails, Hospitals, Hip-Hop

Posted on 04/01/2008 by Cassidy Browning

The one-person show, Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop (JH3) by Danny Hoch was presented at spaces across the UIUC campus. Each performance was followed by a discussion with director, Alex Berg-Jacobson, Assistant Director, Keri Carpenter, and actor, Chris Silcox. One night … Continue reading →

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You Can’t Jail the Spirit: US Political Prisoners and POWs

Posted on 04/01/2008 by Public i

COMPILED BY THE PRISON ACTIVIST RESOURCE CENTER. For other Political Prisoner/POW-related resources, go to our political prisoner page. The list is alphabetical. And as of February 2005, there are so many names that we have split off onto separate pages … Continue reading →

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National Conference for Prison Book Projects Held in Urbana-Champaign

Posted on 11/26/2007 by Books to Prisoners

ON NOVEMBER 3, 2007, a conference in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois brought together 88 participants from 29 different prison book projects across the country. A similar event of this kind has not taken place since a 2002 conference in Philadelphia. Participants shared … Continue reading →

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Vernon Bellecourt: A Life of Struggle for Indian Rights

Posted on 11/26/2007 by Antonia Darder

“Our detractors always say, ‘We are honoring you,’ It’s not an honor. In whose honor? We have to ask. Beginning with the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, about 16 million of us were wiped out, including whole villages in Washington, where … Continue reading →

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UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples Rings Hollow at UIUC

Posted on 11/26/2007 by Antonia Darder

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a landmark declaration in support of the rights of an estimated 370 million indigenous peoples in some 70 countries worldwide, prohibiting State discrimination against them in both practice … Continue reading →

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Breast Cancer Survivor

Posted on 10/26/2007 by Marti Wilkinson

In the year 2003, I am 35 working, raising a child, trying to get by. I go to the women’s clinic for my yearly probe. It becomes more than a matter of routine when the nurse says, “Hey you’re 35 … Continue reading →

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Access to Abortion and EC for Teens in Illinois

Posted on 03/25/2007 by Jessica Kuzemsky

Obtaining proper reproductive healthcare and education about sexuality and sexual health is essential to keeping teens in our area healthy. In Illinois, teens are lucky to have some access to contraceptives, abortion services and other reproductive care. However, activist groups … Continue reading →

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Native Women’s Resurgence at UIUC

Posted on 03/25/2007 by Brenda Farnell

Ask your friends and family to name any American Indian women. It is likely that Sacagawea and Pocahontas will be the only ones they know. Why is it that these two Native women have acquired mythical status in American history … Continue reading →

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Guard Your Girls From Gardasil: What every woman and parent should know before considering the HPV vaccine.

Posted on 03/25/2007 by Anyanna Qaddem

Recently, the media has been saturated with ads promoting Gardasil, the Human Papillomavirus vaccine created by Merck. The overwhelming tone of this campaign is that cervical cancer is a growing epidemic and that the best preventative measure is to inoculate … Continue reading →

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Lesbian Activism and Women’s History in the Cold War Era

Posted on 03/25/2007 by Stephanie Foote

ORGANIZING WOMEN’S HISTORIES Which women do we remember when we think about women’s history and which do we forget? What kind of woman has remained invisible when the idea of Women’s History itself becomes institutionalized? Questions like these are not … Continue reading →

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Consent Decree 101: The Mis-education of Champaign’s Black Students

Posted on 02/25/2007 by Brian Dolinar

More than 50 years after the landmark case of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954), this country still has not fulfilled the dream of desegregation. In fact, there are many indications that the country is seeing a trend toward … Continue reading →

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Colonized Wombs? Reproduction Rights and Puerto Rican Women

Posted on 12/25/2006 by Antonia Darder

Following World War II, Puerto Rico and the rest of the Third World emerged as a problem for U.S. philanthropists, foreign policy makers, and social scientists to solve. A major concern of the times was that Third World populations were … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare, Human Rights, Latino/a, Women | Leave a comment

Torture Exposed in the Champaign County Jail

Posted on 10/25/2006 by Brian Dolinar

Many are now familiar with the infamous story of Sergeant Jon Burge in Chicago. In 2002, it was found that Sgt. Burge and his underlings had tortured over 150 Black men in Chicago jails. Burge had used a hand-cranked army … Continue reading →

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