Category Archives: Racism

Defining Antisemitism

Posted on 10/06/2025 by Walter Feinberg

Dueling Definitions of Antisemitism Consider two definitions of antisemitism. The first holds that antisemitism refers to hostility, prejudice, or discrimination against individual Jews. It can be manifested in various forms, including negative stereotypes, violence, and social exclusion. The second holds … Continue reading →

361 total views, 2 views today

Posted in Antisemitism, Community Forum, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Racism, Section | Tagged antisemitism, Israel, Israel/Palestine, Jewish anti-Zionism, racism, Zionism | Comments Off

Unions and Immigrants: The Past and the Present

Posted on 08/20/2025 by Pat Simpson

This article is the first of a two-part analysis of the relation between unions and immigrant workers. In an upcoming issue, the focus will be on campus unions at UIUC and their efforts to protect international students and undocumented workers. … Continue reading →

579 total views, 1 views today

Posted in Immigrants, Immigration, labor, labor history, Labor/Economics, Racism, Section, union soldarity, Xenophobia | Tagged Immigrants, Labor, labor history, racism, union solidarity | Comments Off

The Real Influencer Threats in Central Illinois

Posted on 02/25/2025 by C. Owen

What Happened November 5? The headlines stated that the swing states might go blue, carried by women angry over the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, or by Latinos who would not hand their states to racists like Donald Trump, … Continue reading →

711 total views, 1 views today

Posted in Feminism, Immigrants, LGBTQA, Politics, Racism, Reproductive Justice, Right-wing Libertarianism, Section, Tax policy, Trump, Voices, White Nationalism | Tagged Immigrants, patriarchy, racism, reproductive rights, right-wing propaganda, second Trump administration | Comments Off

The Negro/Black Cultural, History, and Art Museum of Urbana

Posted on 12/23/2024 by Mrs. Marilynn Dean Cleveland

I would like to see this museum established here in our town of Urbana for the purpose of educating our people, especially our Black children: to teach them about our history and what Black people have contributed to this country, … Continue reading →

1,082 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American history, African American women, African American Women in Champaign-Urbana, African Americans, African Americans, Arts, Local Arts, Racism, Remembering, Section, Voices, Women | Tagged African American history, local culture, museum, racism, Slavery | Comments Off

The Case for Reparations: Champaign County

Posted on 04/01/2024 by Jeff Trask

According to the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation, Black people in America own 10 cents of wealth for every dollar a white person owns, have lower life expectancies and higher unemployment, will earn $1 million less during their lifetimes, are … Continue reading →

1,288 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American history, African Americans, African Americans, Inequality, Labor/Economics, Racism, Section, Voices, Voices of Color | Tagged African American history, discrimination, inequality, racism, reparations, Slavery, wealth gap | Comments Off

A Road Map for Repairing the Harm: The History of Racially Restrictive Covenants

Posted on 04/01/2024 by Aaron Ammons and Grant Chassy

Can you imagine, as a resident of Champaign County, being told you aren’t allowed to live in a neighborhood because you’re Black? By today’s standards, such blatant racism would be met with disgust and rejection—at least by the majority of … Continue reading →

2,115 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American history, African Americans, Champaign County, Housing, Justice, racial segregation in Champaign/Urbana, Racism | Tagged Champaign County, housing discrimination, racial segregation, racism | Comments Off

FirstFollowers: Using Participatory Action Research to Make Change in Our Community

Posted on 08/28/2023 by James Kilgore

FirstFollowers has a tradition of doing participatory action research at Champaign-Urbana Days, the premier outdoor summer event aimed primarily at the Black community. Participatory Action Research (often called PAR) aims to gather data and information, not just for publication but … Continue reading →

1,062 total views, 2 views today

Posted in African Americans, incarceration, Racism, Section, Violence, Voices of Color | Tagged African Americans, incarceration, local community, participatory research, policing, violence in the community | Comments Off

A “Pattern of Problematic Conduct”: Urbana Officer Tests Police Accountability (Shortened Print Version)

Posted on 08/27/2023 by Brian Dolinar

This article originally appeared at WILL/Illinois Public Media on July 5, 2023. Reprinted with permission. It has been edited for space and style. See the full version here. “I had a big goose egg on my forehead,” Tianna Morrow recalled, … Continue reading →

1,325 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American Women in Champaign-Urbana, African Americans, BLM, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Violence | Tagged police accountability, police brutality, police review boards, racism, Urbana police | Comments Off

A “Pattern of Problematic Conduct”: Urbana Officer Tests Police Accountability (Full Version)

Posted on 08/27/2023 by Brian Dolinar

This story is part of a partnership, focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County, between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and Illinois Public Media. This investigation was supported … Continue reading →

1,256 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American Women in CU, African Americans, BLM, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Violence | Tagged police accountability, police brutality, police review boards, racism, Urbana police | Comments Off

Code Blue: Suffering through DWB in Rantoul

Posted on 08/27/2023 by Kevin Williams

This essay, submitted to the Rantoul Press in 2009, was never published. The author shares it now to give context to community concerns with policing in Rantoul in the wake of recent police shootings of young Black men. “You were … Continue reading →

2,036 total views

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Champaign County, Justice, Police, police accountability, Police Brutality, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section, Voices | Tagged African Americans, Driving While Black, local community, police harassment, policing | Comments Off

Growing Up “Unlucky”: Putting a Human Face on Bureau of Labor Statistics

Posted on 05/01/2023 by C. Owen

Numerous options for employment abound in our small metropolitan area nestled amid the farmland of eastern central Illinois. From warehouses to food establishments to car repair shops, job seekers have many a choice for offering their time and effort. Yet, … Continue reading →

1,438 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American history, African Americans, Economics, Labor, Labor/Economics, Racism, Section | Tagged economic racism, economics, inequality, Labor, unemployment | Comments Off

Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Print Version

Posted on 12/31/2022 by Kelsey Turner

Tisha Bryson has been shackled, hospitalized, and shoved to the ground by Champaign-area police while experiencing a mental health crisis more times than she can count. “I try not to hold grudges,” said Bryson, of Hammond. “But some of the … Continue reading →

1,135 total views

Posted in health care, Mental Health, Police, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Racism | Tagged mental health, police training | Comments Off

Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Full Version

Posted on 12/31/2022 by Kelsey Turner

Tisha Bryson has been shackled, hospitalized and shoved to the ground by central Illinois law enforcement officers while experiencing a mental health crisis more times than she can count. “I try not to hold grudges,” Bryson said, a resident of … Continue reading →

1,368 total views

Posted in health, Mental Health, Police, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section | Tagged mental health, police training | Comments Off

Why I Called Herschel Walker Coonish: The Right of Black People to Call Out their Traitors

Posted on 12/31/2022 by Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua

Editors’ Note: This article has been held until after the Georgia runoff election so there would be no suggestion of a political endorsement. Since Donald Trump’s incursion into US politics in 2015, deprecation and intimidation have become pervasive. Trump and … Continue reading →

2,177 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, bigotry, Politics, Racism, Voices, White Nationalism | Tagged fascism, media, politics, racism | Comments Off

How The Issue of Representation Impacts Central Illinois

Posted on 12/31/2022 by Marcus Pruitt

The issue of unequal representation of cultures has plagued the nation since its birth, often resulting in the perversion of people’s natural rights. In central Illinois, it extends that perversion through aggressive discrimination. Although minorities have seen more representation on … Continue reading →

1,564 total views

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, bigotry, Media, Racism, Section, Violence, Voices | Tagged African American, discrimination, media stereotypes, racism, violence | Comments Off

Donald Trump v. Shamar Betts

Posted on 09/18/2022 by Shamar Betts

I, Shamar Betts, incited a riot through a Facebook post encouraging my people to join alongside the rest of the world in an attempt to express our feelings on the tragic death of George Floyd in May of 2020. Although … Continue reading →

1,524 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American, African Americans, BLM, Court System, incarceration, January 6 insurrection, Justice, Prisoners, Racism, Trump, Voices of Color, Youth | Tagged African American, BLM, incarceration, Justice, Trump | Comments Off

Juneteenth Freedom Day

Posted on 09/18/2022 by Aaron Ammons

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with … Continue reading →

1,491 total views, 1 views today

Posted in African American history, African Americans, African Americans, Racism, Remembering, Voices of Color | Tagged African American traditions, holidays, Juneteenth, Memory, Slavery | Comments Off

The Great De-Centering: The World after Ukraine

Posted on 05/13/2022 by Janice Jayes

The Ukraine war is a turning point in history, but not the one you might be expecting. It won’t revive the Cold War. It won’t determine the survival of the Liberal World Order (whatever that is). And most decidedly, it … Continue reading →

1,486 total views, 1 views today

Posted in Foreign Policy, International, International, Middle East, Politics, Racism, Ukraine, War | Comments Off

Shamar Betts Case Moves to Federal Appeals Court

Posted on 05/13/2022 by Janice Jayes

On April 8, the case of Urbana resident Shamar Betts moved to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Betts was arrested in June, 2020 in the midst of a national crackdown on protests against the murder … Continue reading →

1,965 total views

Posted in African Americans, BLM, incarceration, Justice, Racism | Comments Off

Passing: Can One Ever “Pass”?

Posted on 03/31/2022 by Jim Barrett

I recently watched one of the most beautiful and perhaps also one of the most significant movies I have seen in a long time. Passing, based on a 1929 novel by the Harlem Renaissance author Nella Larson (1891–1964), is a … Continue reading →

1,176 total views, 2 views today

Posted in African American women, African Americans, Arts, film, Racism, Section | Tagged African American women, film, race, racism | Comments Off