Category Archives: Racism

South Africa: A Report Card

Posted on 09/14/2026 by Teresa Barnes

This is an edited version of a talk given at the Illini Union, June 6, 2026 at “Divestment and Reflection: 40 Years Since the University of Illinois Anti-Apartheid Protests and Arrests.” Colonialism poured poison into the soil of South Africa … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, African Americans, Democracy, International, International, Racism, Section, South Africa, Voices | Tagged colonialism, democracy, International, liberation, racism, South Africa | Comments Off

Jesse Jackson: A Black Power icon

Posted on 04/10/2026 by Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua

This article first appeared in the author’s regular column “Real Talk: A Black Perspective” in the Champaign News-Gazette, on February 22, 2026. It has been lightly edited for style. On February 17, Jesse Jackson joined the ancestors. He … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Boycott, civil rights, In Memorium, Politics, Racism, Section, Voices | Tagged Black Power, civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., In Memorium, Jesse Jackson, politics, racism | Comments Off

Toward a Reparative Culture

Posted on 04/10/2026 by Sharon Irish

In May, 2023, about ten people gathered around a table at New Covenant Fellowship in Champaign to launch the Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition (CURC). Dr. Jeffrey Trask, already leading New Covenant’s efforts toward reparations for African Americans, led the meeting. Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, African Americans, Justice, Racism, Reparations | Tagged African American history, culture of repair, Justice, local organizing, reparations | Comments Off

The Real Dividing Line in America: Class Power

Posted on 03/02/2026 by Kristin Davis

On Wednesday, January 7, a white US citizen named Nicole Renée Good was driving near her home in Minneapolis when a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed her. Renée, as she was known to her family and … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, ICE, Immigrants, labor history, Labor militancy, Labor/Economics, Racism, Section, union soldarity | Tagged Bacon's Rebellion, class power, economic racism, ICE, labor solidarity, police brutality, Racial oppression, working-class issues | Comments Off

Resistance in a Red State: Jail Support for Immigrants Held in Missouri

Posted on 03/02/2026 by Brian Dolinar

Author’s note: If local immigrants are picked up by ICE in the Urbana-Champaign area, they will likely be cycled through at least one of three major detention centers in Missouri. I spoke with activists doing solidarity work in Missouri jails … Continue reading →

Posted in ICE, Immigrants, Immigration, incarceration, Racism, Refugees, Section | Tagged community resistance, ICE, Immigrants, jail conditions, Missouri, solidarity | Comments Off

Labor Exploitation, Exclusion, and Racial Terrorism, 1874–1924

Posted on 01/09/2026 by Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua

This article is adapted from Dr. Cha-Jua’s address “Stolen Labor, and Hindered Opportunity,” presented at the African Descent–Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC) public meeting on October 4 at the Krannert Center in Urbana. All of the presentations from that gathering are … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, African Americans, African Americans, labor, labor history, Labor/Economics, Racism, Reparations, Section, Violence, Voices, Voices of Color | Tagged African American, African American history, exploitation, Labor, nadir, racial terrorism, racism, reparations | Comments Off

Don’t Ask Me to Mourn Kirk: White Grief, Black Truth

Posted on 01/09/2026 by Reverend Terrance Thomas

Charlie Kirk is dead. For some, that sentence alone stirs discomfort, because you’ve already been trained to mourn. But not all deaths are tragic. Sometimes people live in such a way that when they die, the earth exhales. Kirk was … Continue reading →

Posted in African American history, African Americans, African Americans, Alt-Right, Politics, Politics, Racism, Section, Voices | Tagged African Americans, alt-Right, Black church, Charlie Kirk, political hypocrisy, racism | Comments Off

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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