Category Archives: Section

April Issue Front Cover

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Alex Pretti and the Death of Western Liberalism

On Saturday, January 24, 2026, an ICU nurse named Alex Pretti was wrestled to the ground on the streets of Minneapolis, disarmed of the pistol he was legally carrying, and fatally shot by ICE agents. He is the second person … Continue reading

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Are Data Centers Responsible Economic Development?

Responsible economic development must balance financial benefits with harm and risk to the community. Many residents of Illinois feel like the risk of electricity rate increases, potential harm to health and quality of life, and noise and air pollution from … Continue reading

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“Revolution” in Iran? Doomed If It Succeeds

This essay was written before the February 28 beginning of the US–Israeli war on Iran. It is an edited version of one that appeared in The People’s Voice, the chapter newsletter of YDSA ISU, on February 18. An oft-repeated sentiment … Continue reading

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Jesse Jackson: A Black Power icon

  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

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The Hungarian Elections: A Blow to European Right-Wing Populism?*

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been name-dropped by practically everyone on the American Right lately, from Donald Trump to Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, as a trailblazer and model for the conservative nationalist authoritarian state they covet—not to mention … Continue reading

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Just Five

I am more than fifty years past being just five, but I’m trying to remember how strange the grown-up world was, how the huge ones told us, “Do this.” “Get over there.” “Right now!” Some kids were reduced to tears; … Continue reading

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April Issue Back Cover

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Winter Issue Front Cover

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Chicago ICE Raids: Self-Determination for All Subjugated Internal Nations

In October of 2025 Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan citizen, was sentenced to 30 years in Illinois prisons for the fatal hit-and-run accident which claimed the lives of two white women here in Urbana. In September of 2025 the Department of … Continue reading

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Second Invasion of Chicago Spurs Resistance

For more than three months, the Chicagoland area has been under invasion by an outside armed force. At a cost estimated between $70 and $100 million, Trump has ordered an occupation of the city by federal agents, most of them … Continue reading

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The Real Dividing Line in America: Class Power

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

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

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

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The Venezuela Raid: Venture Capitalism in a Gunboat

Kidnapping the president of Venezuela was a showy move, to be sure. Having already attacked boats in nearby international waters and positioned dozens of naval vessels in the region, on January 3 the US deployed 150 aircraft from bases across … Continue reading

Posted in Foreign Policy, Imperialism, International, International, International law, Latin America, Section, Social Media, Trump, Venezuela, War, World-wide death and suffering | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Venezuela Raid: Venture Capitalism in a Gunboat

UCIMC Statement on ICE Violence

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center condemns the extralegal surveillance, harassment, and violence waged by ICE against the people residing in the United States. We call for the abolishment of ICE and the prosecution of all ICE personnel who have participated … Continue reading

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Winter Issue Back Cover

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 … Continue reading

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December Issue Front Cover

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Not Every Israeli, but All of Israel

It’s been nearly four weeks since the start of “not a ceasefire” in Gaza. This “ceasefire,” like every previous one, means that Palestinians cease while Israel continues to fire, albeit at a slower pace—one more palatable to world leaders. Since … Continue reading

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Friendship during Genocide: Former Marine and Palestinian Mother in Gaza Claim Each Other as Family

This is part one of a two-part article on friendship and solidarity during Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza. Ear-to-ear smiles form on all three women’s faces when Asma appears on Zoom from 6,000 miles away in Khan Younis in … Continue reading

Posted in Foreign Policy, Gaza, International, Israel/Palestine, Middle East, Palestinians, Section, Voices, War, Women | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Friendship during Genocide: Former Marine and Palestinian Mother in Gaza Claim Each Other as Family

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

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 , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Labor Exploitation, Exclusion, and Racial Terrorism, 1874–1924