Category Archives: Human Rights

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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Imagining Justice: Politics, Love, and Dissent

Posted on 10/26/2007 by Antonia Darder

John Lennon understood deeply the power of imagination. He seemed to recognize imagination as that wondrous human force that enables us to break free of the stagnant, one-dimensional perceptions that perpetuate oppression, suffering, and injustice. In so many ways, the … Continue reading →

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Elvira Arellano: Inspiring the Immigrant Rights Struggle

Posted on 09/26/2007 by Antonia Darder

Candles shone brightly in the hands of Latino immigrants and their supporters, as vigils were held in communities across the country to protest the capture of Elvira Arellano by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Over the last year, … Continue reading →

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The Return To Torture: The Case Of The San Francisco 8

Posted on 08/26/2007 by Neil Parthun

On September 17, 2001—in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks—then Attorney General John Ashcroft created the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council. The goal of this organization is to vigorously disrupt potential terrorist activities in the United States and prosecute any … Continue reading →

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Another View of Amnesty for Illegal Workers

Posted on 06/26/2007 by James Thindwa

It is beyond dispute that undocumented immigration disproportionately impacts low-wage, mostly African American workers. The debate ought to be about what the solution is. Certainly, black Americans should view with suspicion the right wing’s newfound interest in their economic plight. … Continue reading →

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How Does the Criminal Justice System Work in Champaign County?

Posted on 04/26/2007 by Marti Wilkinson

On March 13, 2007, members of the community showed up at the Urbana Civic Center to learn how the criminal justice system works. A panel comprised of Sheriff Dan Walsh, States Attorney Julia Rietz, Public Defender Randy Rosenbaum, Associate Judge … 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 →

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Community Court Watch Corner

Posted on 12/25/2006 by Brian Dolinar

On December 1, Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice held a press conference to pre-empt a plea bargain expected to be finalized for Sgt. William Alan Myers, accused of illegally using a Taser on an inmate in the Champaign County … Continue reading →

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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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Busy Week for Community Courtwatch

Posted on 09/25/2006 by Brian Dolinar

Courtwatchers have been busy keeping an eye on the criminal justice system in Champaign County. Again it is volunteers, individuals doing their duty as citizens, that have done more work than paid staff in the mainstream media or salaried public … Continue reading →

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The Injustice System in Champaign County

Posted on 09/25/2006 by Belden Fields

Recent events have convinced me that the justice system in Champaign County is skewed against the African American population and should be more properly referred to as an injustice system. There have been excessive charges against blacks, retaliatory prosecution and … Continue reading →

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Homeopathy–The Choice of More Women

Posted on 07/25/2006 by Barbara Raska Antisdel

  uses extremely small doses of substances prepared in a special way to re-vitalize a person’s health. The choice of the medicine, referred to as a “remedy,” is individualized for each patient according to the symptoms and characteristics of … Continue reading →

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Reducing Post-Partum Depression the Village Way

Posted on 07/25/2006 by Marcia Zumbahlen

   the country was shocked to learn how Andrea Yates killed her children during an episode of post partum psychosis. The “eye for an eye” folks wanted her electrocuted. The “spare the rod, spoil the child” folks wanted … Continue reading →

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