Category Archives: Section

Taking Applications for “Open Scene,” IMC’s Youth Media Project

Posted on 10/16/2016 by Public i

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) and the City of Urbana are happy to launch Open Scene, a project to reimagine downtown Urbana through arts-based dialogues led by youth. Open Scene will be anchored at the UCIMC, a media and … Continue reading →

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Why Traditional School is a Dangerous Place for Black Boys

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Lori Patterson

My son is an A student in his junior year of college and a budding composer and performer with shining confidence. However, that was not always the case. In the 5th grade he came home and said, “Mom, the teacher … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Forum, Education, Women | Comments Off on Why Traditional School is a Dangerous Place for Black Boys

Myths of Unity

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Ricardo Pierre-Louis

An increasingly polarized climate has resulted in this beautiful revolution we call Black Lives Matter we are experiencing today. As both an observer and victim of this increasingly militarized society I’m proud to see us finally unite. However, I’m afraid. … Continue reading →

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CU Schools Need to Work Harder to Involve African American Parents

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Deloris Henry

During the month of August, thousands of children will head back to schools in Champaign Unit 4 and Urbana 116 school districts. Many African American families and students are probably anxious about the new school year because of issues they … Continue reading →

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October Surprise: Harold “Killer” Koh to Lecture at UI Law School in Election Week

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Midge O'Brien

Harold Hongju Koh, Hillary Clinton’s former legal advisor at the State Department  has been invited as an ‘endowed speaker’ at the U.I. College of Law, twelve days prior to the November election. Koh, currently a Yale Law School professor and … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, International, Justice | Comments Off on October Surprise: Harold “Killer” Koh to Lecture at UI Law School in Election Week

Activists Among Us: Claire Szoke

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Julie Laut

By Julie Laut Claire Szoke is an activist among us who has worked tirelessly on behalf of social justice issues for over forty years. She is currently the co-chair of Central Illinois Jobs With Justice, part-time director at the Channing-Murray … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, International, Refugees, Women | Comments Off on Activists Among Us: Claire Szoke

We Don’t Need a New Jail, We Need Abolition

Posted on 09/02/2016 by Kadeem Fuller

Speaking to the Champaign County Board on Tuesday, August 9th, local Black organizer/activist, Kadeem Fuller made a much needed case for the abolition of jails, prisons, and white supremacy. The following is a transcript of his speech.  Tonight I sit … Continue reading →

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IMC Helps Pass Prison Phone Justice Bill in Illinois

Posted on 08/24/2016 by Brian Dolinar

State Representative Carol Ammons and Wandjell Harvey-Robinson attended the signing of HB6200 on August 22, 2016. The bill will cut in half the cost of phone calls from Illinois prisons. Thank you to Rep. Ammons and Wandjell for fighting for … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Prisoners, UC-IMC | Comments Off on IMC Helps Pass Prison Phone Justice Bill in Illinois

Orlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity

Posted on 07/14/2016 by Tariq Khan

Like so many others, I’ve been at a loss trying to make sense of the heinous act of anti-queer mass murder in Orlando. The following are some of my scattered thoughts on the topic, some of which I originally posted … Continue reading →

Posted in International, LGBTQA, National, Politics | Comments Off on Orlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity

News-Gazette: Always Right

Posted on 07/13/2016 by David Prochaska

The News-Gazette has always been Right — right-wing Republican, and in its smug self-righteousness, right. The paper presents itself as “respectable Republican,” as representing the values of “proper,” polite society. It abhors what is impolitic, impolite. That the News-Gazette is … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Speech, Indigenous, Labor/Economics, News, News-Gazette | Comments Off on News-Gazette: Always Right

Rio 2016: Beautiful Games at Huge Cost

Posted on 07/13/2016 by Neil Parthun

From August 5 to August 21, Rio will be the home of some of the most beautifully intense displays of athletics during the 2016 Summer Olympics. While fans will rightfully be enjoying the amazing displays, we should also pay attention … Continue reading →

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UCIMC Is Hiring For 2 Positions

Posted on 07/09/2016 by Michelle Jett

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (IMC) is seeking a full time Program Director to coordinate and develop programs, coordinate volunteers, outreach and fundraising for the organization and a part time Program Coordinator to serve as the IMC liaison to the City of Urbana … Continue reading →

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In Memory, Honor, and Love of Gene Vanderport

Posted on 06/27/2016 by Belden Fields

It is difficult to write about an untimely death of someone whom one has known for almost half a century. Gene was my student, my comrade, and my friend since the late 1960s. Only a couple of years after my … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Justice, Labor/Economics, socialism | Comments Off on In Memory, Honor, and Love of Gene Vanderport

NTFC Local #6546: Work Actions Lead to a Settled Contract

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Shawn Gilmore

For the last nineteen months, NTFC Local #6546, the union that represents about 500 non-tenure-track faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, fought for our first contract. When we started bargaining, in October 2014, we heard from our colleagues … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor/Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off on NTFC Local #6546: Work Actions Lead to a Settled Contract

The Reality of the Worker: May Day Speech

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Augustus Wood

by Gus Wood May Day speech inspired by the activism and speech/words of the legendary Lucy Parsons Brothers and sisters, the objective is clear today: We need workers to unite. Workers! Unite! Brothers and sisters, we have reached the point … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor/Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Comments Off on The Reality of the Worker: May Day Speech

May Day Rally on Quad

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Public i

“This is what solidarity looks like.” May Day rally on the U of I Quad.

Posted in African Americans, Human Rights, International, Israel/Palestine, Labor/Economics | Comments Off on May Day Rally on Quad

The Myron Scruggs Case and the Champaign Police Department

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Belden Fields

by Belden Fields An  Ugly Image From the Past In the late 1960s, I joined the newly created chapter of the Champaign County ACLU and became the chair of its investigations committee. I received a call from a woman member … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Justice, Policing | Comments Off on The Myron Scruggs Case and the Champaign Police Department

From the Arab Spring to the Syrian Civil War: Looking Again at the Modern Middle East

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Janice Jayes

It’s tempting to put the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War in separate boxes, but like other forms of compartmentalization, that only hides but doesn’t resolve the underlying problems. The dynamics that helped the Syrian War erupt into one … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab Spring, International, Politics, Syria | Comments Off on From the Arab Spring to the Syrian Civil War: Looking Again at the Modern Middle East

African Liberation, Socialism, and Ghana Today

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Al Kagan

What do most Americans know or think they know about Africa? A number of stereotypes come to mind. African countries are unsafe and unhealthy, always at war, unstable, and poor. People are uneducated and lazy, and live in rural villages … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Ghana, International, Politics | Comments Off on African Liberation, Socialism, and Ghana Today

Black Lives Matter C-U Summer Activities

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Public i

Social justice collective, Black Lives Matter, the Champaign-Urbana chapter, has been gaining further traction within their outreach. From demonstrations and panel meetings, to youth involvement and local radio shows, Black Lives Matter’s efforts continue to make striving progress throughout the … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Human Rights, Justice | Comments Off on Black Lives Matter C-U Summer Activities