Category Archives: Section

Newspoem by William Gillespie

Albatross: Newspoem May 2013 we don’t know how we don’t know you demapped: ignorance is scribbled across an ancient terrain by plutocrats rethinktanking ancient cartographies a two hundred year civilization rejects the sovereignty of a six thousand year one remember … Continue reading

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Poetry by Robin Arbiter

Adoption Stories By Robin Arbiter One mother is still convinced, And one is still assured, And I must deal with history, The dawn of which was painful, The end of which approaches. In the face of stories More certain than … Continue reading

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Who’s the Bigger Scapegoat in Europe, Roma or Jew?

On October 24 of last year, the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma of Europe Murdered under the National Socialist Regime was unveiled and dedicated in Berlin, Germany, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck in attendance. Almost … Continue reading

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Jason Collins

“I’m a 34 year old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.” With these simple words, Jason Collins made history as the first actively playing out athlete in the NBA, NHL, MLB or NFL. The overwhelming reaction to Collins’ important … Continue reading

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C-U Marches for Immigration Reform

(Compiled from C-U Immigration Forum materials) On Wednesday, April 10th, over 200 students and community members braved steady rain and cold to support comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Families, students, community and church leaders marched in solidarity from the University Y … Continue reading

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Mobilization in Al Ma’sarah: “We Will Keep Coming Back”

“You must refuse to be in the army. Look into my eyes, we are all human,” declared Mahmoud Zwahre, popular committee leader in the West Bank Bethlehem district village of Al Ma’sarah, addressing dozens of M4 toting Israeli soldiers. “We … Continue reading

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U.S. Seeks to Get Rid of Left Governments in Latin America

  By Mark Weisbrot This article was published in Folha de São Paulo, Brazil’s largest circulation newspaper, on April 20, 2013. Recent events indicate that the Obama administration has stepped up its strategy of “regime change” against the left-of-center governments in Latin America, … Continue reading

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Frances Friedman’s Passing; A Deep Loss to This Community

On February 28, this community lost a woman who made enormous contributions to the quality of life of so many in Champaign-Urbana.  Originally from Chicago’s West Side, Frances came to Champaign-Urbana and graduated in nursing from Mercy Hospital School of … Continue reading

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SEIU Holds 3-Day Strike on U of I Campus

After 9 months of negotiating at UIUC, Building Service and Food Service Workers pulled off an enormously successful strike with 97 percent of the workforce walking off the job and 2/3 picketing over the three days. Garbage overflowed, food was … Continue reading

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BTP Poetry

soccer mom by raisheme worlds insects curdle my hysteria except the bumble-bee. fuzzy, black and yellow skin an outfit of my intrigue. the shiny shells of 6 leg’d things may speed the heart and yield my breath— spiraling webs of … Continue reading

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Chávez’s Death, Like His Life, Shows the World’s Divisions

By Mark Weisbrot This article was published by Al Jazeera English on March 17, 2013. The unprecedented worldwide response to the death of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, and especially in the Western Hemisphere, has brought into stark relief the … Continue reading

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Illinois goes to DC to Fight Climate Change

B by Stuart Levy This February 17th, a coalition of groups, including 350.org, the Sierra Club, and Hip Hop Caucus, held a rally and march in Washington, DC to raise the urgent issue of climate change. The Sierra Club organized … Continue reading

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“What’s in a Name? Two C-U Buildings Named After African American Women”

As a new building on campus is being named after Maudelle Bousfield, the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Illinois, a public housing complex named after Joann Dorsey, black community activist in Champaign during the 1960s, … Continue reading

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Women Singing Not to Forget in Post-war Ivory Coast

Defeated at the polls in November 2010, former president of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down and held onto power by force for over four months. About three thousand people died in the post-electoral violence. Gbagbo was arrested … Continue reading

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Education Justice Project Poets (First Installment)

The mission of the Education Justice project is to build a model college-in-prison program that demonstrates the positive impacts of higher education upon incarcerated people, their families, the communities from which they come, and society as a whole.  We  provide upper-division college … Continue reading

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Inmate Poetry

These poems were written by Illinois prison inmates and collected by Urbana Champaign Books to Prisoners. The Public i thanks Books to Prisoners for making them available. We will be publishing more inmate poetry in upcoming issues. For more information, … Continue reading

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Service Employees Fight Back at UIUC

“The … administration has followed a reverse policy of hiring incompetent leadership at the highest prices. If it were up to the university no hourly person would make much more than minimum wage. How are we going to support your … Continue reading

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Mass Extinction to Mass Abundance

By George M. F. Hardebeck George M. F. Hardebeck is the director of Arts Restoring Culture for Healing Earth (ARCHE). He recently moved to Urbana from Cincinnati and he works on eco-cultural restoration and cultural reconciliation. We are running wildly … Continue reading

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Media Hate Fiesta for Venezuela Keeps on Keepen’ On

By Mark Weisbrot (This article was first published in Al Jazeera English on January 29, 2013) Last week there was a real media hate-fest for Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, with some of the more influential publications on both sides of … Continue reading

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The Negative Impact of the War on Drugs in Our Community

Two Community Dialogues Thursday, Feb. 28, Levis Faculty Center (919 W. Illinois St., Urbana) Friday night, March 1, Salem Baptist Church (500 E. Park St., Champaign) 5:30-8:30 p.m. both nights Keynote Speakers: Neill Franklin, former narcotics officer and executive director … Continue reading

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