Category Archives: Section

Carbon Capture, Illinois’ Biggest Coal Fired Power Plant, and the Prairie Research Institute

Carbon capture has become the divisive hot topic in Illinois climate policy over the last year. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included substantial subsidies for carbon capture that have created an industry gold rush looking to build and operate carbon … Continue reading

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Silence and the Continuing Legacy of the US Invasion of Iraq

The twentieth anniversary of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq slid by with an encore performance of the arrogance that characterized the invasion itself. In 2003 that arrogance disregarded inconvenient international norms as easily as it disregarded the Iraqi victims … Continue reading

 1,468 total views

Posted in Foreign Policy, Imperialism, International, International, Middle East, Remembering, Section, World-wide death and suffering | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Silence and the Continuing Legacy of the US Invasion of Iraq

Should Ukrainians Surrender for World Peace?

The February 24 one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw no respite for either the volunteer and professional Ukrainian troops or the civilian population. The Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine and the areas along the military … Continue reading

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The Lavenders: Past and Present Queer Journalism in Champaign-Urbana

On February 23, UCIMC Executive Director Miriam Larson hosted a virtual conversation with representatives of two generations of activists in Champaign-Urbana. Mary Lee Sargent, former director of Parkland College’s Women’s Studies Program (now residing in New Hampshire), was one of … Continue reading

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Posted in African Americans, Feminism, LGBTQ, Media, Section, Voices, Women, Women, wonen's rights | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Lavenders: Past and Present Queer Journalism in Champaign-Urbana

Faculty and Staff Strike at Eastern Illinois University

Eastern Illinois University University Professionals of Illinois (EIU UPI, IFT Local 4100) members went on strike on April 6, after more than a year of fruitless bargaining, which forced faculty and staff to work without a contract since September, 2022. … Continue reading

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Slaves—Our Ancestors

We give praise to those who came before us, fighting for the right to be free. Who were they? They are our ancestors, who suffered unendurable pain. Pain, from the snake-like whip that mutilated their flesh as it bit into … Continue reading

 652 total views

Posted in African American history, African American Women in Champaign-Urbana, African Americans, Arts, Local Arts, Section, Violence, Voices, Women | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Slaves—Our Ancestors

Growing Up “Unlucky”: Putting a Human Face on Bureau of Labor Statistics

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

 917 total views

Posted in African American history, African Americans, Economics, Labor, Labor/Economics, Racism, Section | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Growing Up “Unlucky”: Putting a Human Face on Bureau of Labor Statistics

Rescuing the Embarras River

Tucked into the southwest corner of the University of Illinois’s Urbana-Champaign campus, just beyond student housing and mostly hidden by roadside grasses, a ditch runs along a solar farm and through research farmland. This is the humble beginning of the … Continue reading

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Illinois Correctional System: What Is It Really?

The Public i is partnering with the Education Justice Project (EJP) to share writing completed by incarcerated students at the Danville Correctional Center. The EJP is a comprehensive college-in-prison program based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Through its educational … Continue reading

 1,132 total views

Posted in Arts, Education, incarceration, Prison Arts, Prisoners, Section, Voices | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Illinois Correctional System: What Is It Really?

Graduate Employees Go Wild—For Unionization

Workers are on the move across America. Strikes rose by an astounding 50 percent between 2021 and 2022, and the pace of organization was equally impressive, with new fields of organizing opening in the service sector, the art world, and … Continue reading

 550 total views

Posted in Education, Education, labor, Labor militancy, Labor/Economics, Public Universities, Section, union soldarity | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Graduate Employees Go Wild—For Unionization

Woman – Life – Freedom: Interview on Resistance in Iran, Part 2

Part 1 of this interview was published in the December 2022 issue. The text has been substantially shortened and edited. Public i: I want to shift the discussion to the US now, and ask what can or should the US … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism, Foreign Policy, International, International, Section, Voices, Women | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Woman – Life – Freedom: Interview on Resistance in Iran, Part 2

Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I, Part 2

In the October/November issue of the Public i, I discussed two cases in which the University faced pressure to dismiss professors because of their speech or extramural writing. These cases go back to the 1960s but have recently been resurrected … Continue reading

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Posted in Academic freedom, Censorship, Free Speech, Israel/Palestine, Public Universities, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I, Part 2

GEO at UIUC 10 Months into Contract Negotiations

As I write this, the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) Local 6300 is 10 months into the contract negotiating process with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign administration. So far there have been 19 bargaining sessions. The GEO presented its proposal … Continue reading

 780 total views

Posted in labor, Labor/Economics, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on GEO at UIUC 10 Months into Contract Negotiations

Who’s Your Family?

Having just survived the winter holidays, the stressors and supports brought about by family could not be more present in our minds. However, for some of us in the American workforce, even the discussion of our loved ones at home … Continue reading

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Posted in Community, Human Rights, LGBTQ, Politics, Section | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Who’s Your Family?

Remembering David Monk

David Monk, 91, died on December 2, 2022. For a detailed account of his life and accomplishments, refer to the News-Gazette article published on July 13, 2022, soon after he went into hospice care. It is not easy to summarize … Continue reading

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Frustrations of Peer-to-Peer Education in Prisons

The Public i is partnering with the Education Justice Project (EJP) to share writing by incarcerated students at the Danville Correctional Center. The EJP is a comprehensive college-in-prison program based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Through its educational programming … Continue reading

 621 total views

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Women – Life – Freedom: Interview on Resistance in Iran, Part 1

Public i: Just start with a basic overview of what’s happening now and what sparked it, an update on the latest, and also what do you think people should know that isn’t being covered in the mainstream US media. Faranak … Continue reading

 1,548 total views

Posted in Feminism, International, International, Section, Voices, Women, wonen's rights | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Women – Life – Freedom: Interview on Resistance in Iran, Part 1

Labor Abuse as Product Placement at the World Cup

The 2022 soccer World Cup began its takeover of global sports channels on November 20, transmitting endless images of cosmopolitan crowds enjoying the sparkling new stadiums of Qatar to audiences around the world. The country that hosts the World Cup … Continue reading

 691 total views

Posted in International, International, labor, Labor/Economics, Middle East, Section, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Labor Abuse as Product Placement at the World Cup

Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Print Version

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

 719 total views

Posted in health care, Mental Health, Police, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Racism | Tagged , | Comments Off on Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Print Version

Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Full Version

Tisha Bryson has been shackled, hospitalized and shoved to the ground by central Illinois law enforcement officers while experiencing a mental health crisis more times than she can count. “I try not to hold grudges,” Bryson said, a resident of … Continue reading

 776 total views

Posted in health, Mental Health, Police, police accountability, Police brutality, Policing, Racism, Section | Tagged , | Comments Off on Central Illinois Police Training for Mental Health Cases Questioned — Full Version