Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE WOMEN’S RESOURCES CENTER at the University of Illinois celebrated its first anniversary on February 21st, 2010. A campus wide invitation was made to attend a luncheon and panel discussion with students and faculty who were integral in establishment of … Continue reading →

DURING THE LAST DECADE, Pakistan’s declining educational system has raised serious concern at the national and international levels. This concern relates to the explosive rise of militancy, extremism and violence in the country. A major segment of discourse is devoted … Continue reading →

EVERY GRADE SCHOOL child associates these four words with Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream speech: “I have a dream.” But do they know what comes after? King lays out his dream world with clarity and conviction. It is a world … Continue reading →

ON MARCH 4TH, 2010 several organizations on the UIUC campus and people across the country gathered to “march forth” for a National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. At UIUC, more than 300 came together for a spirited rally … Continue reading →

AT A TIME WHEN OPPORTUNITIES and forums for women’s self-expression and social contributions were greatly limited, Kate Baker Busey became an early pioneer in fighting racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination through education and through organizing for social causes throughout her … Continue reading →

C-U ROLLERS HITS THE SCENE HARD! BY RACHEL STORM—WHAT DO ROLLER SKATES, tattoos, fishnets, and punk all have in common? Well, roller derby, of course! This women-only contact sport that dates back to the 1920s is ready to punch Champaign-Urbana … Continue reading →

FEW PRISONERS WOULD BE SHOCKED to learn that they are paying too much for items sold in prison commissaries or canteens. The Illinois Dept. of Corrections (IDOC), however, has taken commissary price-gouging to an extreme level. In order to generate … Continue reading →

In my article, “New York/Champaign: Policing and Race,” in the February issue of the Public i, I made three mistakes. I wrote that blacks drivers were over twice as likely to be stopped as whites by the Champaign police. While … Continue reading →

THE SEPT. 16, 2009 ISSUE OF Newsweek that included titles from Hear Her Roar to Working Women are Poised to Become the Biggest Economic Engine the World Has Ever Known, and The Foundation for a New Prosperity is typical of … Continue reading →

JUST WHEN THE WINTER BLUES and economy woes had me in a headlock, I attended a panel on local foods on February 24 hosted by Champaign County Net and grew a new attitude: hope! I gave an audible affirmation when … Continue reading →

STOP TASING OUR BLACK CHILDREN IN KANKAKEE Junior High School.” This is the message being sent by eight parents of eight junior high students, aged 12–14, in four multi-million lawsuits in the U.S. Federal District Court, Central District of Illinois–Urbana … Continue reading →

OVER THE PAST YEAR, it has become almost impossible to ignore the movement growing on college campuses both within and outside the United States. While diverse in their demands, seemingly independent local struggles converge around a common critique of the … Continue reading →

HISTORIAN, AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST Howard Zinn died on January 27, 2010. He was 87. He was involved in social justice movements and the author of over twenty books including A People’s History of the United States. Reading A People’s History … Continue reading →

ON FEBRUARY 27 AND 28, the University of Illinois chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) will be hosting the first national conference for the organization since it’s October 2008 Conference in Chicago. The Campus Antiwar Network is a collection … Continue reading →

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES of February 2, columnist Bob Herbert discusses the 2009 statistics on NYPD stops and other police practices in that city. The data are for the first three quarters of that year, when 450,000 pedestrians and … Continue reading →

* The organizers of the 2010 MLK Essay Contest asked that the names of these young authors be withheld. Dear Barack Obama, My name is K___ and I am 18 years old. I go to the READY Program and I … Continue reading →

SUSAN DAVIS IS TAKING HER FIRST unpaid furlough day on February 15, along with other faculty and members of the Campus Faculty Association at the University of Illinois. “Since the University demands that we not do our jobs,” she says, … Continue reading →

On December 8, State’s Attorney Julia Reitz released a 13- page report concluding that Kiwane Carrington had been shot “accidentally” by Champaign police officer Daniel Norbits. While dedicating only one paragraph to Norbits’ history, and failing to mention his involvement … Continue reading →

This commentary first appeared on WILL 580’s Public Square. MY NAME IS JAN KRUSE and as a resident of Champaign County I wanted to share with listeners the experiences I recently had while serving as a Champaign County Juror. I … Continue reading →

community of Champaign-Urbana, is the Douglass Center. It was named in honor of the great African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass who reportedly made a stop in Champaign while on a speaking tour. When the Center was first conceived, it served … Continue reading →