Category Archives: Uncategorized

The hard truth of the matter is that the regime of monopolyfinance capital is designed to benefit a tiny group of oligopolists who dominate both production and finance. A relatively small number of individuals and corporations control huge pools of … Continue reading →

AS THE ECONOMY SHIFTS INTO REVERSE gear and the Congress and President work out the details of a proposed fiscal stimulus, some are asking whether it will be enough to keep the economy out of a recession. The answer is … Continue reading →

AMID ALL THE REBOLU (as we often say in Puerto Rico) about the upcoming democratic primary on the island, the issue of poverty seems eclipsed. In the flurry of exchanges by those who often begin by stating their cultural credentials, … Continue reading →

IN A SCHOOL AUDITORIUM FILLED with mostly Latino and African American and some white students, parents, and teachers, Andersen elementary school parents asked, “What does phasing out feel like? What research has been done on the effects on children and … Continue reading →

Marching so proud throughout his life Many remember how he stood— He was a foe of tears and strife. Always standing for what was good! He stood up tall, he stood up proud, Marching with me Brothers along— He knew … Continue reading →

AS ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS for the campaign to get a Women’s Center on the UIUC campus, I’ve had a unique opportunity to see the lives that such a center can touch. I’ve also had an opportunity to visit Women’s … Continue reading →

”I’ve heard that’s a dangerous area.” ”Have fun in Rantucky. That place is so ghetto.” THAT’S WHAT I HEAR whenever I tell a person that I teach in Rantoul, Illinois. These statements are almost always braced with a “How do … Continue reading →

There were three referendum questions that citizens intended to propose be placed on the November ballot. Despite there being no legal requirement that such proposals be submitted in advance, a meeting packed with Democratic Party stalwarts defeated all three in … Continue reading →

The federal poverty line has traditionally been used to measure whether families have incomes high enough to enable them to meet basic needs. Yet most researchers now agree that a “poverty line” income is not sufficient to support most working … Continue reading →

HEARTLAND ALLIANCE, AN ANTIPOVERTY GROUP based in Chicago, has just released its report on poverty in Illinois and in individual counties. The statewide reporting is based upon 2006 data. The picture is not very pretty. Overall, poverty increased in Illinois … Continue reading →

ON CAPITOL HILL, Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that would have overturned a Supreme Court ruling limiting pay discrimination lawsuits. The Senate fell four votes short of considering the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, named for a female employee … Continue reading →

This summer, from July 14 to August 8, there will be a construction-training program giving priority to minority and female youth. This is part of a larger attempt to attract more youth to the building trades unions and job sites. … Continue reading →

On April 18 2006, in response to what school officials called an increase in the severity of physical confrontations between students, the Champaign City Council passed a resolution to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Unit 4 School District that would … Continue reading →

A NEW MOVEMENT HAS EMERGED IN CUBA, fueled by a stifling trade embargo and its deep-seated consequences—namely poverty and racialized inequalities. In response, Hip-hop Cubano has forged a new revolution. Armed with batas, congas and Cuba’s musical sensibilities, Raperos Cubanos … Continue reading →

EVERY CITY/STATE/SOCIETY SHOULD HAVE at least one educational institution dedicated to the creative construction of new formulations of the social problems and solutions that perpetuate that social system. Only one school is dedicated to such a function and it is … Continue reading →

I RECENTLY CO-FACILITATED A WORKSHOP ON sexual and dating violence in the LGBT community at the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. The workshop discussed the topic of sexual and dating violence in the LGBT community. The other … Continue reading →

BOB WAHLFELDT DIED ON MARCH 26, 2008. He was an important part of and an inspiration to much of the local activist community. The following is excerpted from comments about Bob made by Barbara Kessel and Gene Vanderport on October … Continue reading →

THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH is a controversial issue, particularly within education. Events last semester at UIUC portrayed the manipulative nature in which individuals in power can selectively interpret and enforce this right. While individuals in the dominant group … Continue reading →