Public i Contact

”Wage slavery got you down? Feeling like you’re not 100%
in command of your own destiny? For a worm’s eye view
of the smoke-and-mirrors economy, the world, and life
under Oz, check out Ricky Baldwin’s new blog
theclayeater.blogspot.com. The name is a tie to his own
roots. A “clay eater” is a hillbilly, a redneck, trailer trash:
that is, like most of the world. And you know what they
say, you can take the hillbilly out of the hills…”

”I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the
moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not
be long, (No sir) because “truth crushed to earth will rise
again.” (Yes, sir)
How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because “no lie can live forever.”
(Yes, sir)
How long? Not long, (All right. How long) because “you
shall reap what you sow.” (Yes, sir)
How long? (How long?) Not long: (Not long)
…
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is
long, but it bends toward justice. (Yes, sir)
How long? Not long,…
In another time,
I arrived here,
unfree, in exile,
in metamorphosing chains
a spirit naked, vulnerable
to the voyeurs’ gaze
that constructed me
in an aesthetic of extremes
forced across seas,
beyond reason, into madness
my voice was not lost
it was taken
my beloved Iroko tree
carved into my back
branches tipped with budding,
bloody leaves; deep roots
spanning two worlds
400 years have passed & still
I have not yet learned to navigate
the hyphened space
between African & american
but, tell me, who counts the days?
Ma Rainey sang her blues for me
like Bessie did, like Billie
sang Strange Fruit blues
and Zora talked about it
my mothers: grand, great and just
were blues women, too
sensuality & soul sifted though ancestral sounds
low moans birthed in cramped quarters,
a battle cry to Warrior spirits named
Oya, Hatshepsut and Nzingha
Granny Nanny, Mother Harriet,
Ella, Fannie Lou, Queen Mother Moore,
Vina & Bettye Melba
it is the song of black birds
perched atop trees
bearing witness
in the timbre of their tune the begged question, “How
long?”
Response: Not long.
I channel them on stages
in meetings, in classrooms,
in languages of human
resource and public policy
in places sacred & profane
my scream reverberates from inner,
to outer and cyber space
biting words rush from my mind like
self-emancipated slaves,
burn my lips, my fingertips
unmasking my invisibility
people ask,
”Why
are
you
so angry?!”
Do you not see my arms aching
for babies lost and stolen?
sold in marketplaces, on auction blocks,
to private prisons and for-profit
foster care, killed in imperial
and urban guerilla wars
poetic tragedies in which Kiyanna,
Boo, Larry and Phil forever die
on South Side streets
denied birthrights of literacy;
the right to be safe
and whole
I mourn memories, collective
& private
wombs: cut off/cut out
after wet-nursing america
to “Divine-Divaship”
the breasts of the state now dry
& sag around a bloated middle
the true mark of an old vulture
perhaps my anger reflects
the tiredness of my pain
Chants of democracy
lose meaning in survival struggle
that consumes each new thought in utero,
necrotizes the flesh from action
before our eyes, on 24 hour newsreels,
voters made voteless
families are foreclosed upon,
unruly markets shape shift
into tsunamis
& Katrina is revealed
as an undercover gov’t operative
on the payrolls of Black Water & Haliburton
superbugs named MRSA rival
HIV/AIDS as new predators
in controlled environments
where roaches and rats feed
alongside politicians & money changers
who, after orally & anally violating
the body of We The People
are bailed out with its life blood through gas pump hoses;
and street thugs known as GDs
are foot soldiers for global gangsters called G8s & G20s
and while the golden arches
may sometime resemble an oasis
in the expanse of neoliberal
desertification,
(code names: deindustrialization
code named: depopulation
code named: gentrification)
I can’t rescue my children with
a “happy” meal
The margins are filled with those
overwhelmed with gingoism
who are sold the goods of life
with foreign trademarks
our own shelf life less
than most 3rd world countries
we gather to commiserate,
self medicate and cleanse ourselves
with prayer, clinging to amulets
bathed in holy water tears
the brazen among us
push tight clenched fists
into the face of the center
I stand here
not alone, but with the ghosts
of mothers/sisters/aunts/nieces/daughters
crowding my space,
speaking in ecumenical tongues,
through bodies, real and incorporeal,
this poem our offering to life
& light/hope & healing,
peace, love & the desire
to draw breath
one day again
free
I heard in his question, “How long ‘til freedom?”
Call: How long? Response: Not long
but tell me, who really counts the days?

On December 12, 2008, the Ministerial Alliance of
Champaign-Urbana and Vicinity held an awards ceremony
to recognize some of the unsung heroes who
work tirelessly for the betterment of our community.
Held at St. Luke’s C.M.E. Church in Champaign, the
evening’s events were emceed by Reverend Troy Burks.
This was the second annual awards ceremony organized
by the Ministerial Alliance under the leadership
of its current president, Reverend Dr. Evelyn Underwood.
Below is a list of award recipients:
Layperson of the Year Award “For your tireless
devotion to education for all children and uplifting
the community”
Aaron Ammons
E. Martel Miller
Christopher Evans
Seon Williams
Robert E. Lewis
Dr. Brian Dolinar
Linda A. Abernathy
Imani Bazzelle
Patrick Dwayne Thompson
Tamra Gingold
Barbara Grady
Mary Hayward Benson
Dr. Barbara Gillespie-Washington
President’s Award: Outstanding Contributions by
Ministerial Alliance Members to the Organization
Bishop King James Underwood
Rev. Troy A. Burks
Elderess Vanessa Buchanan
Eldress Hattie Paulk
Elderess Melinda Carr
President’s Award: Outstanding Contribution to
Ministerial Alliance made by a Non-Member
Mrs. Rosalind D. Lewis
Dr. Deloris P. Henry
Mrs. Vera Carter Mitchell
Deacon James Clayborn
Mr. Durl Kruse
Mrs. Barbara A. Scott
Mrs. Maggie Rodriguez-Nieto
Devin Chambers
Stephanie McCoy
Angela James
The Villager Award “It takes a village to raise a
child”
Mrs. Neppie Caldwell, Macedonia Baptist Church
Nichole Jackson, Liberty Temple COGIC
Mother Betty Brown, New Free Will Baptist Church
Mr. Evelyn B. Hickman, Salem Baptist Church
Mother Carrie Carter, New Birth Baptist Church
Mother Mary Brooks Woods, Morning Star Free Will
Baptist Church
Brother Douglas West, First Mennonite Church of
Champaign-Urbana

Former Busch Series official Mauricia Grant has settled her
lawsuit against NASCAR for $225 million, with neither
side admitting liability or wrongdoing according to
reports. During her two year employment from 2005 to
2007, she alleged that she was referred to as “Nappy Headed
Mo” and “Queen Sheba” by coworkers, was told she
worked on “colored people time” and had a coworker talk
regularly about the Ku Klux Klan. A white official named
incidentally named David Duke stated in a text message “”I
love all ya’ll mofos i am that nigga. HAHAHAHolla. PIMPALICIOUS.”
NASCAR later fired him for issues not related
to the suit. Two other NASCAR officials were later fired
for allegedly exposing themselves to Mauricia Grant while
at work. As the movement against racism and sexism continually
expands, it is important to realize that the battles
also take place in the realm of sports.

7 Most Valuable Player awards. 8 Gold Glove awards
for outfield defense. He is the only player to reach the
‘600-600 club’ – hitting 600 home run and also stealing
600 bases. Yet, Barry Bonds has received torrents of negative
media attention for alleged use of steroids to become
baseball’s #1 home run hitter in history. Fans have
screamed for pitchers to throw at his head to end his
career. Death threats against his family have also occurred.
Even before his alleged steroid use, he was one of the
greatest baseball players. Recently, the MLB Players’ Union
found that owners colluded to keep the now free agent
Bonds out of the league for the 2008 season. Bonds has
had further legal troubles since the FBI is investigating him
for purjury. Recent information has surfaced that Bonds
may have been telling the truth when he stated that he did
not know the steroid known as “the clear” was a steroid.
“The Clear” was not banned and at the time of the grand
jury testimony, it was not deemed an illegal substance by
the Justice Department. At the end of January 2009, the
FBI raided the home of Bonds’ trainer’s mother in law with
20 agents. Attorneys admitted the raid was done in order
to rachet up pressure on Bonds’ trainer to testify against
Bonds in federal court, as he’s repeatedly refused to testify
against Bonds.
Roger Clemens was known as “The Rocket” for his blazing
fastball. He was an elite pitcher that amassed over 300
wins in his career. However, he was also alleged to have
used steroids to improve his career. He was named in the
Mitchell Report that detailed the prevalence of steroids in
baseball. Clemens also allegedly lied to Congress when he
denied using human growth hormone and other anabolic
steroids. The FBI is still investigating possible perjury
charges against Clemens. Yet there has been almost no
media scrutiny of Clemens and no questioning of the
authenticity of his achievements. Fans and the media were
and are willing to believe that Clemens achieved these
accomplishments through hard work, not anabolic assistance.
Yet, many of these same people have demonized
Bonds.
Adam Jones was the 2005 draft pick of the Tennessee
Titans. During the 2007 season, NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell suspended him for the entire season off the field
legal troubles. Goodell jumped the gun before Jones
received due process in court before suspending him for
the season. He was later traded to the Dallas Cowboys. On
October 14, Commissioner Goodell suspended Jones
again for four games because Jones got into an argument
with his bodyguard at a hotel. The media has frequently
covered every step and misstep of Adam Jones – where
one ESPN anchor said Jones’ suspension was preventing
the NFL from becoming the “National Thug League”.
Commissioner Goodell has shown through his actions that
he will punish black athletes before all the facts are in –
with Jones, ‘Tank’ Johnson and Michael Vick (before all the
evidence came to light).
Police busted Jacksonville Jaguar wide receiver Matt
Jones during the 2008 preseason. He was in the process of
cutting up lines of about six grams of cocaine in his car.
The Arkansas court have made an agreement with Jones to
avoid a criminal trial and has charged Jones with simple
possession instead of possession with intent to distribute,
which is a gift given the amount of cocaine with which he
was arrested. It was not until October 21, 2008 that Commissioner
Goodell made the decision to suspend Jones
and the suspension was for only a paltry three games. It
was not until Dec. 9, 2008 that the NFL upheld the suspension,
conveniently after the Jaguars (for which Jones is
the leading receiver) were eliminated from the playoffs.
Light suspensions for white athletes from Goodell seem to
be par for the course as Minnesota Vikings defensive end
Jared Allen has been arrested three times for DUI, including
two times within five months. His four game suspension
was reduced by the Commish to two games for reasons
nobody is sure of because Goodell isn’t talking.
Terrell Owens, more famously known as TO, has been a
a lightning rod for the media about controversy he brings
to his teams. The media has scrutinized his fashion choices
(wearing a Cowboys throwback jersey inscribed with
his friend and former Cowboys player Michael Irvin’s
name after TO’s then team the Philadelphia Eagles were
beaten by the Cowboys) and has blown most of his comments
into media driven “controversy”. Yet, the media
refuses to acknowledge his courage when he put his career
on the line by playing with a significantly injured ankle
which assisted the Philadelphia Eagles to make the Super
Bowl. His on the field talents have also become a venue for
controversy because of his unique touchdown celebrations.
After reports came out that he fell asleep during a
team meeting, Owens celebrated a touchdown by “taking a
nap” with the football as a pillow. Recently, TO has become
a target of being a “conspiracy theorist” that quarterback
Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten created secret plays
to keep the ball from TO. After many media sportswriters/
television anchors demonized TO, the story failed to
have significant proof. TO has become a magnet for negative
media coverage and has been traded from team to
team because of media perception and amplification of his
supposed negative effects on team morale, despite being
one of the most talented receivers in the NFL.
The New York Jets quarterback is one of the best ever to
play the game. However, media and fans have almost
refused to talk about the disruptive roller coaster his own
interest put the team on. In March 2008, Favre retired
from the NFL. The Packers then began grooming their
new quarterback Aaron Rodgers to take the starting job. In
July, Favre stated that he wanted to return to football. After
having meetings with Packer management and significantly
distracting the team from preparing for the 2008 season,
Favre was traded to the New York Jets in August. The hesitance
of the media to discuss effects of Favre’s actions on
team morale is obvious when compared to their eagerness
to show any sign of dissention caused by a black athlete.
Information also surfaced that Favre reportedly had a 60-
90 minute conversation with a team the Packers were
going to place. During the conversation, Favre allegedly
told the team details about the Packer offensive schemes.

Edgar Heap of Birds (left), a Cheyenne-Arapaho, is an artist whose
work ranges from conceptual public art messages to paintings,
prints, and monumental sculptures.
He will deliver a presentation about his work and new installation
titled Beyond the Chief, consisting of 12 outdoor sign plates at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Feb 18, 2009, 5:30 p.m. at the Asian American
Cultural House, 1210 W. Nevada St.
Beyond the Chief provides an opportunity
for those of us at the University of Illinois to
consider the indigenous history of our campus
and the state in which we live. The signs
in this public art exhibit include the names of
a dozen Indigenous peoples whose homelands
are within the boundaries of the state of
Illinois. Many of these peoples continue
today with viable governments, cultures, and
languages. All of them remain, even if some
are only remnants of what they once were.
Members of these groups live, learn, and work on campus. We at
Native American House and American Indian Studies hope Beyond
the Chief helps all of us who share our campus learn more about
those whose homelands we occupy.

They played the game of baseball
Because they loved the game,
Never did they think that it
Would be harder to get into
The Baseball Hall of Fame.
They were beautiful black men
Who played the game with pride.
I just wish each of you could have seen
”Cool Papa Bell” when he ran at his full stride.
He was so fast_
Daylight could not keep up with his speed.
When he was on the base pad
all he needed was a small lead.
Josh Gibson, the best hitter of all time,
Hit a five hundred foot home
run out of Yankee Stadium,
And the ball they still can’t find.
Then there was Satchel Paige,
Who’s on everybody’s all-star list.
Threw a ball so hard that batters just missed.
Satchel had a hesitation pitch that was so slow it glided.
It would catch batters off guard as it made them over
stride.
There were so many Negro league players
Who never lived their dreams,
And that was to one day play for
An American or National league team.
So let’s honor those black men
Who played the game so well,
By keeping their history alive
For the younger generations to tell.
Let’s never forget their struggles
And how hard they had to fight,
Because that was a time when
Only the ball was white.

This month, Saving Our Lives Hear Our
Truths (SOLHOT) will celebrate the
opening of a their unique photography
exhibit at the Krannert Art Museum (500
East Peabody Drive, Champaign). The
exhibit will have a two-week run from
February 16th until February 27th. SOLHOT
is an after-school space in Champaign-Urbana dedicated
to the celebration of Black girlhood in all of its complexity.
Reflections of Black Girlhood: Necessary Truths
will feature photography and poetry created by Black
women and girls in SOLHOT, displayed within a multimedia,
thematic installation.
In SOLHOT, each girl and homegirl (adult volunteers)
was given a camera to capture images that represented
home, love, beauty, community, and what is dope?– in our
lives. The photos were viewed collectively while we talked
about the most compelling photos taken and created
“meanings” for the photos using poetry, prose and song.
Central to our conversations about the photographs was an
honest exchange about what things in our lives we would
like to see change for the better. We discussed the changes
we are willing to make as students and made suggestions
about how people in decision-making positions can do
things differently. Both the photos and written text show
what we discussed, embody our suggestions for change and
what we think is important for the broader community to
know and understand about what it means to be a Black girl
living and going to school in Champaign-Urbana.
Prominently featured will be student-generated photography
from Urbana Middle School’s SOLHOT/SISTERHOOD
collaboration. The exhibit will also feature the artwork created
at several SOLHOT sites. Ultimately, the purpose of this
exhibit is to show off and celebrate the skills of some of the
most slept on artists and visionaries in this town—Black girls.
This exhibit would not have been possible without the
assistance and support of Andrea Kirkland– UMS counselor
and a “for real” ally to Black girls, Dominique Hill— homegirl
and doctoral student in the department of Educational Policy
Studies, and Candy Taaffe—O.G. homegirl, doctoral student
in Educational Policy Studies, and photography mastermind.
To celebrate both the exhibit and the recent publication
of Black Girlhood Celebration: Toward a Hip Hop
Feminist Pedagogy (Peter Lang, 20008) written by SOLHOT
co-founder Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown (assistant professor
in Gender & Women’s Studies and Educational
Policy Studies), a special event is planned for Thursday,
February 19th, from 5–7 p.m. at the Krannert Art Museum.
Free and open to the public, this event will provide
an opportunity for anyone who is interested in experiencing
SOLHOT to gather collectively to witness and talk
back to the images and words we created while recognizing
the sanctity of a space that is for, about, and created
by Black girls.
If you have ever participated in SOLHOT please come
out. We are depending on you to show up and show out!
Know that!

The News-Gazette’s December 28, 2008 editorial would
have us think that the criminal justice system is a level and
consistent playing field, where everyone is treated equally.
The lenient sentence recently given to a Champaign Police
detective’s drunken driving case was a sole exception,
according to The News-Gazette.
The case was whisked through the traffic courts in less
than 18 days and Champaign Police Detective Lisa Staples
received a sentence of court supervision and retained her
driving privileges after she was discovered driving drunk
at 2:30 a.m. in an unmarked squad car, going the wrong
way into head-on traffic on I-72. Defense Attorney Ed
Piraino admitted the sweetheart plea agreement was
arranged so that Staples could keep her job as a police officer.
Piraino stated during a court hearing: “If she can’t
drive, she can’t be a police officer.”
The easy sentence surprised the community, “shocked”
The News-Gazette, and sparked a media barrage from an
angry public, leading to Staples’ eventual resignation.
Were the community and The News-Gazette to visit the
courthouse more often, they would see that such
favoritism is standard fare in Champaign County.
Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz has been
consistent in ensuring easy sentences for the misconduct of
police officers. During her reign, not one police officer has
ever seen a day of jail time despite recent alleged infractions
such as rape, falsified police reports, torture, stalking, and
domestic battery committed by officers.
Rietz often ducks the responsibility of prosecuting an
officer, citing conflicts of interest. Lucky for Rietz, the
blame for who actually tilts the scales of justice gets placed
on an unknown special prosecutor appointed through
some unknown process. The circuit judge doing the
appointing and the state’s attorney bowing out know in
advance, however, that requesting a certain type of special
prosecutor can likely affect the outcome of the case.
For example, in the Detective Staples’ case, the selection
of a Ford County prosecutor to handle a DUI case, as
Champaign County Circuit Judge Mike Jones revealed
recently on WDWS’s Penny For Your Thoughts Show, was
made with the knowledge that Ford County prosecutors
are more lenient towards first-time DUI’s than is the norm
in Champaign County.
It was a perfect recipe for helping a police officer who
happened to make one little mistake: an out-of-town
lawyer who can do the dirty deed of injustice while no one
in the Champaign County Bar Association would have to
take a hit. Except, maybe, Traffic Judge Richard Klaus who
accepted the plea deal for Staples.
In the 2005 case against Urbana Police Officer Kurt
Hjort, who was accused of rape, Judge Tom Difanis chose
James Dedman, a former employee in Difanis’ state’s attorney’s
office and now a private defense attorney, to prosecute
Officer Hjort. He dismissed the entire criminal prosecution
against Hjort. Dedman didn’t even charge Hjort
with official misconduct for looking up the victim’s
address on the METCAD dispatch system and having sex
(consensual or not) while supposedly on duty.
In 2001, Brady Smith, a middle school dean, was
accused of sexually abusing African-American boys over a
several-year period. Former State’s Attorney John Piland
allowed a close friend of Brady Smith, Elizabeth Dobson,
to prosecute him. After a stipulated plea agreement, Brady
Smith was videotaped by television crews laughing his
way out of the courthouse after receiving 4 years probation
and a $10 fine. Who the prosecutor is makes a world of
difference in how justice gets distributed.
Rietz will make a public example out of Elizabeth
Drewes—another drunk driver who recently killed a
young bride-to-be of 24. A big media splash over Drewes
will help the voters forget about the favors done for Detective
Staples.
Most of us can’t remember that Julia Rietz gave Kristen
Roseberry, a student from Purdue, 4 years probation for
driving drunk on highway I-57. Like Drewes, Roseberry
collided into oncoming traffic, killing Martha Payne, a 55-
year-old grandmother from Mississippi, and injuring four
other family members. Most of us don’t remember the
pampered treatment given to U of I students, Dong Ki
Yoon and Ioannis Tzicigakis, who were both driving
drunk in two separate cars on campus, killing pedestrian,
Nadia Chowdhury, age 20. Yoon and Tzicigakis both left
the scene of the accident. Yoon served two months in the
county jail in between semesters, and Tzicigakis had his
case dismissed.
State’s Attorney Julia Rietz often discusses “the wonderful”
power she wields called “prosecutorial discretion”.
Discretion about whether to go forward with a police
report, under what category of crime to charge, and what
sentence to recommend are some of the superpowers
granted to state’s attorneys. The 2006 case of Sgt. William
Myers, a correctional officer accused of torturing four people
at the county jail with a taser, shows how this discretion
can minimize the damage against a favored offender.
Rietz, who would have represented the county had the
victims sued the county over Myers’ behavior, initially
offered Myers the light sentence of conditional discharge
(conditional discharge is a form of probation that is automatically
expunged from the offender’s record upon completion),
in exchange for Myers pleading guilty to one count
of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The outrageous deal
was cancelled when news of the upcoming plea bargain was
released to The News-Gazette. The complaints filed by the
three other victims were ignored by Rietz’ office.
Such cases reveal for whose benefit prosecutorial discretion
is used. The outrage North End families have is not
because they want to see Detective Staples or Sgt. Myers go
to jail. The sense of unfairness stems from African-Americans
and low-income people wishing for the same kinds of
mercy granted to the people prosecutors openly favor.
Equality under the law might mean prosecutors are to
abide by an equal application of the law. The problem
standing in the way could be the living conditions inside
our prisons. Perhaps white cops and white lawyers don’t
have the heart to put their kind in the cruel dungeons we
call “correctional facilities.” Unless a white professional
commits an infamous crime like in the case of Jon White,
an elementary school teacher sexually abusing 8 white
children (whose families can afford civil attorneys), the
white professional class can expect they won’t ever be
required to do time in prison.
Last year’s sensational case against Jon White was the
exception. Robert Arnette, for example, was allowed a sentence
of probation by Assistant State’s Attorney Duke Harris
after Arnette was accused of sexually molesting and
assaulting four children two months prior to the disappearance
of his estranged wife, Naomi.
Justifying her lenient treatment for cops and professionals,
Rietz snaps that the professional white people she
dares to prosecute did lose their job after all, and that’s
punishment enough. Rietz needn’t worry that unfair, disparate
prison sentences will cost her the state’s attorney
job, since few of us are aware that these are the current
courthouse conditions.
Rietz, longing to be seen as a Democrat, attempted to
reach out to local black talk-radio shows and The Ministerial
Alliance last year only to be greeted with the unpleasant
facts that her reign is perceived to be a continuation of
the biased Piland and Difanis eras. Rietz scoffs at any suggestion
her prosecutions are racially biased and often too
harsh on the African-American community.
Would she be willing to ‘prove it,’ by opening the books
and tracking significant information after verdicts? Doubtful.
Like the traffic study that police were required to do,
the results of an objective study at the courthouse might
show that local prosecutors prefer to incarcerate African-
Americans and usually incarcerate people of low-income,
not represented by private attorneys.
While State’s Attorney Rietz cannot comprehend what
black people are so upset about, she does understand the
plight of her legal colleagues trying to eek out a living. Rietz,
herself, was once a private attorney. She knows that defense
attorneys who can successfully get their clients good deals
from the prosecutors can expect more business. In Champaign
County, the ability to pay a private attorney is too often
equivalent to deserving no jail time. These double standards
of the Champaign county’s “Just-Us” system would be kept a
better secret if cops do not drink after work.

BACKGROUND TO MLK ESSAY CONTEST
This is the 7th year of the essay contest sponsored by the
University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Commemoration
Committee. The goal is to engage students with the legacy
of Dr. King and how it relates to their lives today. They
are asked to look at their neighborhood, their school,
their community, and write about issues of social justice.
Over 2,000 students have participated over the years.
In this bicentennial year of Abraham Lincoln’s birth,
the contest was sponsored by the U of I’s Lincoln Bicentennial
Committee.
The topic is, “What is your dream for social justice in
your community? Imagine that you are having a conversation
with President Lincoln and Dr. King. What would
you tell them about the world you live in? Is there an
issue that particularly concerns you? What advice do
you think they would give you? How would you like to
be an activist for social justice?
212 students submitted essays. They wrote about
issues that trouble them in our community, including:
—violence and bullying
—homelessness
—the barriers to college education
—the criminal justice system
—challenges to our environment.
Writers include students in some of our alternative
schools, the READY Program and the Juvenile Detention
Center, and received impressive essays from them this
year. These students talk about the challenges in their
lives with insight and understanding.
A group of 18 readers from the College of Education
and the community worked together to select 15 winning
essays and 7 honorable mention.
Displays that quote many of the essays will be in the
Urbana Free Library for the month of February. In
March they will be on view in the main library at the
University of Illinois.
KATEY BROWN, READY PROGRAM,
10TH GRADE
A huge issue for me is discrimination against the disabled.
It’s an issue that often gets ignored. People with disabilities
are often treated unfairly and they have an extremely hard
time finding jobs. Being disabled doesn’t mean that you
are just blind, deaf, or mentally retarded. There are many
different things people have that make them disabled.
They can have mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
They can be developmentally delayed or have learning disabilities.
They can be in wheelchairs due to accidents or
because they are paralyzed. There are many physical and
mental disabilities.
This topic specifically interests me and it is something I
can relate to because my mom is legally blind and she’s
been disabled her whole life. She works for an agency that
helps disabled people. They help them find jobs, they help
them earn money and they help people who struggle living
day to day. I’ve seen some of the people she works with
and they are some of the nicest people. They are just like
anyone else in the world and it doesn’t matter if they have
a disability or not. It makes me upset how bad they are
discriminated against and how a lot of people don’t realize
that this is an issue. They can do most everything other
people can. They are just reaching out for help because
they have a hard time. They get turned down trying to find
jobs because of their disability. Some just need assistance
getting around or they need to learn how to do daily
things like cook or clean. I wish there were more employers
that were open-minded about employing people with
disabilities. I wish that they were treated like everyone else
in the world.
MIRIAM SAADAH, EDISON MIDDLE SCHOOL,
7TH GRADE
I have a dream, a dream that is almost the same as yours
and a dream where we live in a world with no more discrimination
against Muslims.
The world is going through tough times. Especially
where a lot of nations suffer from war. Imagine every second
in your life a lot of children live in fear, surrounded by
bombs, gunshots, and dead bodies.
I am a Palestinian American girl. I have a dream that
Palestinian children would play outside without being
scared for their lives. What I wish is that every Palestinian
child feels safe in their country, and their parents feel safe
for them. Their parents would have big smiles on their
faces all the time with their hearts widely opened to other
people’s lives, greeting them happily instead of crying into
each other’s shoulders.
I am a Palestinian American but that isn’t all; I am also a
Muslim. I am proud to wear one of the symbols of my religion;
it is called hijab. It is a scarf worn by women that
cover their hair, ears, and neck. In addition to hijab, a
woman should wear loose shirts and pants. Sometimes
when I am at school, the mall, the library, etc. I get the looks
of disgust, hatred — the looks of people when they check a
person from top to bottom. These hurtful looks try to tell
me I am a bad person. I go on my way ignoring them.
Mr. President and Dr. King, you’ve taught us not to
hold our fears inside, so I will let them out. If I think
something is right then I will say it. This is what you did.
I would like to follow in your footsteps and be a social
activist in my community because I want to bring peace
and justice for all.
GREGORY JONES,
READY, 9TH GRADE
I think that the head of the police, which is probably the
government should handout police handbooks, which tell
us what they can and what they cannot do to us when they
stop teenagers on the streets. I think that the police should
send all of their trainees through more practice and try to
get them to be the best police officer that they can be.
THEO JACKSON, STRATTON,
4TH GRADE
In my school I am in the Gifted and Talented class (GT). I
noticed that there are just a few African Americans in GT
and a ton of African Americans in the regular class. Like,
maybe even 90% of the regular classes are black, tan, or
Asian and anything you can think of besides white. So tell
me Why? Why are there 90% more African Africans in
regular than GT? I just don’t get it.
CECILIA WILSON, STRATTON,
4TH GRADE
No matter what race you are, you have a right to be treated
with respect. That also means treating others the way you
want to be treated. But some people have problems with
that. They just can’t get it right. Sometimes things get so
serious, hearts are broken leaving a scar in the spot forever.
SHAHBAZ KHAN, EDISON,
6TH GRADE
Racism is nothing but pure darkness. I think racism is a
horrible thing that should have never even come into
being. The police officers are the ones who do it. I mean
the police officers are just going to jump to conclusions
and say that someone has done something wrong, only
because they have a different skin color then people who
have “peach” colored skin.
EMMA MANKIN, EDISON,
6TH GRADE
Domestic violence kills a person’s courage and spirit. It
leaves people with scars that may last a lifetime. If a child
is getting abused at home, they may react severely at
school because of all the pain it has cost them.
TENTH GRADER, JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER
I’m here to talk about a lot of school education. I’ve been
to a lot of schools in Champaign and there is a lot of stuff
that needs to be fixed, like when you are not in classes,
maybe sick or something. When you get back in class it’s
like Spanish. They should have an area where the kids that
aren’t there can catch up on their work and don’t have to
pass something they don’t even know.
Second is the jail’s education system. There are things
that should be changed like the education level taught. I
know if you’re in jail you had to have done something to
get you there but we as people make mistakes and should
get the right and equal level of education. Now I know that
every kid is not on their right level of education, but why
do the ones who are up to par have to suffer.
Third is students not graduating from high school and
not going to college. I think that schools, mainly public
schools, are here for you to get the education needed for
the upcoming life. I see that when I get back to my school
I’ll work hard and learn as much as I can about whatever I
get taught because I might need that education later in life.
Then I think about going to college. Teens after getting out
of school should to start to think of their future. If you
could earn your own money to put yourself through I
think it’s worth it. Think of college like an investment
that’s going to have you set for years to come.
Last but not least is scholarship grants. I think the
scholarships should not just be for sports. It should be for
your grades and your test scores. It’s too much money for
people to have to pay for the education they want. All students
on honor roll should be able to attend college for
free because if they got on honor roll they worked hard to
get on it.
These topics are very important to the world and these
topics are a part of social justice that need to be corrected.
ETHAN YOUNG, LUCAS HAHN, DANIEL VANLIET,
JEFFERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL, GRADE 8
MLK Rap
Social Justice is the key to the American Dream
It is also the key to liberty
So don’t hate, appreciate
what me and my friends are about to make
A special idea from the heart this is a good start
Social Justice is a very practical art
We can make it in into a poem because we are smart
So grab some pop-tarts and
wait for the revolution to take place
it’s already started and we are late.
Are you tired of racism in your community?
we sure as heck are like a shooting star.
People shouldn’t be neglected for skin color
it’s hard when you put down a brother
it’s even harder being represented by color
it isn’t funny hurting each other we are all
born from a mother equal in fame and color
we can’t have different races disrespecting
each other we are all one race so you racists
out there think of this, we are the human race
So that’s not cool that’s cruel
it makes people drool just like
when you snooze you LOSE!
Segregation is amputation
you cut one side from another
it’s like separating a brother from their mother
it’s separating people by their color
when they loved each other.
it makes them wonder why life is how it is,
It keeps people away from the things they like
and when that happens the people start to fight
Segregation is not alright
it needs to stop that’s why we make up these songs
Segregation is when two people get
separated from each other
it’s hard losing a brother
I went through it I just had to do it
We need to stick together through all kinds of weather
through thick and thin
It can be fixed my friend,
we can change social justice
for future people to think about how we helped
you know we didn’t yelp
we worked on this by ourselves
rocked it to the core
we keep on our roar right on down to the floor
we can fix it if we twist it
and that’s all, remember about social justice
sitting on a wall!
BRENDA GONZALEZ-SALINAS, BOOKER T.
WASHINGTON, 5TH GRADE
Are you an illegal immigrant, or do you have a friend that
is an illegal immigrant or a family member? Have you ever
been separated from your family for a long time? Then if
you have that’s how most illegal immigrants feel. That’s
why I wish that someday illegal immigrants could go were
ever they want.
JOANNA WILSON,
READY 9TH GRADE
Teens are having babies too young and are expecting their
parents to take care of them. This is causing parents to be
poorer and not have enough money to live the way they
want to live. To help stop teenagers from getting pregnant
at a young age, all high school students (boys and girls)
should be required to take a child development class. This
might not stop kids from having babies at a young age, but
it might help stop some and maybe help some teenagers be
better parents if they get in that situation.
ALEXA COBB, JEFFERSON,
8TH GRADE
Sometimes I wonder how the world got this way. Why
people are scared to live life their own way. Why must people
discriminate, not even know the person and still hate.
I just wish acceptance came as easy as the hate. But sadly,
we’ve made our own fate.
JAZZMIN JADE RUSSELL MOCKABEE,
JEFFERSON, 8TH GRADE
I have a dream
To become somebody
That nobody believes
Can make it to the top

In November, 52 % of California voters
passed Proposition 8, which denies same-sex
couples the right to marry. The initiative
overturned a May ruling by the State
Supreme Court that struck down a 2000 ban
on same-sex unions. As with other conservative
referendums, this action by California
voters may serve as a bellwether, with similar
actions likely to erupt across the country. In
response, a series of nationwide demonstrations
against Prop 8 were held to voice their
opposition. In concert with the nationwide
effort, Champaign-Urbana supporters of
same-sex marriage came out to protest the
unconstitutionality and unjust nature of the
law that prohibits citizens involved in lesbian,
gay, or transgender relationships to
marry and, thus, access the same legal rights
and financial benefits afforded heterosexual
couples. More importantly, protesters against
Proposition 8 demand the freedom of any
human being to love and share their live with
whomever they choose, irrespective of gender
or sexuality.

I am the welder.
I understand the capacity of heat
to change the shape of things.
I am suited to work
within the realm of sparks
out of control.
I am the welder.
I am taking the power
into my own hands.
Cherrie Moraga delivered this year’s Rolando Hinojosa-
Smith Jr. Lecture, Still Loving in the War Years, sponsored
by the Latina and Latino Studies Program, at the UIUC,
last month. Moraga is a poet, playwright and essayist, and
the co-editor of This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by
Radical Women of Color, the groundbreaking volume still
considered a touchstone literary contribution of the 20th
century, given its unapologetic focus on the issues of
women of color, including those of lesbian women who
struggle daily to contend with the triple stigma of racism,
sexism, and homophobia in their lives.
Moraga’s recent personal/political meditations respond
to the censored sites within trans/gender (queer) and
trans/national (immigrant) conversations. In these, she
stresses that as a Chicana lesbian who is at “the edge of
disappearance, who suffers from silence,” she is equally
passionate about what is going on with the silence of
queers of color, as she is with undocumented immigrants.
For example, this perspective is particularly salient to the
trafficking of sex and how this impacts poor undocumented
immigrants in the United States.
Through her work, Moraga embraces a multitude of
social ills equally. She insists
“this has to be the politics of
Chicano or Latino queer people.
We must have a very multiissued
approach… My feeling
sis that the more visibility we
have in our movement and the
more multi-issued we are in
work, the better ground there is
for building solidarity with others.”
Moreover, Moraga recognizes
that the persistence of
institutionalized homophobia
and heterosexism function as
the biggest obstacle for transgendered
people to create solidarity
with others across social concerns. In response, she
insists that queers of color must organize together around
common causes, speak out, and develop a strong political
platform and coalition approach. Only in this way, can
transgendered people of color find the support necessary to
not compromise themselves and to sustain both their personal
and collective struggles; “because alone you’re dead in
the water.”
Moraga is also the author of numerous plays including
Shadow of a Man and Watsonville: Some Place Not Here.
Both plays won the Fund for New American Plays Award in
1991 and 1995, respectively.
Heroes and Saints, another of
her plays, earned the Pen West
Award for Drama in 1992. Her
collected non-fiction writings
include: The Last Generation
(South End Press); a memoir,
Waiting in the Wings: Portrait
of a Queer Motherhood (Firebrand
Books); and, a new
expanded edition of the now
classic, Loving in the War
Years, republished in 2000.
Moraga is also a recipient of
the National Endowment for
the Arts’ Theatre Playwrights’
Fellowship and is currently Artist-in-Residence in the
Departments of Drama and Spanish & Portuguese at Stanford
University.
An interview with Cherrie Moraga can be heard on the Liberacion!
broadcast on Monday, December 14, WEFT 90.1 FM

I know you believe you understand what
you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize
that what you heard is not what I meant.
This quote truly sums up the nature of most
public conversations about ‘the chief.’
I’ve been actively involved in fighting
against the mascot for several years now,
and I’ve been to more rallies, protests, and
marches than I can count. So, it was without
any particular enthusiasm that I headed
over Saturday to yet another protest outside
of the Assembly Hall, where Students
for Chief Illiniwek staged an event titled
‘The Next Dance’. A newly selected ‘chief’
was slated to continue the decades old U of
I tradition of playing Indian, albeit this
time supposedly without official sanction,
given that the University had been forced
to ‘retire’ the chief back in 2007.
My friend Allyson and I had decided to
document the protest. Now, as I said, I’ve
been doing this sort of thing for years, so
you’d think I’d be a bit jaded about the
whole process. But I have to say that I don’t
remember ever feeling such a thrill run
through me as I did when we made came
upon the fiery group of protesters who
were stationed near the front doors of the Hall. They were organized, energetic, and
disciplined, and it seemed to me that the
chants never stopped going the entire time
we were there. But beyond their enthusiasm
which was instantly infectious, the
most exciting part for me personally was
the sea of new faces! This was an entirely
new group of people who clearly intended
to stay right where they were, until they’d
made a difference. And they did!
United, we were there on that cold Saturday
afternoon to fight an ideology and a
practice that we believe is wrong. The indefensible
nature of the pro-chief position is
such that they, instead, saw fit only to
attack us as people. Yet, despite the insults
they hurled, I guarantee that no one left the
event without being forced to reconsider
their position on the chief. Despite their
entrenched views, they had to think about
what we were saying and what they were
doing. And if the intensity of their hostility
is any indication, our mere presence made
them feel very, very uncomfortable. And
that, to me, is a big success, and one that I
was very proud to be a part of.

I celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving.
This may surprise those people who wonder what
Native Americans think of this official U.S. celebration of
the survival of early arrivals in a European invasion that
culminated in the death of 10 to 30 million native people.
Thanksgiving to me has never been about Pilgrims.
When I was six, my mother, a woman of the Dineh
nation, told my sister and me not to sing “Land of the Pilgrim’s
pride” in “America the Beautiful.” Our people, she
said, had been here much longer and taken much better
care of the land. We were to sing “Land of the Indian’s
pride” instead.
I was proud to sing the new lyrics in school, but I sang
softly. It was enough for me to know the difference. At six,
I felt I had learned something very important. As a child of
a Native American family, you are part of a very select
group of survivors, and I learned that my family possessed
some “inside” knowledge of what really happened when
those poor, tired masses came to our homes.
When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock, they were
poor and hungry—half of them died within a few months
from disease and hunger. When Squanto, a Wampanoag
man, found them, they were in a pitiful state. He spoke
English, having traveled to Europe, and took pity on them.
Their English crops had failed. The native people fed them
through the winter and taught them how to grow their food.
These were not merely “friendly Indians.” They had
already experienced European slave traders raiding their
villages for a hundred years or so, and they were wary—
but it was their way to give freely to those who had nothing.
Among many of our peoples, showing that you can
give without holding back is the way to earn respect.
Among the Dakota, my father’s people, they say, when
asked to give, “Are we not Dakota and alive?” It was
believed that by giving there would be enough for all—the
exact opposite of the system we live in now, which is based
on selling, not giving.
To the Pilgrims, and most English and European peoples,
the Wampanoags were heathens, and of the Devil.
They saw Squanto not as an equal but as an instrument of
their God to help his chosen people, themselves.
Since that initial sharing, Native American food has
spread around the world. Nearly 70 percent of all crops
grown today were originally cultivated by Native American
peoples. I sometimes wonder what they ate in Europe
before they met us. Spaghetti without tomatoes? Meat and
potatoes without potatoes? And at the “first Thanksgiving”
the Wampanoags provided most of the food—and signed
a treaty granting Pilgrims the right to the land at Plymouth,
the real reason for the first Thanksgiving.
What did the Europeans give in return? Within 20
years European disease and treachery had decimated the
Wampanoags. Most diseases then came from animals that
Europeans had domesticated. Cowpox from cows led to
smallpox, one of the great killers of our people, spread
through gifts of blankets used by infected Europeans.
Some estimate that diseases accounted for a death toll
reaching 90 percent in some Native American communities.
By 1623, Mather the elder, a Pilgrim leader, was giving
thanks to his God for destroying the heathen savages
to make way “for a better growth,” meaning his people.
In stories told by the Dakota people, an evil person
always keeps his or her heart in a secret place separate
from the body. The hero must find that secret place and
destroy the heart in order to stop the evil.
I see, in the “First Thanksgiving” story, a hidden Pilgrim
heart. The story of that heart is the real tale than needs to
be told. What did it hold? Bigotry, hatred, greed, self-righteousness?
We have seen the evil that it caused in the 350
years since. Genocide, environmental devastation, poverty,
world wars, racism.
Where is the hero who will destroy that heart of evil? I
believe it must be each of us. Indeed, when I give thanks
this Thursday and I cook my native food, I will be thinking
of this hidden heart and how my ancestors survived
the evil it caused.
Because if we can survive, with our ability to share and
to give intact, then the evil and the good will that met that
Thanksgiving day in the land of the Wampanoag will have
come full circle.
And the healing can begin.
(From: Pacific News Service. Posted January 1, 2000)

The October 2008 edition of the Public i detailed the
systematic torture perpetrated by Chicago Police officer
Jon Burge and other officers under his command
from 1972 to 1993.
On October 21, 2008, Sergeant Burge was arrested
at his home in Tampa on two counts of obstruction of
justice and one count of perjury. The charges allege
that Burge lied under oath in a November 2003 civil
suit that stated Burge and other officers tortured
African American suspects.
US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald has said the
investigation is continuing and more charges may be
filed against Burge and other officers. As Fitzgerald
stated at the arrest press conference: “No person is
above the law and nobody—even a suspected murderer—
is beneath its protection.”

Sports — that’s another crucial example
of the indoctrination system, in my view.
For one thing because it — you know, it
offers people something to pay attention
to that’s of no importance. [Sports] keeps
them from worrying about things that
matter to their lives that they might have
some idea of doing something about.
—Noam Chomsky
Analysis about sports like Chomsky’s has gained ground in
progressive ideology. However, sports are not activities “of
no importance…that keeps [the people] from worrying
about things that matter in their lives.” From the presence
of baseball players like Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson
who began shattering Jim Crow by breaking baseball’s
color line to the immortalized black gloved solidarity fists
of Olympic track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos
in the 1968 Summer Games to the current activism
against war and capital punishment by Washington Wizards
player Etan Thomas, there is a rich history of social
and political activism in athletics. Sport and politics also
continue their collision in ways that impact citizens’ lives
from increasing costs for fans to stadium funding issues.
Fans spent a record $32.06 billion in 2007 on tickets,
parking fees, concessions and on-site merchandise. This
amount notes an increase of over 4% since last year. The
average ticket prices for the National Football League
(NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Hockey
League (NHL) have all risen 5-10% this year. These growing
prices and the significant economic downturn have
begun to alienate fans from attending games. As Boston
Red Sox fan Kent Haines said, “When you combine the
cost of the tickets with the effort it takes to get our fannies
in the seats, watching on TV with my wife and kids sounds
pretty good right now.” The fan sentiment is echoed by
Raymond Sauer, an economist from Clemson University:
“Many old time fans who aren’t so well to do have been
priced right out of the market…They’ve created a set of
disgruntled fans who used to go to games but now watch
on TV. They’ve (been replaced by) richer, corporate fans.”
In the face of the economic downturn and empty seats,
franchises have taken a variety of steps to cut costs. The NBA
laid off 9% of their workforce to cut costs. Several NASCAR
tracks have trimmed ticket prices for the 2009 season. The
Oakland Athletics are reducing average ticket prices by 5%
for 2009 after experiencing a 13.4% decline in attendance.
The hockey franchise St. Louis Blues have offered a “name
your price” promotion to entice fans to attend games.
While average fans have been “priced out of the market,”
numerous college and professional sports teams are
spending billions expanding stadiums, building luxury
suites and raising parking and ticket prices. These suites
and premium seating range in costs from $200,000 to $1
million for a season with concessions being extra. This
movement can also be seen locally with the $121 million in
private funds spent to refurbish half of Memorial Stadium.
The wealthy donators of private funds have “replaced” fans
that used to watch games from those seats. Half of Memorial
Stadium has access to elevators that carry fans to the
upper stadium levels while the other half has the foot
power ramps. The private funders have plush seats, covered
seating, and reserved parking; while the general public
has access to smaller steel benches and remotely located
unreserved parking. “Richer, corporate fans” have displaced
regular fans, locally as well as nationally.
While Memorial Stadium was refurbished with private
funds, there has been an epidemic of new stadiums being
built with demands that local taxpayers pay the costs. Former
part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball franchise,
George W. Bush, used eminent domain to take thirteen
acres from private homeowners to secure land on which
The Ballpark at Arlington was built. Taxpayers largely
funded the building of $600+ million stadium for the
Washington Nationals. The New York Yankees have bonded
so much taxpayer money to pay for their $1.3 billion
new Yankee Stadium that the IRS stated the franchise
could no longer demand more money from taxpayers.
Also, in a measure that clearly shows the intersection of
sports and politics, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s son
is demanding $85 million in taxpayer funds from the city
of Portland, Oregon to build a new sports complex for
minor league sports teams that he owns.
Fans are being asked to foot the bill for stadiums to
watch their beloved sports, yet many of these same fans
have been priced out of using the facilities they are subsidizing.
When we are living in a country that is spending
billions to bail out greedy Wall Street banking institutions
and cutting social program/school funding while millions
of people are impoverished and without health care,
demanding taxpayers make stadiums a priority for funds
is almost criminal.
In order to justify the raiding of the public coffers for private
profit, the millionaire/billionaire ownership of sports
franchises by stating that these stadiums will provide an
economic stimulus to the community. However, there is
substantive evidence that stadiums do not have a positive
economic impact. Sports economists Dennis Coates (University
of Maryland) and Brad R. Humphreys (University of
Alberta) researched whether or not the building of new stadiums
brought a boost to the local economy. In their
study—which spanned nearly thirty years and examined
almost forty attempts—they couldn’t find a single example
of a sports franchise assisting a local economy.
These issues may primarily be sports related but they
are inherently political issues also. Discounting sports as a
venue for political issues does a disservice to sports and
advocating for political issues. Sports fans proudly support
and advocate for our preferred sports teams. The
presence of sports teams has intangible positive effects on
our communities. But, owners and corporate sponsors
should not hold fans hostage or treat us like clueless suckers.
It is time for sports fans to stand up and fight back in
the name of what we love.