217 Today: Illinois students will be required to learn about Native American history, sovereignty, genocide and more

Tiktok Instagram Facebook-f
Native American students dance at a summer camp in Chicago.
  • Photo: Peter Medlin

July 31, 2023

Today’s headlines:

  • People in Rantoul protested the police-involved shootings of two Black men earlier this year.
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill aimed at reintegrating formerly incarcerated people.
  • A new audit is showing massive fraud tied to unemployment benefits paid out by Illinois during the pandemic.
  • The new president of the Illinois Association of School Administrators says school safety is his top priority for Illinois schools.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about a new Illinois bill that will require K-12 students to learn about Native American history.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Mae Antar, Mawa Iqbal, Dave McKinney, Tim Shelley and Peter Medlin.

WILL and the Illinois Newsroom are committed to bringing you in-depth, relevant coverage that keeps you informed and engages you with our community and state. Join with thousands of others to keep this important public media-based resource available to all. Donate today >>

Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.