70 years later: Brown v. Board in Champaign-Urbana

Seventy years later, we are still dealing with the effects of Brown versus the Board of Education. At a recent University of Illinois Urbana Champaign event, the College of Education and the Chancellor’s Office hosted a fireside chat. The conversation was the last event in their year-long series on conversations around Brown v. Board.

The event was moderated by Dr. Marlee Bunch, with educators and cousins Angela Rivers and Dr. Barbara Mason Suggs. They shared their local perspectives, testimonies and hopes for the future.

How do we move forward in the midst of global uncertainty in education? Listen to this Dialogue episode to learn more.

Guests: 

Dr. Marlee Bunch

  • Educator
  • Alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign 
  • Founder of the un/HUSH teaching framework
  • Author of The Magnitude of Us: An Educator’s Guide to Creating Collaborative & Culturally Responsive Classrooms, Teachers College Press (Columbia), 2024.
  • Author of Unlearning the Hush: University of Illinois Press, 2025

Dr. Rod Wyatt

  • Assistant Chancellor for PreK-12 Initiatives – University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Dr. Barbara Mason Suggs 

  • Educator 
  • Alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign 
  • Co chair of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail 

Angela Rivers 

  • Educator 
  • Artist and Art Historian 
  • Co- Chair woman – Champaign County African American Heritage Trail 
  • Alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign 

Kennedy Vincent

Kennedy Vincent, host and co-producer of *Dialogue* on Illinois Soul, is an award winning journalist with a background in news writing, audio, and video production. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, she honed her craft as a business and economics reporter at NPR affiliate KUNR. Vincent co-directed the award-winning documentary *El Ama de México*, showcasing northern Nevada's vibrant Latin dance culture. In 2022, she placed in the top 20 of the National Hearst Audio Competition and was recognized as "Outstanding Electronic Media Student." Now with Illinois Public Media, Vincent focuses on BIPOC stories, universal rights, and community healing through her work.