A year ago, on October 13, Israel began a ground operation in Gaza in response to the devastating attack by Hamas on October 7. The conflict has claimed more than 43,000 lives with some one hundred hostages still being held in Gaza.
Now, the regional war the United States has spent a year trying to prevent seems closer than ever. Israel has opened a second front against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran has attacked Israel with ballistic missiles and drones, and the United States is sending Israel an advanced anti-missile system, along with U.S. troops to operate it.
As the fallout from October 7 continues to reverberate around the world, we’re revisiting voices captured last fall by University of Illinois journalism students. At the Central Illinois Mosque, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life, the University YMCA, Illini Hillel and during pro-Palestinian protests, the students spoke with members of the local community who have strong ties to the land and the people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
With reflections from a Latina, a Native American, an African American and a Muslim American, here’s Fallout, Chapter Two – Through Marginalized Eyes.
This series was produced and edited by University of Illinois Journalism Professor Charles “Stretch” Ledford. Interviews were conducted by Liv Barwinska, Anneliese Cornejo Garcia and Shawn Sloan.