While addressing CPAC, one of the largest conservative conferences in the nation, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Oakland) defended her 2021 bill, “Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act.” She described it as having two benefits: “To ensure that our girls have opportunities in athletics, and that we protect our girls in their private spaces.” Nikita Shepard…
MACOMB – A mural honoring civil rights pioneer the Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian and his connections to Macomb was officially unveiled on Saturday in the 200 block of East Carroll Street. The mural, entitled “Life of a Servant,” is 75 feet long and 18 feet tall. On one end a profile of an older Vivian overlooks…
CHAMPAIGN — A few years ago, Rabbi Alan Cook of Sinai Temple heard about a group that transforms donated guns into gardening tools. He thought it was a powerful idea, and said it was akin to the Jewish principle, tikkun olam. “We emphasize the idea of tikkun olam, literally repairing the world and making it…
CHAMPAIGN — A new coalition of small nonprofits aims to tackle gun violence in Champaign County. Called H3 for “harm,” “healing” and “hope,” the coalition is the brainchild of FirstFollowers. The non-profit group helps formerly incarcerated people with their re-entry into society. “Although my organization’s name is on it, it’s not a FirstFollowers initiative,” explains FirstFollowers…
ST. LOUIS — Rabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard, the husband and wife duo at Central Reform Congregation, believe the Jewish position on life has been clear for thousands of years. “There is life and there is potential life. What is currently alive takes precedence over basically everything else. You can break Shabbat (the Jewish day…
PEORIA – When Illinois legalized recreational cannabis, state legislators sought to cut those disproportionately affected by marijuana arrests into the new industry’s profits. The path to entering the industry, though, has not been easy. “If anything, it’s been increased hardships, trying to pursue it legally,” says Lisa Palmgren. There’s a heavy, grassy smell in Palmgren’s…
URBANA — Black facilities workers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are trying to end racial harassment on the job – through a class action lawsuit. Friedman & Houlding lawyer Shilpa Narayan is representing the Black facilities workers in the case. She says that after three years of reviewing internal university documents, she’s found a…
URBANA — Friday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was met with impassioned backlash in Champaign County. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Champaign organized a 100 person-plus rally Friday evening in support of abortion-rights. Abortion-rights supporters circled downtown Urbana and the edge of the University of Illinois. They put a halt…
Teonna Woolford has always wanted to have six kids. “I don’t know where that number came from. I just felt like four wasn’t enough,” Woolford said. “And I never wanted an odd number of children. I don’t know. Six is a good number.” https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/06/sickelcell-fertility-feature-web.mp3 Listen to this story here. Woolford was born with sickle cell…
It was a tale told by older generations to the younger generations, of men shot and killed and their bodies tossed into a creek during one of the fiercest race riots in the country. That tale was carried across the Mississippi River by those trying to escape the violence and through the generations of African…
INDIANAPOLIS — Gary Gibson has a clear memory of his first conversation with his future wife Brenda Williams back in 1973. “Hello, my name is Brenda,” was the first thing Gibson remembers her saying. The second was, “I have sickle cell disease.” “I was like, sickle what?” Gibson said. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/06/sicklecelldisease-story1-lackofresources-web.mp3 Listen to this story here….
CHAMPAIGN — On Saturday, Chambanites can celebrate the end of slavery at Douglass Park with a bouncy house, photo booth, small business fair and more. Champaign Park District coordinator Robert White helped organize the Juneteenth event. He remembers the first time he learned about Juneteenth from his fraternity brother in college. “It was shocking because…
URBANA — This Sunday marks the second year that Juneteenth will be an official state and federal holiday. Juneteenth celebrates the day in 1865 when Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas and forced the Confederate state to free the enslaved. Slavery existed in Illinois too, despite its status as a free state. “Whether we’re talking…
Former President Donald Trump wields a powerful spell over Illinois Republicans with a majority declaring him as their top choice for the White House in 2024 and even more believing legally he should still be there. More than two-thirds of the state’s GOP voters believe Trump actually won the 2020 election. And nearly nine out…
The American Rescue Plan promised $4 billion in debt relief to “socially disadvantaged farmers.” But a swarm of lawsuits from banks and white farmers alleging discrimination has put the aid on hold. Barbara Norman remembers exactly how she felt when she first opened the letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It was a cold,…