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Batavia United Way is joining 43 other local United Ways across the state to embark on this challenge. (Shutterstock)
BATAVIA, IL Batavia United Way, along with the United Way of Illinois, is launching a 21 Week Equity Challenge this week. Following a year of unrest and strife, this free, online learning program will provide lessons and resources for Illinoisans to learn about racial issues and systemic inequalities, together. Our association, in partnership with local United Ways, is so excited to be taking this journey with our communities, said Eithne McMenamin, director of public policy and advocacy for United Way of Illinois, in a release. This is an excellent opportunity to learn personally and professionally have necessary conversations and equip our communities to engage meaningfully in the work of racial understanding and healing.
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Monica Haslip, at left, Robin Rue Simmons and Michael Nabors are taking part in a panel discussion Tuesday titled “Racial Healing and Reparations: Two Steps Toward Transformation.” (via YWCA Evanston/NorthShore)
EVANSTON, IL In recognition of the National Day of Racial Healing, which occurs the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, YWCA Evanston/North Shore will host a virtual panel discussion that is free and open to the public.
Titled Racial Healing and Reparations: Two Steps Toward Transformation, the panel discussion will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Central Time on January 19.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore is encouraging area residents to attend this free event by registering via YWCA s website: www.ywca-ens.org.
In the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and subsequent uprising, many have grappled with the question of how to address systemic racism in substantive ways. Last fall, the state launched the Healing Illinois initiative. The goal is to prompt ideas and activities that help build a bridge toward a racially equitable Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services, which oversees the program and $4.5 million in total funding. The funds are meant to address racial injustice and promote dialogue, education and healing. Organizations that applied were able to request up to $50,000. The Illinois Public Health Association in Sangamon County, in partnership with Black Lives Matter Springfield and Memorial Health System, was awarded $40,000 to expand the Healing Ambassadors program and a storytelling project. Both initiatives are designed to address community trauma.
Rockford art community leaders prioritizing equity and diversity in 2021
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ROCKFORD (WREX) After a year of racial reckoning in our community, artists in Rockford say changes need to be made to ensure everyone has equitable access to the arts. Historically, the arts have been primarily accessible by white people, says West Side Show Room Artistic Director Mike Werckle.
He says covid-19 shut down the performing arts, and that down time turned into a time of reflection for the Rockford art community; that the racial reckoning our community faced in 2020 has put a spotlight on ways we can all do better to address injustices and social inequalities.
Paramount Theatre s new play project kicks off with dramas by women of color Lanise Antoine Shelley s first full-length play Pretended was one of the works chosen for The Inception Project, Paramount Theatre s new play development program. Paramount Theatre s artistic associate Paul-Jordan Jansen describes the Healing Illinois grant as a blessing. Amber Mak, Paramount Theatre s new works development director, says that The Inception Project creates a space for BIPOC and marginalized voices.
Updated 1/8/2021 12:51 PM
Had everything gone according to plan, director Lanise Antoine Shelley would be in previews for a revival of Rabbit Hole this week at Aurora s Copley Theatre. The multihyphenate actress/writer/director/artist was to direct David Lindsay-Abaire s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama as part of Paramount Theatre s inaugural Copley series.