Join Diversity & Social Justice Education and the University YMCA for Friday Forum + Conversation Café!
We will hear from community leaders tackling our most pressing public concerns through an unwavering pursuit of social justice.
When: Most Fridays
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL.
Lunch provided at no cost to guests from the Y Thai Eatery.
Speaker Lineup, Audio Recordings, and Previous Calendars:
February 6: Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams
DeShawn Williams is the 51st Mayor of Urbana, Illinois, a dedicated public servant with a passion for building community and delivering results through equity and collaboration. A husband, father, and son of small business owners, Mayor Williams brings personal resilience and professional experience to his leadership.
February 13: Renee Bracey Sherman
Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and co-author of LIBERATING ABORTION: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve. For a decade she led We Testify, an organization she founded dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions and share their stories at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity.
February 20: Divine Nine Panel
The goal of this panel is to foster a deeper understanding of the historical significance, community impact, and contemporary relevance of the Divine Nine organizations in east central Illinois. We are particularly interested in exploring the unique contributions and challenges faced by each chapter and how our organizations continue to uphold the founding principles of our respective national bodies while addressing local needs.
February 27: Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain
Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She is committed to the fight for social and economic justice by strengthening communities through radical theology. As the Founder and Executive Director of Live Free Chicago-Live Free Illinois, Ciera works with Black churches to create safe, economically viable, and self-sustained Black communities. Prior to Live Free Chicago, Ciera served as the senior organizer at a faith-based organization.
March 6: Collective Flourishing Panel for International Women's Day
This panel focuses on how mutual support among women creates shared success rather than competition. Panelists will reflect on mentorship, friendship, community care, and how giving encouragement, time, or opportunities can lead to collective flourishing.
March 27: Illinois Graduate Employees' Organization
The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 6,000 Teaching assistants (TAs), Graduate Assistants (GAs), Pre-Professional Graduate Assistants (PGAs), and Research Assistants (RAs) on the UIUC Campus. With an active presence in the community, the GEO works for high-quality and accessible public education in Illinois. Furthermore, the GEO is the official venue through which TAs, GAs, PGAs, and RAs can negotiate with the University Administration over their healthcare, wages, and other working conditions.
April 3: Nick Sansone
Nicolas “Nick” Sansone (he/him) is an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, which he joined in November 2022. Nick previously served as Public Citizen’s Supreme Court Assistance Fellow during the 2016-2017 Term. In that role, he worked on U.S. Supreme Court merits- and certiorari-stage filings involving topics such as personal jurisdiction, pleading standards, forced arbitration, and disability rights.
April 10: Dr. Debra E. Williams
Whether as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Pastor, or as a Community Engagement Specialist, Debra Williams has always strived to support, connect with, and empower people through her service work. Today, Debra employs her prolific experiences for The Nature Conservancy Illinois’ Indian Boundary Prairies. Situated in Markham, Illinois, this preserve makes up 13% of the south Chicago suburb's total land mass. Since joining TNC six years ago, she has created programming that leverages the preserve's unique location and rich natural features to connect people to each other and to nature while advancing conservation.
April 17: African American Heritage Trail(blazers)
A panel of trailblazers from Macon County, Champaign County, and Cairo, Illinois for the African American Heritage Trail will talk about creating spaces for learning, reflection, & pride. The African American Heritage Trail explores over 170 years of rich cultural history and building community. Through Reconstruction and the Great Migration, through the Depression and two world wars, through the Civil Rights era right up to the present day, learn the powerful stories of African Americans who directly shaped the place we call home.
Listen to the Spring 2026 audio recordings here:
Center for Advanced Study, Center for Global Studies + the US Department of Education Title VI Grant, Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, College of ACES, Counseling Center, Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning, First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana, First Presbyterian Church, Champaign, Humanities Research Institute, Illini Union Bookstore, International Education, League of Women Voters of Champaign County, Office of the Provost, Social Action Council of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana Champaign, Student Affairs, Student Cultural Programming Fee, Urbana-Champaign Friends Meeting, Wesley United Methodist Church and Foundation, & the Women's Resources Center
Past Calendars
Fall 2025
September 19, 2025 - Champaign Urbana Immigration - Realities & Responses: A Conversation with NAWC Leadership
Francisco Baires and E. Daniela Vergara, Director and Associate Director of the New American Welcome Center
September 26, 2025 - From Vietnam to the Quad: Student Activism at the University of Illinois in Early 1970
Robert "Bob" F. Case, Photographer and Activist - Former freelance photographer for the Daily Illini, the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette, and the alternative publication The Walrus
October 3, 2025 - What Neurodiversity Means and How We Can Advocate For Our Neurodivergent Community
Jeanne Kramer and Kim Patton leaders of the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative (INI), a program of supports for neurodivergent UIUC students
October 10, 2025 - The Urgency of Honest Media in an Age of Suppression
Panel featuring speakers from Illinois Public Media, Illini Media, and more. (TBA)
October 17, 2025 - LGBTQ+ Stories of Change: A Journey Through History
Dywaine Betts, Jr., Manager of People & Culture, Brave Space Alliance
Hosted in collaboration with the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center
October 24, 2025 - Ghost in the Criminal Justice Machine: Reform, White Supremacy, and an Abolitionist Future
Emile Suotonye DeWeaver, Formerly Incarcerated Activist, Journalist, and Author
October 31, 2025 - BLACK Uncanny: Tales of the Black + the Weird
Stacey Robinson, University of Illinois Art + Design
Join us for a screening of the movie "Sinners" on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 6pm with the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center
November 7, 2025 - Fighting for Algorithmic Justice in an Age of AI-Driven Surveillance
Clara Belitz, Doctoral Student in Information Sciences
November 14, 2025 - In The Deep End: exploring the diasporas relationship to water
Jameel Bridgewater, Freelance Director & Designer
Spring 2025
February 7: Inclusion for all of Society
Sean Garrick, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at the University of Illinois
February 14: Democratic Erosion and Women's Political Power: Perspectives from Europe
Saskia Brechenmacher, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
February 21: Bridging Differences to Build a "Beloved Community"
Allison Briscoe Smith, UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center
2025 Illinois Interfaith Conference Keynote Speaker
February 28: Breaking Chains, Building Communities: The Story of the AME Church
Rev. Terrance Thomas, Bethel AME Church, Champaign
March 7: Defending Immigrants under a Trump Administration: An Immigrant Advocate's Perspective
Diana Rashid, National Immigrant Justice Center
In conversation with current La Colectiva students
March 28: Plumas Negras by Juliette Carrillo
University of Illinois Department of Theater
April 4: To Thy Happy Children of the Future: Divestment as Progress
Students for Environmental Concerns
In conversation with Jim Hinterlong, University YMCA Executive Director
April 11: The Art of Recreating Transnational Solidarities Against Global Apartheids
Woman Life Freedom Collective and Humane Urbanisms Project
April 18: Stories From Her Work as a Tribal Attorney, Land Defender and Founder of the Giniw Collective
Tara Houska, Tribal Attorney and Founder of the Giniw Collective
Fall 2024
Click here for the Fall 2024 audio recordings!
September 13, 2024: Voting Rights and Democracy in 2024
Sean Morales-Doyle, Director of Voting Rights Program at the Brennan Center for Justice
September 20, 2024: Champaign County Welcoming Plan in Action
New American Welcome Center
September 27, 2024: Bridging the Partisan Divide
Braver Angels
October 4, 2024: Elections and Voting: 2024 and Beyond
Aaron Ammons, Champaign County Clerk
October 11, 2024: Democracy as a Way of Life
Harry Boyte, Civic Organizer and Theorist of public work framework for democracy and citizenship
Marie Ström, Director of Education and Training, Institute of Public Life and Work
October 18, 2024: Giving Voice to the Middle
Jeremy Hobson, Host, Creator, and Executive Producer of ‘The Middle’ Podcast
October 25, 2024: Understanding White Christian Nationalism - Discussion Panel on ‘Bad Faith’ film
Rev. Terrance Thomas, Bethel AME Church
Pr. Michael Crosby, First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana
November 1, 2024: The Supreme Court and Democracy
Steve Schwinn, University of Illinois Chicago
November 8, 2024: The Certainty Trap: Democracy’s Existential Threat
Ilana Redstone, University of Illinois Department of Sociology
November 15, 2024: Election 2024 on Campus and Across the Country
Provost John Coleman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Spring 2023
Our Community in Action: Advancing Social Justice in Champaign-Urbana and Beyond
February 3, 2023: Stories From the Center: University Y Founders Day Event, Speakers Cassie Carroll, Mike Doyle, Becca Guyette, and John Jordan, Moderator: Scott Peters, Cornell University
February 10, 2023: Art, Healing, and Justice, Speakers: Lou Turner, Liza Sylvestre, and Christopher Jones, Moderator: Sam Smith, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
February 17, 2023: Envisioning Equity and Excellence in Public Schools, Speakers: Angela Ward, Amy Bloomberg, and Brandon Caffey, Moderator: Imani Bazzell, Center for Civic Engagement and Social Justice
February 24, 2023: The Importance of Interfaith in Jewish Tradition, Speaker: Rabbi Allyson Zacharoff, New York University
March 3, 2023: Risograph, Zines, and "Cheap" Art, Speaker: Will Arnold, Art @ the Y exhibition on view through 3/10
March 24, 2023: Building Anti Racist Immigrant Communities: reflections on arts mediated dialog projects, Speaker: Ken Salo, Urban & Regional Planning
March 31, 2023: In pursuit of intersectional equity beyond the walls of academia: Learning from the marginalized Sunni-Baluch women needleworkers in peri-urban Iran, Speaker: Atyeh Ashtari, Urban Planning PhD Candidate
April 14, 2023: Community Violence and Anti-Violence Efforts, Speakers: Rachel Garthe, School of Social Work and Jorge Elvir, City of Champaign, Moderator: Sam Smith, KCPA
April 21, 2023: Environmental Activism and Change on Campus and Beyond, Adelina Avalos, Jorge Corral, Stefan Iliev, Alyssa Prisby, Claire Sullivan, Sakshi Vaya, Moderator: Karel Pene Njine, Daniela Marin, Hannah Beck, Terra Salgado, Hanaa Khan
Fall 2022
Our Community in Action: Advancing Social Justice in Champaign-Urbana and Beyond
September 16, 2022: Welcoming Immigrants in Champaign County, Speaker Gloria Yen
September 23, 2022: AZUKI!! Manga as a Bridge Between Cultures, Speaker Kofi Bazzell-Smith
September 30, 2022: We are Here! Cultivating Belonging for our Queer Students of Color at Illinois, Speakers Dementro Powell & Carlton Cummings
October 7, 2022: I Go on Singing: Paul Robeson's Life in his Word and Song, Speaker Anthony Brown, accompanied by Philip De Luna
October 14, 2022: Faith and Race in Building Local Coalitions for Justice, Speakers Rev. Terrance Thomas & Rev. Michael Crosby
October 21 , 2022: Neighborhood Ambassadors Program, Speaker Jacqueline Kalipeni
October 28, 2022: Juvenile Justice in Champaign County: A Wicked Possibility, part 1, Speaker Sam Smith
November 4, 2022: Juvenile Justice in Champaign County: A Wicked Possibility, part 2, Speaker Sam Smith
November 11, 2022: Keep HOPE Alive! We Can Prevent Violence in Champaign County, Speaker Tracy Dace
Spring 2022
February 4, 2022: Art at the Y: Radical Printmaking, Speaker William Estrada
February 11, 2022: Afrofuturism as Social Justice, Speakers Stacey Robinson & Jason Finkelman
February 18, 2022: Building Community Through Re-entry, Speakers Marlon Mitchell and Crushion Stubbs
February 25, 2022: Faith, Race, Loss, and Radical Hope, Speaker Rev. Jennifer Bailey
March 4, 2022: Community Resistance to Gentrification in Chicago, Speakers Christian Mejia & Dr. Jacquelyn Lyon
March 25, 2022: Bad, Fat, Black Girl: An Afternoon with a Trap Feminist, Speaker Sesali Bowen
April 1, 2022: Champaign Racial Justice Task Force, Speakers Minnie Pearson & Dr. Thom Moore
April 8, 2022: In the Wake of Unit 4's Resolution Against Racism, Speakers Dr. Ken Salo, Dr. Angela Ward, Ms. Brenda Taylor
Fall 2021
September 17, 2021: Intersectioins of Racism and Migration, Speakers Susan Ogwal, Lauren Aronson, Michael H. Leroy and James R. Fujimoto
September 24, 2021: Education Justice Project: Prison-to Gown Initiative, Speaker Rebecca Ginsburg
October 1, 2021: Future Spaces in Community Places: Closing the Gap on Town and Gown, Speaker Stacey Robinson
October 8, 2021: Protect our Vote: The History of African American Voting, Speaker Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua
October 15, 2021: Trauma & Resilience Initiative, Inc., Speaker Karen Crawford Simms
October 22, 2021: Moving Upstream: An Anti-Racist Approact to Healthcare Education, Speaker Kaytlin Reedy-Rogier
October 29, 2021: Anti-Hate Training with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Speaker Catherine Shieh
November 5, 2021: How Oppression and Gender Based Violence are Linked: Why an Anti-Oppression Lens to Domestic and Sexual Violence is Necessary for an Inclusive Approach, Speakers Akua Forkuo-Sekyere, Elena Gonzalez & Women's Resources Center students
November 12, 2021: Shamar Betts Case: Unequal Justice in the Aftermath of George Floyd's Murder, Speakers Elisabeth R. Pollock, Savannah Donavan & Brian Dolinar