Join the Center for Civic Education & Justice and the University YMCA for Friday Forum + Conversation Café!
Friday Forum x Conversation Café brings the campus and Champaign-Urbana community together for meaningful conversations about timely issues, social justice, civic engagement, and the world around us.
In partnership with the University YMCA’s Friday Forum, this lunchtime series creates space to learn from diverse perspectives, engage in thoughtful dialogue, and connect with others across differences. Each program features speakers, panels, or interactive conversations designed to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and action.
When: Fridays (September 25 - November 13, 2026)
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL.
Lunch is provided from the Y Thai Eatery at no cost,
so come ready to eat, listen, learn, and join the conversation!
September 25: Jose Vazquez
José Vazquez is a Mexican-born, Chicago-raised visual artist whose work spans graffiti, large-scale murals, and digital art. After beginning his artistic journey in Chicago’s vibrant street art scene, Vazquez brought his creative vision to Champaign-Urbana, where his striking public art—including the expansive Champaign-Urbana Public Health District mural celebrating the diversity and spirit of our community—has made a lasting impact. With experience creating large-scale murals in Chicago as part of collaborative artist crews and a career that bridges street art, digital design, and community storytelling, Vazquez brings a unique and exciting perspective!
October 2: Olmeca
Olmeca is a multidisciplinary artist, activist, scholar, and educator whose work brings together music, visual art, culture, and social justice. Known for his powerful bilingual hip-hop and genre-blending sound, Olmeca explores identity, belonging, migration, Indigenous diaspora, collective healing, and the possibilities of a more just future. His work has been recognized by organizations including the Kennedy Center, and he is also the founder of the Raow Raow Arts Collective, which creates exhibitions, immersive performances, and community-driven artistic experiences.
October 9: Dr. Stanley Andrisse
Dr. Stanley Andrisse is an endocrinologist, scientist, educator, author, and social justice advocate whose powerful personal journey informs his work to expand access to education and opportunity. After being sentenced to 10 years in a maximum-security prison, Dr. Andrisse went on to earn his Ph.D. and M.B.A. and build a career in science and higher education. Through his research, advocacy, mentorship, and lived experience, he challenges assumptions about incarceration, education, and who is given the opportunity to thrive. His work highlights the transformative power of education while calling attention to the systemic barriers that justice-impacted individuals continue to face, bringing a powerful and deeply personal perspective to conversations about second chances, equity, opportunity, and the potential that can be unlocked when people are given the support and resources to pursue new possibilities.
October 16: Aster Gilbert
Aster Gilbert is an LGBTQ+ educator, facilitator, and advocate who serves as the Manager of Training and Public Education at Center on Halsted, one of the Midwest’s leading LGBTQ+ community centers. Through their work, Aster has partnered with businesses, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to build greater understanding and inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities. With expertise spanning workplace inclusion, allyship, LGBTQ+ history, supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and domestic violence education, they bring both a deep knowledge of gender and sexuality studies and a dynamic approach to public education. Aster has also taught courses on LGBTQ+ history and special topics and previously developed public programming featuring LGBTQ+ artists, activists, scholars, and community members.
October 23: Sharon Chubbuck
Dr. Sharon M. Chubbuck is an educator, scholar, and racial justice advocate whose work has been shaped by a longstanding commitment to equity in education. As associate professor emerita in the College of Education at Marquette University, she has worked alongside students and teachers while contributing research and scholarship for national and international audiences. Her commitment to racial justice also extends beyond the classroom, continuing through her work in faith and community settings. Dr. Chubbuck is the author of Beautiful Struggle: How One American High School Took on Systemic Racism, which explores the challenges and possibilities of confronting systemic racism in education. Her work offers a powerful perspective on the role educators, institutions, and communities can play in creating meaningful change.
October 30: Dylan Blaha
Dylan Blaha is a U.S. Army veteran, scientist, and community advocate whose experiences in military service, cancer research, and grassroots organizing have shaped his commitment to public service and social change. A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate with degrees in molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry, Blaha spent several years conducting cancer immunology research and has served in the Illinois Army National Guard for more than a decade, including deployments to Afghanistan and Germany. His work and advocacy center on questions of democracy, economic inequality, healthcare, education, and the responsibility of institutions and leaders to serve their communities. Drawing from his experiences in science, military service, and civic engagement, Blaha brings a unique perspective to conversations about leadership, public service, and creating meaningful change.
November 6: Augustus Wood
Dr. Augustus Wood is a historian and Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois School of Labor and Employment Relations. He is a scholar of African American History of the Urban South with an interdisciplinary focus on political economy, intra-racial class struggle, working class social movements, and gentrification in modern urban regions. He also centralizes the role of labor struggles in anti-Black working-class racial oppression and the development of internal neo-colonialism. His other research includes Black Power in Southern Cities, Black Marxism in History, and Black Radicalism in labor social movements.
November 13: Food Resource Panel
Join us for a conversation with local leaders and community members working to address food insecurity and increase access to nourishing food across the University of Illinois and greater Champaign-Urbana community. Grounded in faith, service, and a commitment to caring for their neighbors, panelists will share how their values shape their work and explore the role of community, collaboration, and collective responsibility in building a more food-secure community. More information to come!
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