Study: Campaign Rhetoric Spurring Bullying, Fear in Schools

A survey of approximately 2,000 teachers by the Southern Poverty Law Center indicates that the presidential campaign is having a profoundly negative impact on schoolchildren across the country, according to a report released today.

The report – The Trump Effect: The Impact of the Presidential Campaign on Our Nation’s Schools – found that the campaign is producing an alarming level of fear and anxiety among children of color and inflaming racial and ethnic tensions in the classroom. Many students worry about being deported.

Teachers also reported an increase in the bullying, harassment and intimidation of students whose races, religions or nationalities have been the verbal targets of candidates.

“We’re deeply concerned about the level of fear among minority children who feel threatened by both the incendiary campaign rhetoric and the bullying they’re encountering in school,” said SPLC President Richard Cohen. “We’ve seen Donald Trump behave like a 12-year-old, and now we’re seeing 12-year-olds behave like Donald Trump.”

The online survey, conducted by the SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance project from March 23 to April 2, is not scientific. But it provides a rich source of information about the impact of this year’s election on the country’s classrooms. The data, including 5,000 comments from educators, shows a disturbing nationwide problem, one that is particularly acute in schools with high concentrations of minority children.

• More than two-thirds of the teachers reported that students – mainly immigrants, children of immigrants and Muslims – have expressed concerns or fears about what might happen to them or their families after the election.
• More than half have seen an increase in uncivil political discourse.
• More than third have observed an increase in anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant sentiment.
• More than 40 percent are hesitant to teach about the election.

While the survey did not identify candidates, more than 1,000 comments mentioned Donald Trump by name. In contrast, a total of fewer than 200 contained the names Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. More than 500 comments contained the words “fear,” “scared,” “afraid,” “anxious,” or “terrified” to describe the campaign’s impact on minority students.

“My students are terrified of Donald Trump,” wrote a teacher from a middle school with a large population of African-American Muslims. “They think that if he’s elected, all black people will get sent back to Africa.”

In state after state, teachers reported similar fears.

A K-3 teacher in Oregon said her black students are “concerned for their safety because of what they see on TV at Trump rallies.” In Tennessee, a kindergarten teacher said a Latino child – told by classmates that he will be deported and blocked from returning home by a wall – asks every day, “Is the wall here yet?”

A number of teachers reported that students are using the word “Trump” as a taunt or chant as they gang up on others. Muslim children are being called “terrorist,” or “ISIS,” or “bomber.” One teacher wrote that a fifth-grader told a Muslim student “that he was supporting Donald Trump because he was going to kill all of the Muslims if he became president!”

Educators, meanwhile, are perplexed and conflicted about what to do. They report being stymied by the need to remain nonpartisan but disturbed by the anxiety in their classrooms and the lessons that children may be absorbing from this campaign.

“Schools are finding that their anti-bullying work is being tested and, in many places, falling apart,” said Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello, author of the report. “Most teachers seem to feel they need to make a choice between teaching about the election or protecting their kids. In elementary school, half have decided to avoid it. In middle and high schools, we’re seeing more who have decided, for the first time, not to be neutral.”

The long-term impact on children’s wellbeing, their behavior or their civic education is impossible to gauge. Some teachers report that their students are highly engaged and interested in the political process this year. Others worry that the election is making them “less trusting of government” or “hostile to opposing points of view,” or that children are “losing respect for the political process.”

The SPLC urged educators to not abandon their teaching about the election, to use instances of incivility as teaching moments, and to support children who are hurt, confused or frightened by what they’re hearing from the candidates.

Blackness: A Beauty Screens Sunday at Normal Library

The anti-racist short film, Blackness: A Beauty, premieres at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Normal Public Library.

Inspired by #BlackLivesMatter, this short film follows the story of a local Indian-American Bloomington teenager as he goes to Africa to explore the power of black culture but instead is confronted by his own emotional insecurities about growing up brown in America, as well as his own inner racist qualities.

This comedic, yet thoughtful short film explores the ago-old spiritual question of "who am I?" in our modern day, racially divided world. Racist qualities live in our society, but have they been transferred to us?

Snack on hot double chocolate brownies and watch the short film followed by a workshop and group conversation on confronting racism.

Listening to Our Ancestors Explores Tragic Hidden History

An Illinois State University professor hopes to raise racial sensitivity by raising awareness of the “missing link in the history of slavery” that began before imprisoned Africans even arrived on American shores and has affected African-Americans many generations later.

Ghana's Elmina Castle, where Africans languished while awaiting shipment to the Americas.

The slave dungeon.

According to Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum, the upcoming local presentation Why Do Black Lives Matter? Listening to Our Ancestors explores “the journey that people of African descent took to get here,” focusing on the African “slave dungeons” where men and women were held following their capture and sale to American “owners.” Aduonum extensively researched the experiences of African women who were enslaved at Elmina Castle on the coast of Ghana, and her program reportedly will attempt “to connect the dots from pre-slavery to Black Lives Matter Movement.”

The evening program will include a historical powerpoint, a musical dance drama featuring Bloomington-Normal community members, and a community “talk back and civic dialogue.” Aduonum will present the program from 7 to 8:45 p.m. June 29 and 30 in the Normal Public Library Community Room and July 5 and 12 in the Bloomington Public Library Community Room, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Often, individuals were kept in cages for months until slave ships could be filled for passage from Ghana across the Atlantic, and African women faced the same kind of sexual victimization they would experience with U.S. slave owners, Aduonum said.

She believes many of those who fail to understand or appreciate the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement fail to grasp the true depth of “the historical violation of black bodies.” As horrifying as some film treatments of slavery have been, Hollywood has effectively “whitewashed” its tragic, deep-rooted human dimensions, the ethnomusicologist and doctor of philosophy argues.

“What we hear about or see on TV is slaves working on the plantation,” Aduonum related. “We never talk about how they got here. My argument is that once they were captured and sold, it was in these places where they became slaves. It was there where they were controlled and starved or left to die in isolation cells. This was where their psyche was shaped – where they lost their community, their collective identity. Once you are branded, you are a commodity – your identity, your name, everything was stripped away.

“What this also shows us is that the violation of black bodies didn’t just start with the Black Lives Matter movement – it started a long time ago. I’m trying to make a connection between what is going on now and what was going on before. This racism actually started in these dungeons, because it was here where the idea of white superiority and black inferiority started – the objectification of black bodies started here.”

She characterizes the trauma and “anguish” slavery has inflicted on many modern African-Americans as “post-slavery traumatic syndrome,” comparable to general post-traumatic stress disorder but on a genetically ingrained “cell memory” level. Except, however, that “people who have gone through a traumatic situation often get counseling” – an option unavailable to those abruptly freed in the 1860s, some after nearly a lifetime of slavery.

Aduonum began researching the slave dungeons in 2009, during a university sabbatical, developing the script for the play Walking With My Ancestors in 2014 based on her interviews and journey to slave “spaces.” “I stood in this cell and tried to imagine what life must have been for these people who had no voice,” she recalled. “In my script, the spaces are also talking.”

Following its debut in November 2014, the program traveled to Washington last June and was presented last fall as part of ISU Homecoming. Aduonum cited “really intense dialogue” particularly in D.C., and noted ISU students were “outraged” by the lack of public attention given the slave dungeons – a historical aspect they felt was necessary for individuals to truly shape “informed decisions about racism.”

“We always assume that black people are complaining about nothing,” she suggested. “We just don’t know.”

Carruthers: Systemic Change Needed to Address Racism

Lenore Sobota

The Pantagraph

A legacy of “anti-blackness” continues to have a negative impact in America, but collective efforts and resilience can bring change, a black activist said Thursday in her keynote address to a racism summit at Illinois Wesleyan University.

“Malcolm X is not coming back to save us. There is no Martin Luther King in 2016. There is no single charismatic leader coming to save us or free us,” said Charlene Carruthers, a 2007 IWU graduate who is national director of the Black Youth Project 100.

“But it is within our collective power to do it,” Carruthers told a crowd of more than 150 people at the Hansen Student Center.

“Black folk embody resilience,” said Carruthers, adding that resilience is not just enduring. “We have to aspire to more than struggle.”

Carruthers' remarks came at the end of the first day of a three-day conference, “Summit: New Frontiers in the Study of Colorblind Racism.”

Associate professor Meghan Burke, who organized the summit, said the turnout has been good for the conference-style presentations.

She hopes to “continue to build dialogue between scholars and those working on the problems” when the summit continues Friday with a panel at 9 a.m. in Room 202 of State Farm Hall. It will bring together academics researching racism and representatives of local organizations working for social justice.

In her talk, “The Legacy and Impact of Anti-Blackness in America,” Carruthers said, “Anti-blackness is a belief that there's something wrong with black people.”

She noted that, until recently, blacks in Chicago were 15 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession even though marijuana use is roughly equal among blacks and whites.

Carruthers blamed the disproportionate arrests and incarcerations of blacks on the black community being more scrutinized and targeted.

She doesn't believe having more black people serve as police officers will fix the problem.

Carruthers, who lives in Chicago, said, “The new police chief is black. I don't feel safer.”

Instead, “I think we have to completely change how we deal with conflict and harm,” she said. “The system is not working.”

There should be other options when problems arise besides calling the police, such as community-based respondents, Carruthers suggested.

Among those at the talk was IWU history Professor Emeritus Paul Bushnell, who was involved in the civil rights movement and participated in sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the early 1960s.

He thinks the growth of Black Lives Matter and similar movements is a reflection of the frustrations of those who feel society has not made the progress that is needed. But he sees signs of hope.

“We're getting some more very able black leadership into public life,” he said after Carruthers' talk.

In answer to a question from a recent graduate who wants to be an activist but fears getting burned out in the struggle, Carruthers said, “Take care of yourself. You can't do it alone. … You have to build a community around you.”

She also suggested seeing activism as a craft.

“Just as an artist has to spend hours and hours and years and years developing their craft, the organizers, the scholar, has to do the same thing,” said Carruthers.

Personal Stories Raise Awareness of Racism

Edith Brady Lunny

The Pantagraph

Racism is a mean and unwelcome visitor to many lives in McLean County and ignoring its presence allows it to linger and scar those who may not be able to defend themselves from the pain it leaves behind.

That was the sentiment expressed by panelists at a forum Tuesday sponsored by the McLean County League of Women Voters and several other groups. They used their personal stories to illustrate a need to be aware of racism in the community.

Gaynett Hoskins, a counselor with Labyrinth Outreach for Women, said her family had to make some dramatic adjustments when they moved to Bloomington 10 years ago from Chicago.

"The first time we had to deal with racism was when we came to Bloomington," said Hoskins, who keeps her three children close to home for fear they will be the victims of discrimination.

On a rare occasion when Hoskins allowed her two sons to walk to a nearby store, she followed behind. It wasn't long before "the police walked right up to them," said Hoskins. She intervened, concerned that officers were relying on stereotypes of young black males.

Michael Donnelly, community impact director with United Way of McLean County, recalled a Danvers police officer who stopped him as he exited a drive-thru lane at a restaurant on West Market Street several years ago.

The interaction became heated when Bloomington officers arrived andDonnelly's wife was told to "shut up or you'll be next." Donnelly said the dispute was related to a legal issue he thought he had resolved.

Sharon Warren, a special education teacher with Bloomington District 87, is the mother of 10 children, including eight who are not white and adopted. Bloomington has offered her children diversity that they missed in Iowa, but the family has been the target of racism, said Warren.

Unfortunate encounters involve "people who don't realize that racism is alive and well in Bloomington," said Warren.

Warren and her husband have talked to their black sons about being careful, especially when stopped by police — discussions the parents did not have with their older, white children.

The Warrens advised their sons "to lay down in the dirt if they tell you to lay in the dirt," because refusing to cooperate with police can have bad consequences. "They will do what they want and you won't be getting up," said Warren.

Martha Hunter, a lifelong Bloomington resident who was raised during segregation, recalled being forced to use the back door of local restaurants and being shut out of a job at a major insurance company.

Dontae Latson, president and CEO of YMCA McLean County, came to Bloomington three ago from North Carolina. The forum that drew about 150 people to the Normal Public Library is "a good first step that has to lead to true dialogue," said Latson.

Art Taylor, diversity and inclusion director for Claim Shared Services at State Farm, moderated the forum that was co-sponsored by the Bloomington-Normal Humanist Group, Not in Our Town, First Christian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church.

'Colorblind Racism' Theme for IWU Summit

A public Summit on New Frontiers in the Study of Colorblind Racism, May 12-14 at Illinois Wesleyan University, which will focus on the modern roots of racial bigotry and discrimination.

The summit is supported by the American Sociological Association Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline, in order to bring together scholars, a campus community, and a local public to invigorate new directions for research on contemporary racism. It will include presentations by scholars as well as workshop sessions meant to stimulate new methodologies, approaches, insights, and strategies for better understanding and challenging contemporary racism.

The summit features a keynote address by Charlene Carruthers, national director of the Black Youth Project, whose recognition includes being named one of the “New Leaders of Social Justice” and “One of America’s Most Daring Young Black Activists.” 

The summit will explore the idea that contemporary racial inequality is that of colorblindness -- the notion that individual or cultural differences best explain racial inequality, rather than ongoing racism and its past legacy.

Carruthers is a "black, queer feminist" community organizer and writer with more than 10 years of experience in racial justice, feminist and youth leadership development movement work. She currently serves as the national director of the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100 is an activist member-led organization of black 18-35 year olds dedicated to "creating justice and freedom for all black people."

Her passion for developing young leaders to build capacity within marginalized communities has led her to work on immigrant rights, economic justice, and civil rights campaigns nationwide. She has led grassroots and digital strategy campaigns for national organizations including the Center for Community Change, the Women's Media Center, ColorOfChange.org and National People's Action, as well as being a member of a historic delegation of young activists in Palestine in 2015 to build solidarity between black and Palestinian liberation movements.

Carruthers is the winner of the "New Organizing Institute 2015 Organizer of the Year Award." She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, where she currently resides and continues to lead and partake in social justice movements.

Eureka College Program Addresses Systemic Racism

Eureka College today hosted a member of the “Central Park Five” as part of an in-depth discussion on unconscious bias and systemic racism.

Yusef Salaam appeared at the college as part of a panel and to deliver the keynote address at the event. Salaam was one of five teenagers convicted in 1989 of beating and raping a jogger in New York City’s Central Park. The young men spent years in prison before another confession and DNA evidence led to their convictions being vacated.

It was another 10-plus years before the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Central Park Five was settled. In 2002 the Five received a $40 million settlement from the city, with Salaam's share being $7.1 million. The City of New York admitted no wrongdoing. Even as a millionaire, Salaam shows on social media that he continues to encounter racism in his everyday life.

Since his release from prison, Salaam has dedicated himself to education on false confessions, police brutality and misconduct and the disparities of the criminal justice system in the United States.

Salaam appeared in The Central Park Five, a 2012 documentary directed by filmmaker Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah, and her husband, David McMahon. The documentary examines the case with a combination of footage and information available at the time of the crime and trials and interviews with the "Central Park Five" following their release. The film is available for viewing on Netflix.

The discussion panel also included former St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom, Peoria community service officer Daniel Duncan, and Eureka College professors Junius Rodriguez (history) and William Lally (criminal justice). Isom was appointed St. Louis' 33rd Chief of Police on October 6, 2008, and was St. Louis' third African-American police chief.

Study: Income Security Key for Formerly Incarcerated Women

Through a sociology class project, Illinois State University Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development graduate students are assisting previously incarcerated women in Bloomington-Normal in regaining their independence and attaining a consistent income.

Through a partnership with Labyrinth Outreach Services, organized by Illinois State Professor Joan Brehm and supported by a Pohlmann Family Development grant, students have been researching issues relating to previously incarcerated women in the community. Caroline Moe, a Peace Corps Master’s International student, maintains that the project is a step in the right direction for this underserved portion of the community.

“Unfortunately, there is significant income inequality and lack of opportunity for those living below the poverty line,” Moe said. “In McLean County, 14.2 percent of the population live below this line, including many of the women Labyrinth serves. This partnership provides an opportunity for us to gain real-world experience in community development as well as feeling like we are actually accomplishing something.”

The 18 students formed two groups: a microbusiness research team and an employment hiring practices team. Despite their grueling school schedules, both teams worked hard to bring hope for these struggling women.

“This project has been a great insight into the collaboration involved in executing community development projects,” said Peace Corps Master’s International student Jessie Linder. “We’ve gotten to network and collaborate with members in many different sectors of the community and gotten to see firsthand how exciting a project can be when you get community members involved. I’ve found that it isn’t nearly as important to have the answer, as it is to figure out what the community’s answer is.”

Some students, like Peace Corps Fellow Nick Canfield, have never experienced formal community development research. Thanks to this all-encompassing project, students like Canfield have been able to broaden their knowledge base in order to serve others.

“Although I had done community development programs during my Peace Corps experience in Pohnpei, Micronesia, I had not worked integrally with a large group toward presenting important and meaningful research to organizations,” Canfield said. “This project is directly geared towards creating methods to answer big questions which have real-world implications, and it has greatly improved my knowledge of research methods, project implementation, and community development.”

The students have been seeking donations to raise $5,000 so that Labyrinth can launch a social enterprise, the Clean Slate Project. The goal of the Clean Slate Project is to empower the women to make positive changes in their lives while gaining valuable professional skills in preparation for transitioning into the workforce. Individuals interested in making a donation should contact Linder.

Linder, Moe, and Applied Community and Economic Development Fellow Mel Johnston-Gross are project coordinators for this outreach effort. “To begin this portion of the project, we had to look at the starting group and the feasibility of this actually working,” Moe said. “This has proven to be very difficult, but we know it will be worth it in the end. Sometimes, it really is the little things like finishing a request for donation letter that really makes us feel good about our work, even when we are feeling overwhelmed.”

The students presented their research findings to Labyrinth December 8 at a public forum.

“I hope the findings will help them to better assist formerly incarcerated women to successfully re-enter society,” Canfield said.

According to the study, incarcerated women tend to be involved in non-violent crimes, have a
history of abuse and/or drug use, and tend to be of a lower socio-economic status. The crimes
women get arrested for most often correspond to their lower social and economic status.

"The racial divisions are also stark," the analysis stated. "One study reported that black women are over seven times more likely to be incarcerated than white women. On average, women earn lower wages and are less likely to be employed.

The study focused on three key case studies that show how a social enterprise model might work and be successful. The three case studies students chose were the Women’s Denver Bean Project, Thistle Farms, and the Delancey Street Foundation.  All three organizations are applicable to Bloomington's Labyrinth because they focus on similar populations and use a social enterprise model.

"Chronic unemployment may be explained in part by a lack of educational attainment which
keeps them from being competitive for living-wage jobs. One study found that less than half of
the incarcerated women in the study had completed high school. The implication for women reentering the community is a return to the same social circumstances
which influenced their original criminogenic behavior."

EEOC Charges Marriott With Civil Rights Violation

Kevin Barlow

The Pantagraph

For more than three years, management of the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center failed to stop a pattern of offensive racial comments and conduct directed toward at least one African-American employee, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EEOC's preliminary investigation found an unnamed employee at the uptown hotel was subjected to repeated racial slurs, remarks about slavery and other offensive behavior, said Julianne Bowman, the EEOC’s district director in Chicago. 

“One black employee was told, ‘Thank you for your contribution to America for picking all that cotton,’” Bowman said.

Hotel officials declined comment and referred inquiries to its corporate headquarters in Springfield, Mo.

“As a leader in the hospitality industry for decades, we stand behind our stellar record of employing thousands of individuals nationwide in a safe, fair and non-discriminatory environment,” Sheri Smith, a spokeswoman for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resort, said in a statement. “We have proven protocols in place company-wide to help ensure successful adherence to EEOC employment policies and practices.”

The lawsuit, filed recently in U.S. District Court in Peoria, alleges the company knew the racial harassment occurred ,beginning in September 2012, and continuing to the present, but did little or nothing to stop it.

If true, the harassment would violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of race. 

The lawsuit asks for compensation for emotional pain, humiliation and inconvenience in amounts to be determined at trial. Penalties are typically determined on a case-by-case basis, and usually include fines and correction of the problem, the EEOC said. 

“As soon as an employer becomes aware of any kind of discriminatory harassment in the workplace, the employer must act, and must act promptly," said John Hendrickson, EEOC’s regional attorney in Chicago. “That is the law and the EEOC will hold employers accountable if they don’t live up to that responsibility.”

Officials would not confirm if the employee was still working at the hotel or if the hotel had made any attempts to correct the situation. The hotel has about 30 employees, according to statistics provided by corporate officials.

The EEOC filed the lawsuit after first attempting to reach a settlement, according to a press release from the agency.

The $55 million, nine-story, 226-room hotel opened at 201 Broadway in October 2009.

A status hearing on the complaint is scheduled for Nov. 30.

Drama Walking With My Ancestors Illuminates Slave Trade

Walking With My Ancestors, an original play about enslaved Africans in West African slave-holding dungeons, will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 24, and at 4 p.m. Sunday, October 25, in Illinois State University’s Kemp Recital Hall. Admission to the performances is free.

Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum

Performances will combine drumming, dance, song, and words to depict the experiences of Africans held in slave-holding dungeons before being sent to plantations in the Americas. Following each performance, there will be a Q-and-A session with the performers and audience participation activities involving call-and-response singing, storytelling, and polyrhythmic hand-clapping.

The show’s playwright, Illinois State University Professor Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum, will also discuss the inspiration for Walking With My Ancestors. The show is based on her personal experiences as an ethnomusicologist while visiting the former slave-holding dungeons in her native Ghana. She describes the dungeons as “the tombs and wombs in which Africans were buried and reborn as slaves.”

“By disrupting our understanding of the status quo and giving voice to previously unheard narratives, a most important but neglected past that still defines who we are and how we interact with each other, Walking With My Ancestors offers important perspectives on slavery in its connection to today’s racial problems with truths of this past,” said Aduonum. “In the aftermath of Charleston, Ferguson, Staten Island, and Baltimore, Walking With My Ancestors compels us to deepen dialogue and engagement needed to address racial violence, and begs us to rethink how much has changed, or not, in race relations and policies, helping us to move towards healing.”

Walking With My Ancestors is choreographed by Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum and directed by School of Theatre and Dance Professor Kim Pereira. The performances are presented by Illinois State’s College of Fine Arts and School of Music, with funding from the School of Music and MECCPAC, a Dean of Students Diversity Initiative.

New ISU 'Response Team' Offers Clearinghouse For Bias/Discrimination Issues

A racially inflammatory Twitter post last spring spurred an “awe-inspiring” community response and a new effort to head off hate and bigotry and foster understanding on campus, according to Art Munin, chairman of ISU’s new Inclusive Community Response Team.

Munin, ISU assistant vice president and dean of students, reports the recently debuted effort is designed to help address essentially “any identity-based issue” on campus, from overt bigotry (such as the racist graffiti recently found on an Illinois Wesleyan University sidewalk) to more subtle “bias-related” incidents or “microaggression” – frequently unintended, often routine discrimination in interactions with those of a different race, culture, faith, or gender identity. In short, activity “that just doesn’t reflect the values and diversity we espouse at Illinois State University,” Munin said.

The 10-member response team includes junior Patrice Gooden, secretary of diversity affairs for the ISU Student Government Association, as well as representatives of the ISU’s provost office, counseling and housing services, Milner Library, University College, the ISU Police Department, the vice president of student affair, and the Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics, and Access (OEOEA).  Visit the team’s website at http://studentaffairs.ilstu.edu/who/diversity/icrt/.

 “This group is to help provide a place to support, listen, and remedy, but hopefully also to do some proactive work to help prevent these things from happening,” the Southside Chicago native and first-generation college student related. “Previously, there just wasn’t a mechanism to draw all these entities together so we’d be talking on a regular basis.

“This is tough – it’s difficult, emotional, intellectual work, and it’s work that sometimes doesn’t start until folks get to college and they start having these conversations. I know that was the case for me – I didn’t really start opening up these dialogues until I started going to college. You have 18 years or so of one way of programming and thinking, and then college is going to ‘disrupt’ that. Higher education should be an intellectually and emotionally disruptive process. This isn’t about making you think one way – it’s about challengi9ng you to think, to think critically, and ask questions of why.”

Munin, an Eastern Illinois University/Loyola psychology/student affairs specialist with a second masters in multicultural communications from DePaul University, applauded ISU President Larry Dietz’ rapid public response last spring to a student Twitter post putting a racist spin on African-American protestors in the wake of alleged police abuse -- “Dr. Larry Dietz is very clear about his convictions related to diversity and justice.” The subsequent proposal to form a response team received Dietz’ immediate “blessing,” he noted.

Munin also was gratified by the proactive response of ISU fraternities and sororities to nationwide reports of fraternity racism and abuse, including a cross-campus demonstration walk. Under the umbrella of the Dean of Student’s office, he emphasizes that “the Greek community answers to me,” and he has been active with sorority recruiters and the Interfraternity Council, particularly in fostering messaging on “diversity and justice.”

“That march on the campus, we didn’t organize that – the students did,” Munin stressed.

However, students who have been the victims of discrimination often have not known where to file a report or complaint or even “that we want to know about that,” he acknowledged. The new team will serve as a clearinghouse for accountability and follow-through (“I’m hopeful that more students will come forward and share their stories with us”).

Student discrimination of harassment reports will move first through Munin, who will share them with OEOEA and/or the campus police, if a reportable crime has been committed. The response team also will review complaints with an eye to potential remedies or actions.

The team also will meet regularly to review campus-related events, community developments that affect the university and students, ways to improve communications and “messaging,” and available resources to help promote diversity and reduce or prevent discrimination.

“There’s already so much great stuff going on here, but we don’t connect all the dots and share that information,” Munin maintained. “That sharing of information will continue to be crucial to this new entity.”

Part of the problem is the insular nature of various campus communities and cultural groups, and general discomfort with direct confrontation of racial and related issues. ISU’s administration collects considerable data on “who comes to events and participates in events,” Munin said, but the team will attempt to focus as much on “who wasn’t there – who did we not reach, and who was not participating?”

Social media can be a double-edged sword in building cross-cultural bridges, as evidenced by last spring’s racial posting episode. But “to see the response from the community to it afterwards was just awe-inspiring,” recalled Munin, who sees great value in online communications and web-based social justice information sharing and the “systemic approach” to bias and bigotry social media provides.

Another priority is recognition of previously disenfranchised or underserved student constituencies. Munin was instrumental in launching ISU’s new “Lavender Graduation” to acknowledge the special accomplishments of LGBT students, and he will meet this week with students and student groups – including Greek organizations -- to discuss the possibility of a similar ceremony for Latino students next May.

Munin meanwhile is excited by high-profile campus activities such as this weekend’s India Festival on the campus quad, and is hoping families from around the Twin Cities will drop by to help make the cultural celebration “a truly community event.” ISU’s basic “family friendly” nature that drew him to Central Illinois.

“You can include everyone, and that just makes it a warm environment,” Munin said.

Inclusive Community Response Team

What is the Inclusive Community Response Team?
The Inclusive Community Response Team (ICRT) serves students by fostering an open and inclusive campus and responding to instances of hate and bias.

What does ICRT do?

• SUPPORT – provide students with care and assistance when faced with a bias-related incident
• RESPOND - review reported bias-related incidents affecting students and refer to appropriate University and community entities
• MONITOR – examine the student experience for trends and issues which may affect the campus climate
• EDUCATE – build understanding within the campus community about the value of diversity and social justice

How do I report an issue?

• Any student, faculty, staff, or community member can file a report with the ICRT. There are several ways to file a report:
• Email
  • ICRT@ilstu.edu
  • When filing a report via email please be as specific as possible. Items to consider including are: date, time, specific location, names of people involved, descriptions of people involved (if names are not known), and specific details regarding the issue. You are able to include files (e.g. pictures) with the email if available.
  • If you supply your name and contact information, a member of the ICRT will follow up with you within two business days.
• Online
  • Public Incident Reporting Form – The University provides this form to report potential crimes/incidents.
• By phone or in person
  • Dean of Students Office: 309-438-2008309-438-2008; 144 Bone Student Center
  • Illinois State University Police Department: 309-438-8631309-438-8631; 105 Nelson Smith Building
  • University Housing Services: 309-438-8611309-438-8611; Office of Residential Life Building
  • Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics, and Access: 309-438-3383309-438-3383; 208 Hovey Hall

IWU Students Silently Protest Racism

Lenore Sobota

The Pantagraph

Pantagraph photo by Lori Ann Cook-Neisler

More than 40 students at Illinois Wesleyan University staged a silent protest before the first faculty meeting of the semester on Monday, calling for greater attention to inclusiveness and diversity.

A mixed group of students lined both sides of the hallway outside of the meeting room, holding handwritten signs with messages such as, “Stand against ignorance,” “I won't stand for silence,” and “I should feel accepted in the classroom.”

Most of the faculty and staff members who walked down the hall on their way to the meeting — including IWU President Dick Wilson — stopped to read the signs and many made supportive comments to the students.

Among them was history professor Tom Lutze, who said faculty members needed to hear their message.

“There have been instances of racism on campus,” Lutze said. “We need to create an atmosphere in which all of our students feel welcome, especially our students of color. That's what we're all about.”

Although the protest was triggered by an incident just over a week ago when the N-word was found written on a campus sidewalk, organizers said it was about larger issues, such as students experiencing “microaggressions” in classes, when comments are made that are offensive or make students feel singled out or uncomfortable.

Not In Our Town's Angelique Racki applauded the student's proactive but peaceful approach to the slur, noting "the students didn't riot, they didn't damage property, they didn't cause a dramatic pointless scene." "They made their case and their presence known in an important meeting," Racki said. "To me, that's a win."

Christy Cole, a senior in philosophy and French major from Freeport, said, "To me, this goes beyond race" and includes gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

Senior Ashley Spain, an elementary education major from Chicago, said the university puts “a lot of effort into diversity” but more needs to be done.

“Diversity is in our mission statement at IWU,” said Kitty White, a senior in sociology from Chicago. “If it's in your mission statement, it has to be your mission.”

Reading each sign in the hallway, Wilson told the students, “It takes courage to do this, and I'm proud of you.”

The students asked for and received permission for two students to speak to the meeting on behalf of the others. The students were greeted with applause as they entered the meeting room.

The first speaker, Emani Johnson, a sophomore in sociology from Chicago, said, the students were not there to discredit the school, but “there's always room for improvement.”

She said there can be no improvement without faculty involvement.

“We're here to recruit you as allies,” Johnson said.

The second speaker, senior Catherine Carini, a music major from Chicago, told faculty members, “We look to you to start the conversation” about incidents such as the word written by he fountain and to be as loud about social justice as they are about classroom subject matter.

Carini is involved in “Engaging Diversity,” a three-day program for white, incoming first-year students that began five years ago. Participation grew to 35 students this year.

Cole said students would be back at a later time with more specific suggestions of what the university could do.

Among ideas some students are contemplating is a semester-long general studies course on diversity issues, rather than just the pre-orientation “Engaging Diversity” program.

--

Angelique Racki,

Vigil for Charleston Tragedy Wednesday at Mt. Pisgah

As Americans struggled with, joined to console the survivors of, and find understanding following Wednesday's race-motivated church shootings in South Carolina, Twin Citians commemorated the deaths in Charleston and sought answers to preventing future tragedies.

Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal will sponsor a Vigil Prayer Service from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday  at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, 801 W. Market Street.

This service is designed according to NIOT:B/N coordinator Willie Holton Halbert to "lift up the families in Charleston, the community, and the nation, in prayer and refection."  Mt. Pisgah Pastor Frank McSwain will share words of encouragement, and other local ministers are expected to offer scripture readings.

Donations also will be accepted for Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and the families of those killed by Dylann Roof.

Roof, 21, appeared Friday afternoon by video feed at a bond hearing in Charleston, where he listened to the anguished words of relatives of nine victims he gunned down Wednesday night at a Bible study at the historic Emanuel AME. Roof had been welcomed into the group and attended for roughly an hour before opening fire. Roof told officers at his arrest that he had hoped to incite a race war, but whites and blacks rallied in Charleston to console the stricken Emanuel congregation and victims' families.

The nine victims of the Charleston church shootings.

Meanwhile, Roof may face federal charges and a potential death sentence. The U.S. Justice Department issued a statement Friday saying, "This heartbreaking episode was undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community, and the department is looking at this crime from all angles, including as a hate crime and as an act of domestic terrorism."

In Bloomington, Not In Our Town: Bloomington/Normal leader Alderman Karen Schmidt Friday attended what she deemed "a very moving prayer service" for the Charleston victims at Wayman AME Church.

The Charleston incident has raised a number of issues, including heightened gun control debate in Congress; controversy surrounding racial remarks made by white Judge James Gosnell, who presided at Roof's hearing; and a call to remove Confederate flags associated with racism from government places.

"It's time," argues Bloomington First Christian Church Associate Minister Kelley Becker. "We can't dictate what people display on their own property, but government space, public space, should not be sullied by these flags."

In the summer of 1996, when African-American churches were being burnt in the South, a “Not In Our Town – No Racism” march was held, drawing a large and diverse coalition.

A group from that march went south to help rebuild a church and people signed a “no racism” pledge. Mayor Jesse Smart stepped up police patrols around African-American churches, to prevent a repeat of what was then happening in Southern states.

The national Not In Our Town organization offers three ways individuals can help in the aftermath of the Charleston shootings:

1. Send a Message of Support to Charleston: Show the families of the nine victims and other church members that they are not alone. They need to know they are surrounded by people who care. Post messages online or send them to info@niot.org and Not In Our Town will share them, print them, and send them on to the AME church. Send a donation to the families. The outpouring of support can mean so much to the community in this time of darkness and grief.
2. Act Locally/Connect with People in Your Town: Bring your community together to honor those who were killed through vigils, church services, and gatherings. This moment of sadness and heightened awareness is a time to bridge differences. Reach out to people who may be targets of hate or intolerance. Get in touch with Black churches in your town and bring together different religious and community groups. Sign banners and pledges to share with those in South Carolina and elsewhere. Include local law enforcement in your planning, and ask them to make sure all community members feel safe. (See examples below.)
3. Commit to Ongoing Action to Stop Hate and Bigotry: Form a NIOT group that works to build a safe, inclusive community for everyone. Make a commitment to take ongoing action to prevent hate in our schools, workplaces and communities. Open dialogues about how  to build better understanding about racism and bias. Start by signing the NIOT Pledge and sharing it with friends and family.

ISU President, NAACP Address Racially Charged Post Head-On

View fullsize

ISU President Larry Dietz has taken swift action to address the above Twitter post submitted following this week's events in Baltimore.

In the wake of the controversies surrounding the Freddy Gray case, protests regarding the case, and both peaceful protests and early turmoil in the streets of Baltimore, Illinois State University President Larry Dietz and the campus' NAACP responded swiftly to an inflammatory Twitter posting.

Here, in an open letter Friday, Dietz outlined steps taken, plans to publicly address concerns, and ISU's basic "not on our campus" commitment:

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

This afternoon, I met with student leaders from the Illinois State University chapter of the NAACP.  The organization is planning a rally that begins at noon Friday, May 1, at Schroeder Plaza.  I encourage you to attend.

The idea for the rally was sparked by a racially charged Twitter posting.  Although the posting has been removed, and the Twitter account has no connection to the University, it does have the letters ISU associated with the account. 

This small-minded posting may have prompted our students to take action, but we all know it is another example of abusive, intolerant and often racist opinions and actions happening across the country.

As unsettling as it is to read headlines in the national press, it is even more troublesome when incidents occur in your own backyard.  The students I spoke to today told me that examples of this type of hostility can be found on our campus and in our community.

The United States Constitution protects our right of free speech, but it also enables cowards to hide behind anonymous social media handles and distribute vile and often racist content. It is not nearly enough to dismiss these individuals as fools or bigots - we must continue to speak out, and act to condemn and stop such behavior. I applaud our student leaders for taking action.

Diversity is one of Illinois State's five core values under the University's strategic plan, Educating Illinois. 

The value states:

Illinois State University affirms and encourages community and a respect for differences by fostering an inclusive environment characterized by cultural understanding, ethical behavior, and social justice. The University supports a diverse faculty and staff who mentor a diverse student population. The University endeavors to provide opportunities for all students, staff, and faculty to participate in a global society.

Those of you who know me or have heard me speak understand how strongly I feel about Illinois State's core values.  To those who cannot or will not respect these values, I invite you to follow your pursuits elsewhere.

To everyone else, I urge you to continue to speak out against intolerance whenever and wherever you find it.  A good place to start is Friday at noon at Schroeder Plaza.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Larry H. Dietz

President  

Bonilla-Silva: 'New Racism' Thriving in U.S.

This year the Illinois State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology is honored to bring to campus Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, chair of the Department of Sociology at Duke University.

One of his Bonilla-Silva's most relevant books, Racism Without Racists: Colorblind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, has been adopted for classes at ISU, and is currently being read by a group of sociology students.

In his book, he challenges the notions of a “post-racial,” “color blind” society to expose the contemporary contours of racial inequality in the United States. Bonilla Silva will visit campus Thursday and Friday, first guesting at a 3:00-5:00 p.m. reception at Medici in Uptown Normal. At 7 p.m., he will lecture on “The Sweet Enchantment of Post-Racial Racism in America,” in the Old Main Room of Bone Student Center.

Bonilla-Silva will examine the contours of America’s racial landscape since the early 1970s. His main claim is that racism, viewed in structural terms, has remained a central organizational principle of American life, albeit in changed form. The nation has moved away from traditional segregation and discrimination, but a “new racism” has taken its place. This new racial system relies on subtle, seemingly non-racial practices to reproduce white privilege, Bonilla-Silva maintains.

Along with the “new racism” structure, a new racial discourse has emerged to organize racial transactions and discussions — the ideology of “color-blind racism.” Bonilla-Silva will examine the component parts of this new ideology in detail. At the end of his talk, he will suggest various strategies to fight discrimination in this new racial order.  

The Robert G. Bone Distinguished Lecture Series was established by the late Illinois State University President, Robert G. Bone (1956-1967). It is a yearly lecture shared by the departments of History, Politics and Government, and Sociology and Anthropology. It is designed to bring to campus distinguished scholars to deliver a public lecture and to meet with the faculty and students. 

Bone Lecture On 'Post-Racial Racism' April 23

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, the author of Racism Without Racists: Colorblind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, will present The Sweet Enchantment of Post-racial Racism in America for the Illinois State University annual Bone Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Old Main Room of the Bone Student Center. The event, sponsored by Illinois State’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, is free and open to the public.

Bonilla-Silva is a professor of sociology at Duke University. In this talk, he will examine the contours of America’s racial landscape since the early 1970s. “Racism, viewed in structural terms, has remained a central organizational principle of American life albeit in changed form,” said Bonilla-Silva, who added that the nation has moved away from traditional segregation and discrimination, but a “new racism” has taken its place. “This new racial system relies on subtle, seemingly non-racial practices to reproduce white privilege.” He will provide examples of these practices.

He argues along with the “new racism” structure, a new racial discourse has emerged to organize racial transactions and discussions – the ideology of “color-blind racism.” Bonilla-Silva will examine the component parts of this new ideology in detail. At the end of his talk, he will suggest various strategies to fight discrimination in this new racial order.

Bonilla-Silva received his bachelor’s degree in sociology and economics from the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras campus in 1984. He received his master’s degree in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1993 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He worked at the University of Michigan and Texas A&M University, and is currently chair of the Department of Sociology at Duke University. He is also affiliated with African and African American Studies, Latin American Studies, Latino Studies and the Institute for Critical U.S. Studies.

Professor Bonilla-Silva gained visibility in the social sciences with his 1997 American Sociological Review article, Rethinking Racism: Toward a Structural Interpretation, where he challenged social analysts to analyze racial matters from a structural perspective rather than from the sterile prejudice perspective.

His research has appeared in journals such as Sociological Inquiry, Racial and Ethnic Studies, Race and Society, Discourse and Society, American Sociological Review, Journal of Latin American Studies, Contemporary Sociology, Critical Sociology, Research in Politics and Society, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and Political Power and Social Theory, among others.

To date, he has published five books, White Supremacy and Racism in the Post-Civil Rights Era, a co-winner of the 2002 Oliver Cox Award given by the American Sociological Association; Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, a winner of the 2004 Choice Award; White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism with Ashley Doane; White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Social Science with Tukufu Zuberi, which also was the co-winner of the 2009 Oliver Cox Award; and State of White Supremacy: Racism, Governance, and the United States with Moon Kie Jung and João H. Costa Vargas.

Bonilla-Silva has received many awards, most notably, the 2007 Lewis Coser Award given by the Theory Section of the American Sociological Association for Theoretical-Agenda Setting and in 2011, the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award given by the American Sociological Association “to an individual or individuals for their work in the intellectual traditions of the work of these three African American scholars.”

The Robert G. Bone Distinguished Lecture Series was established by the late Illinois State University President Robert G. Bone (1956-1967). The annual lecture, shared by the Departments of History, Politics and Government, and Sociology and Anthropology, is designed to bring to campus distinguished scholars to deliver a public lecture and meet with the faculty and students.

Officer Reprimanded; Heffner 'Deeply Saddened' By Remark

Kevin Barlow

THE PANTAGRAPH

Bloomington Police Department will join with other local law enforcement agencies for a Breaking Barriers community-police dialogue from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at Bloomington's City of Refuge Church, 401 East Jefferson. The event is open to the public.

A Bloomington police sergeant received a written reprimand in 2013 after he was recorded on an in-car police camera saying he hoped a black stabbing victim "bleeds to death."

According to a document obtained Wednesday by The Pantagraph through a Freedom of Information Act request, Edward Shumaker received the reprimand following a Sept. 4, 2013, meeting with R.T. Finney, who was then interim police chief, and Assistant Police Chief Clay Wheeler.

The comment was made during a conversation with officer Stephen Statz about 2:05 a.m. on June 30, 2013, after police responded to a fight inside the Denny's Restaurant at 701 S. Eldorado Road in Bloomington.

The video and recording were made public last week during the trial of Gabriella Calhoun, who was charged with hitting a police officer inside the restaurant. Calhoun was acquitted.

The written reprimand came as a result of conduct unbecoming of an officer, according to the record of disciplinary action.

The reprimand was signed by Finney and Shumaker and included a summary of corrective action: "Employee should be very aware of his surroundings and situational awareness while not allowing the stressor of an event to cause a comment that would be considered inappropriate."

Current Police Chief Brendan Heffner said Wednesday police officials are "disturbed and deeply saddened that one of our officers made such comments," but take a variety of factors into consideration when determining disciplinary action.

"There had not been a pattern of this type of behavior and that is a factor when we are considering discipline and there have not been any issues since," he said. "We have all learned from this, but I have spoken with every shift and reminded our officers that whether they are being recorded or not, these comments are inappropriate and not acceptable."

After learning of the reprimand Wednesday, Mayor Tari Renner said, "This is deeply disturbing to me as a mayor and a citizen. This is not the Bloomington that I want for the future as mayor. We are better than this."

Renner said he is pleased the records were released, adding he has talked with the City Council, adding aldermen should consider a review of the consequences officers should face for racial remarks.

City Manager David Hales said he was troubled and upset that a Bloomington police officer made the comments.

"Such comments are unacceptable anywhere in our organization and not indicative of the city’s values," he said. "Chief Heffner has made great strides in training his officers and further developing a culture that accepts and celebrates diversity, and I look forward to continuing work with him on these efforts."

Heffner said the department will continue to work with civic leaders and organizations to improve relations with the community.

"I want our citizens to know we are working together and always there to serve and protect them," he said.

"Mary": Curiosity and The Educable Moment

By Camille Taylor

A student at a local school has a part time job at a local restaurant. Let’s call her “Mary.”

“Mary” is African-American and has worked at this restaurant as both a hostess and a waitress. So, she is in constant contact with customers. Mary described how she gets questions from customers about her hair (she wears an afro), her accent (she has a slight British accent), and her name, which is not a typical Anglo-Saxon name.

She didn’t anticipate that these aspects of her life would be an issue for anyone, but has discovered that these are issues she has to contend with while working in a public place in Bloomington/Normal. When I asked her how getting these questions made her feel, she said she used to get irritated, but now she has learned to use their questions as an opportunity to educate them.

“Mary” indicated that she has learned to move on and not hold grudges and that has allowed her to grow as a person. She was bullied, teased, and excluded for being “different” in elementary and middle school. As a high school student she came to understand that it is OK to be who she is, and she is proud of her African heritage. Her self- confidence has allowed her to become a leader in her school and help others who are less fortunate.

Mike: Respect a Two-Way Street on the Streets

By Mike Matejka

for WJBC-AM Forum

The incident in Ferguson, Missouri and the shooting of Michael Brown is one of those cultural divide moments where white and black America look across a chasm at each other from totally different perspectives.

What happened in August in Ferguson will be debated for years.  Was officer Darren Wilson truly justified in shooting Michael Brown?  Did Michael Brown act inappropriately and threaten Darren Wilson?   None of us were there that afternoon and none of us were in the middle of the adrenaline rush that both these young men felt. 

Rather than picking Ferguson apart, I would rather consider our reactions to it.   The friction between young Latino and African-Americans, especially males, and police, creates a pervasive tension.   Parents have to counsel their children on how to respond to police.  The African-American community claims they are being disproportionately targeted, profiled and subject to random attack.   From that perspective, Ferguson and Michael Brown is just another incident in a long line of police confrontations.

Earlier this fall, there was much comparison to the “Pumpkin Riot” in Keene, New Hampshire, where young whites vandalized cars, started fires and attacked police.   The police responded with force and there were arrests, but did those young white people fear that their out of control party would result in deaths?  Probably not, but if there were young African-Americans whose party got out of control, would they fear being shot?  Very possibly.

Respect is the word that I think a lot about after Ferguson. And respect is a two-way street.   Law enforcement deserves respect.  Citizens also deserve respect from law enforcement.   This is more than police being colorblind; police should also appreciate the strong feelings that African-Americans and Latinos have about feeling targeted.

When we have more young African-Americans in jail than in college, that impacts all of us.  Those individuals may never get a decent opportunity in life, branded with a record.    As long as we are spending more on prisons than we are on pre-schools and job training, this social tension will haunt us.   Yes, individuals have to take responsibility for themselves.   But young people growing up in poverty often do not see opportunities that others might think obvious.  Or even if they see the choice, they may not know how to get there.

We can argue who was right or wrong last August in Ferguson.  The conversation I hope we start having is how do we bring our society together and help create opportunity and openings for all.

Mike Matejka is the Governmental Affairs director for the Great Plains Laborers District Council, covering 11,000 union Laborers in northern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. He lives in Bloomington with his wife and daughter and their two dogs. He served on the Bloomington City Council for 18 years, is a past president of the McLean County Historical Society and Vice-President of the Illinois Labor History Society.

Nancy: The Complex View Over Ferguson

By Nancy Cruse

for WJBC-AM Forum

The situation in Ferguson, Missouri, really bothers me.  I’m trying to wrap my head around it from many angles:

1. As a mother who will never, ever see her son again.  I know this pain personally and I feel very badly for Michael Brown’s mother.  On a certain level, it really doesn’t matter how he died.  The point is that Lesley McSpadden will never share another birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas with her son.  When something major like that happens to you, you have to decide how you will move forward with your own life.  My personal feeling is that you should try to figure out a way to bring something positive out of the situation so that you can help the next person who finds themselves in a similar circumstance. 
2. As a former small business owner.  My late husband and I owned our own businesses for 27 years here in Bloomington/Normal.  We experienced being broken into and robbed twice, having an employee steal company checks and try to cash them, having a plate glass window broken by vandals and having our business burn due to an electrical fire.  After my husband died I experienced having an employee murdered while trying to stop a robbery.  It’s not the same as having your business looted and burned due to racial tensions obviously.  I can however speak to feeling violated by the actions of other human beings and the pain it causes, as well as to how it feels to watch your livelihood go up in flames.  There is no way any one can convince me that looting and destroying other people’s property or causing someone physical harm helps to solve racial tensions.
3. As a human being.  Not all police officers are bad.  I cannot understand how when we are trying to overcome stereotypical thinking it suddenly becomes ok to classify anyone who is part of a particular profession as a horrible human being.  Isn’t this what we are supposed to be overcoming?

I am very sad that a young man lost his life and I empathize with his mother.  I have great respect for those who have given their lives to protect and serve their communities.  I would like to think if there are those in their ranks who hold biased beliefs and treat people unfairly that it will be addressed and dealt with constructively.  I applaud those who express their concerns and beliefs peacefully.

I am very grateful that I was raised by a man who taught me more through actions than words that all people are created equal and deserve respect.  By looking through my father’s eyes I saw that every person has worth, value, and something to contribute.  I believe the greatest change begins at an individual level.  Examine your thoughts and your actions.  What changes can you make – in yourself, in your parenting, and in your community?

Nancy Cruse has been part of the Bloomington/Normal community for the past almost 30 years. A widow, with five children, along with her late husband was a small business owner in downtown Bloomington. Now employed by State Farm, Nancy is active in the community, writing the Clare House newsletter and maintaining their Facebook page, hosting an annual Fourth of July Food Drive, a team leader and fundraiser for the Pat Nohl Lupus Walk, and a member of Toastmasters International, as well as volunteering in various capacities at Holy Trinity Church and schools. In her spare time, Nancy likes to run, bike, hike, read, sew, and be a vegetarian who occasionally indulges in a Schooners Tenderloin.