Author Archives: Donald D. Owen

The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail

The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit, whose mission is to educate today’s residents and visitors about the rich cultural history of a people whose stories have been largely unrecognized. Our vision is to inspire conversation, expand understanding, and contribute to a better society.

Memories of the African American Cultural Center at UIUC

Curated by the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, this short blog post contains excerpts from an oral history online exhibit, “Blues Dancing and its African American Roots Oral HIstories.” 

Elevating Voices: Visualizing Social Justice Through Art

A description of the art installation/gallery housed in the School of Social Work at UIUC

A Home of Their Own

A short documentary about the history of Black students at the University of Illinois from the 1930s and 1940s.

The Legacy of Project 500 at 50: Interviews with Carletta Donaldson

A collection of video interviews of Urbana-Champaign community members and members of the Project 500.  Produced by Urbana Public TV; Channel 6

Carlos Montezuma: Changing is Not Vanishing

A short documentary about Wassaja (aka Carlos Montezuma), who was the first Native American to graduate from the University of Illinois, and possibly the first Native American to earn an MD in the United States.

eBlack Champaign-Urbana

eBlackCU is a locally created wiki about African-American history and culture in Champaign-Urbana. It was very active for several years as part of a research project at UIUC; however, it does not appear to have been updated recently.  Visit the detailed introduction to eBlackCU to learn more about what eBlackCU is doing, and how it can be used to find information on local African-American history and culture.

Doris Hoskins Archive at the Museum of the Grand Prairie

The Doris K. Wylie Hoskins Archive contains thousands of archival materials related to Champaign County and east central Illinois African American history. Donated in 2007, it is housed at the Museum of the Grand Prairie. 

American History Teachers’ Collaborative

A Teaching American History Grant project that was run by Urbana School District #116 from 2003-2014.  The site is incomplete, but it does house dozens of lesson plans and primary documents about a wide variety of topics related to the social, cultural, and political history of Urbana-Champaign and surrounding communities. 

Racial Healing Resource Page

www.lead4equity.com

Updated May 2022

This list of resources include books, videos, articles, and other media sources that were curated to coincide with the Healing Illinois Grant Project in 2021.  It was updated and revised in May of 2022 for the Racial Healing Workshop Follow Up hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work and Cooperative Extension Office

The list below is by no means intended to be a complete list of resources on the topic or race, racism, or racial history.  It is a starting place.  We recognize and acknowledge that everyone is at different spots on their racial healing journey, and we want to provide opportunities and options to meet people where they are. 

If you have any questions or would to discuss these topics further, please feel free to email don@lead4equity.com  – Don Owen, Lead for Equity and Engagement LLC or jmelvir@gmail.com – Jorge Elvir, Foster Advancement, Diversity, and Equity LLC.

Books:

Acho, E. (2020). Uncomfortable conversations with a Black man. New York, New York: Flatiron Books.

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

DuBose, M. S. & Ormseth, T. M. (2021). No stone unturned: A journal for antiracist equitable pedagogy. Atlanta, GA: Voyage East Media.

Grann, D. (2018). Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. New York, NY:  Vintage.

Grant, A. (2021).  Think Again: The power of knowing what you don’t know.  New York, NY: Viking.

Griffin, J. H. (1962).  Black like me. New York, New York: Penguin

Joseph, F. (2020). The Black Friend: On being a better white person. New York, New York: Penguin Random House

Kendi, D. I. X. (2020). Antiracist baby picture book. New York, NY: Kokila.

Kendi, D. I. X. (2016). Stamped from the beginning. Avalon Publishing Group.

Loewen, J. W. (2018). Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history textbook got wrong. New York, NY: New Press.

Lowen, J. W. (2006).  Sundown Towns: The hidden history of American racism. New York, New York: Touchstone Publishing

Noah, T. (2016).  Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Audible Solutions.

Oluo, I. (2018). So you want to talk about race. Seattle, WA: Seal Press.

Singleton, Glenn. (2014).  Courageous Conversations about Race. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Winters, Mary-Frances. (2020).  Black Fatigue: How racism erodes the mind, body, and spirit.  New York, NY: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Winters, Mary-Frances. (2017). We Can’t Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics: a Guide for Bold, Inclusive Conversations. New York, NY: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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Articles:

DiAngelo, Robin.  “No, I Won’t Stop Saying ‘White Supremacy.’” (Published June 13, 2017); www.yesmagazine.org): https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2017/06/30/no-i-wont-stop-saying-white-supremacy/

Tejeda, Andrew. “Representation Without Transformation: Can Hollywood Stop Changing Cartoon Characters of Color?”  (Published July 24, 2020; www.tor.com):  https://www.tor.com/2020/07/14/representation-without-transformation-can-hollywood-stop-changing-cartoon-characters-of-color/

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Websites:

“#RaceAnd… [Videos]”  RaceForward

https://www.raceforward.org/videos/RaceAnd

“Independent Lens” PBS home for independent documentary films

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/

“Jubilee – Middle Ground” YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/jubileemedia/about

“Media Bias Chart”  ad fontes media

Home

“Talking about Race”  National Museum of African American History and Culture:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race

“Under Our Skin” Seattle Times Project:  https://projects.seattletimes.com/2016/under-our-skin/#

“What is Systemic Racism? [Videos] RaceForward

https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism

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Podcasts:

“The Bright Morning Podcast” Elena Aguilar https://brightmorningteam.com/podcasts/

“Code Switch” National Public Radio:  https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch

“Everyday Conversations about Race for Everyday People” Race Convo:  https://raceconvo.com

“Nice White Parents” New York Times:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html

“Renegades: Born in the USA” Higher Ground: https://brucespringsteen.net/news/2021/renegades-born-in-the-usa

This list of resources include books, videos, articles, and other media sources that were curated to coincide with the Telling the Truth: Constructive Ways to Teach about Race and Our Racial History” panel discussion sponsored by the UU Church of Urbana-Champaign on November 17, 2021. You can view the recording of the panel discussion by clicking this link.

The list below is by no means intended to be a complete list of resources on the topic or race, racism, or racial history.  It is a starting place.  We recognize and acknowledge that everyone is at different spots on their racial healing journey, and we want to provide opportunities and options to meet people where they are. 

If you have any questions or would to discuss these topics further, please feel free to email me at don@lead4equity.com.  – Don Owen, Lead for Equity and Engagement LLC. 

Books:

Acho, E. (2020). Uncomfortable conversations with a Black man. New York, New York: Flatiron Books.

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Grann, D. (2018). Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. New York, NY:  Vintage.

Grant, A. (2021).  Think Again: The power of knowing what you don’t know.  New York, NY: Viking.

Griffin, J. H. (1962).  Black like me. New York, New York: Penguin

Ignatiev, N. (1995).  How the Irish became white. Oxfordshire, England, UK: Routledge Press.

Joseph, F. (2020). The Black Friend: On being a better white person. New York, New York: Penguin Random House

Kendi, D. I. X. (2020). Antiracist baby picture book. New York, NY: Kokila.

Kendi, D. I. X. (2016). Stamped from the beginning. Avalon Publishing Group.

Loewen, J. W. (2018). Lies my teacher told me: Everything your American history textbook got wrong. New York, NY: New Press.

Lowen, J. W. (2006).  Sundown Towns: The hidden history of American racism. New York, New York: Touchstone Publishing

Noah, T. (2016).  Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Audible Solutions.

Oluo, I. (2018). So you want to talk about race. Seattle, WA: Seal Press.

Singleton, Glenn. (2014).  Courageous Conversations about Race. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press

Wilkerson, Isabela. (2020). Caste: The origins of our discontent. New York, NY: Random House.

Winters, Mary-Frances. (2020).  Black Fatigue: How racism erodes the mind, body, and spirit.  New York, NY: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Winters, Mary-Frances. (2017). We Can’t Talk about That at Work!: How to Talk about Race, Religion, Politics, and Other Polarizing Topics: a Guide for Bold, Inclusive Conversations. New York, NY: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

---

Articles:

DiAngelo, Robin.  “No, I Won’t Stop Saying ‘White Supremacy.’” (Published June 13, 2017); www.yesmagazine.org): https://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/2017/06/30/no-i-wont-stop-saying-white-supremacy/

Tejeda, Andrew. “Representation Without Transformation: Can Hollywood Stop Changing Cartoon Characters of Color?”  (Published July 24, 2020; www.tor.com):  https://www.tor.com/2020/07/14/representation-without-transformation-can-hollywood-stop-changing-cartoon-characters-of-color/

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Websites:

Happy Sunday. 

“Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution” was the title Dr. Martin Luther King Jr gave to his last Sunday sermon, delivered on March 31, 1968. He based the first part of his remarks on Revelations, “Behold, I make all things new.” 

Like many of Dr. King’s sermons, this one resonates with me, not because of his theology or interpretation of scripture, but rather because Dr. King uses scripture to eviscerate the racism in our society. 

He dissects the popular phrase, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Dr. King argues, rightly in my opinion, that, “It is a cruel jest to say to bootless man, that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.”

We must all remain awake during this Great Revolution. We must ALL commit and challenge ourselves to be anti-racist.

In preparation for Champaign Urbana’s 2019 Pride Fest, organized by the UP Center of Champaign-Urbana, I compiled short list of web resources for people to learn more about LGBTQ History. This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of the UP Center and the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

Logo by Allen Armstrong

On Friday, August 9, 2019, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 246 which requires that the contributions of LGBTQ individuals are taught in public schools.  Below are a sample of links to LGBTQ History sites that go beyond the “great people, and significant contributions.”

• History.com (formerly The History Channel): A timeline and multimedia collection of the history of the Gay Rights Movemeent | https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/history-of-gay-rights
• GLSEN: An interactive website featuring the “Making Gay History” podcast | https://www.glsen.org/article/lgbtq-history-1
• Facing History and Ourselves lesson plan for “LGBTQ History and Why It Matters” |  https://www.facinghistory.org/educator-resources/current-events/lgbtq-history-and-why-it-matters
• Zinn Education Project Teaching Guides for “Tackling LGBT Issues in School: A Resource Module” |  https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/tackling-gay-issues-in-school/
• CNN’s “LBGT Rights Milestones Fast Facts” | https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/19/us/lgbt-rights-milestones-fast-facts/index.html

https://hechingerreport.org/an-analysis-of-achievement-gaps-in-every-school-in-america-shows-that-being-poor-is-the-biggest-hurdle/

The headline on this article published on the Hechinger Report website, Seems to indicate that poverty is the largest hurdle that public education must overcome.

You don’t have to read very far in the report to understand that the headline is fairly misleading. Most of the report deals with the institutional, systemic, and societal racism that creates poverty in brown and black communities.

It is imperative that we, educators, and anti-racist leaders, accurately identify and discuss racism, and not hide discussions about racism behind the more palatable social problems, like poverty.

Call it what it is.

Two weeks ago, I made one of the most difficult personal decisions of my career as an educator. I resigned my position from Urbana School District after almost 30 years. The last six of those years, I had the honor and privilege to serve as Superintendent. In that role, I focused on students, and I especially focused on how as a system (not just Urbana School District #116), public schools fail to serve students who have been traditionally marginalized.

One of the people who reached out to me was a journalist, who has transformed her own life drastically over the past two years. After leaving the News-Gazette, where she was the only progressive, feminist voice on the editorial page, she has become one of the best independent journalists in the area. She uses an in-depth interview format that is both insightful for the listener and intimidating for the person being interviewed.

Last week, she invited me to her studio and asked me some of the most meaningful and challenging questions I have been asked by a journalist in a very long time.

Here is a link to the interview on the Apple Podcast site. Here is the same interview on SoundCloud, if you prefer that platform. I welcome comments, as does Elizabeth. I strongly recommend subscribing – her interviews are easily on par with NPR greats Terry Gross or Jeremy Hobson.

Once you know the story, you’ll hear it everywhere in your culture, and you’ll be astonished that the people around you don’t hear it as well, but merely take it in

Ishmael, (Quinn, D. 1992, p. 36).

It is hard for me to believe that it has been over 25 years since I first read Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. For at least 15 years, I read, re-read, gifted, and re-gifted this book. Recently, a friend, I will call him “Steve,” told me he was re-reading one of the sequels to Ishmael. That inspired me to find an old copy on my Dad’s bookshelf.

It is not an easy book. To read. To enjoy. To understand. It is the most influential book on my thinking, my understanding, and my activism. I don’t like the main character. I don’t like the setting or context of most of the story. I am surprised I got through this book when I was 26 years old. It is one of the few books that has truly transformed the way I think and view the world around me. It is impossible for me to write about the book, because to do so – well, as Dr. River Song often says, “Spoilers!”

Ishmael is a call to action. To fight racism, to fight climate change, to fight bigotry, to fight wars. Daniel Quinn challenges the reader to relearn everything we know about ourselves simply by gently pointing out not only what we have become, but how we got here.

If any of my readers wishes to join me in a book study, please shoot me an email, or comment on this blog.

Right here, right now… Watching the world wake up from History

Mike Edwards (“Right Here, Right Now,” Jesus Jones)

From 2019 AVID Summer Institute – July 1.  Minneapolis

Leadership for AVID Schoolwide

School Culture Shift

Small Group Assignment

Prompt: Based on our mission, what do we need to STOP allowing?

Create a single sentence using the following Sentence Stem:

Because we believe__________________, we need to STOP ___________________, so that _________________.

Because we believe in all students achieving, we need to STOP low expectations that are the result of individual racial bias and institutional “isms”, so that ALL student succeed.  

WICOR strategies:

• Table Talk
• Carousel
• Sentence Stem
• Share Out

I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. 

James Baldwin

I love public education!  Anyone who knows me, knows this.  I am a passionate and sometimes strident advocate for universal public education.  For this reason, I see it as my duty to perpetually criticize it.

The image above is American Progress, painted by a Prussian immigrant, John Gast, in 1872.  I vividly remember this image in almost every American History text I have picked up.  I remember one publisher was so kind as to include this image in the transparency collection that came with the teachers’ edition of the text, so that I could place it on an overhead projector, and have my students use visual thinking strategies to analyze it.  When I taught 8th graders at Urbana Middle School, my student’s discussion was rich with criticism about the imagery of light and dark. The problems with the concept of Manifest Destiny. My students inspire me to see the world through other perspectives.  

I recently participated in a Crossroads Anti-Racism workshop about dismantling systemic and institutional racism.  The facilitators projected this image, and participants used a variety of strategies to discuss the roots of racism portrayed in this image.  I was so familiar with this lesson plan, I leaned in. It had been 15 years since I taught American History. I was curious to see how adults responded to an image with which I was very familiar.  I was not prepared to be surprised.  

Joy:  “What book is she holding?”

Derrick: “No… It is not the Bible.”

If you have the ability, zoom in.  The book is labeled simply, horrifyingly, obviously, “School Book.”  From the first public (tax-payer funded, Colonial) schools in New England in the 1630s, the purpose of school has been to “Americanize” to “socialize” to “educate” to “assimilate.”  Schools as institutions, and public education as a system have, from the beginning been the standard bearer of White Supremacy. “Progress” is pushing this concept of superiority and oppression based on race across the country.  “Progress” is erasing aboriginal culture through genocide and… education! “Progress” is ensuring that the purpose is so entrenched that the “progressives” and idealists are unaware of how successful schools are at marginalizing, excluding, and perpetuating White Supremacy. 

I love public education! We must do more than invent more progressive programs that approach inequities through technical solutions.  We must examine our personal belief systems. We must study how those belief systems have been created and formed over time, specifically to perpetuate segregation, subjugation, marginalization, and indoctrination.  As individuals, we must continually question policies, practices, and long held beliefs. As a society, we must organize. We must change. Not progress, but radical change.