MTD Juneteenth Block Party

Illinois Terminal 45 E. University Ave., Champaign, IL

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) will host a Juneteenth Block Party on Friday, June 16, from 5pm to 7pm outside at Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. To celebrate, MTD and our community partners have created a space to connect with one another and support the observance of Juneteenth through local art, poetry, and history.

Juneteenth Celebration at Douglass Park (Champaign)

Douglass Park 804 N. Fifth Street, Champaign, IL

Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States, is one event you don’t want to miss. Enjoy music and visit different vendors while learning about this important holiday. Children can make arts and crafts, play on the bounce house and obstacle course, or get soaked in the Splash Pad.

Juneteenth Celebration at Neil St. Blues

Neil St. Blues 301 N Neil St, Champaign, IL

It's almost that time of the year again. Juneteenth is slowly approaching! Join us for an electrifying Juneteenth celebration at Neil St Blues on Saturday, June 17th! As the doors swing open at 10pm, prepare to immerse yourself in a night filled with joy, history, and soulful tunes. This event commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African

Juneteenth Celebration at Crystal Lake Park (Urbana)

Crystal Lake 206 W. Park St., Urbana, IL

Join the Urbana Park District and The Urbana Free Library for a family-friendly Juneteenth celebration at the Lakehouse in Crystal Lake Park! The event will take place on Sunday, June 18, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. Enjoy music, food and refreshments, fishing, Urvana Mobile Recreation Unit games and activities, community resources, and more as we celebrate Black

Juneteenth Celebration at Colbert Park (Savoy)

Colbert Park 203 E. Church St., Savoy, IL

Join in celebrating the freedom of African Americans at Colbert Park (203 E. Church St., Savoy). Free food, shopping, music, poetry, and more! The event will take place on June 19, from 12:00–6:00 p.m. For more information, visit this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3352338645004923/

25th Annual MLK Jettie Rhodes Neighborhood Day

King Park 915 W. Wascher Dr., Urbana, IL

FREE Community Event! Food, Raffle & Prizes, Live Entertainment, Local Talent, Fun & Games, Cook-Off Contest, Family, Friendly, Diverse Atmosphere and More. Celebrating the legacy of the late Mrs. Jettie Rhodes and her commitment to serve her community. Help us pack King Park!! https://www.facebook.com/events/965484594430125/?ref=newsfeed

Lives in Code: Stories of African American Resilience (The Illinois Black Codes, 1819-1865)

Zoom

Join historian and educator, Caroline Kisiel, for a history of the Illinois Black Codes, sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Speaker Bureau. This event will be held on Zoom. As the home of celebrated champions of freedom such as Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama, it is often surprising for Illinoisans to learn about the long

Understanding the State of Illinois’ Black Business Survey

Champaign Public Library - Main Library 200 W. Green St., Champaign, IL

Presented in partnership with The City of Champaign, The City of Urbana, Campus-Community Compact To Accelerate Social Justice, and Champaign Community Coalition - Walk As One In February 2023, the IL Office of Minority Economic Empowerment (OMEE) released results of its black business survey. This first-of-its-kind statewide Black Business Survey solicited information directly from black-owned

CU Days

Douglass Park 804 N. Fifth Street, Champaign, IL

As Champaign-Urbana Days draw near, the Champaign Park District would like to invite you to participate in this 30+ year-old tradition. This event draws nearly 2,000 patrons each year and offers great exposure to the community. Celebrate the Chambana community with us! Enjoy live music, tasty food, children’s activities, senior activities, and more! Friday, August

CU Days

Douglass Park 804 N. Fifth Street, Champaign, IL

As Champaign-Urbana Days draw near, the Champaign Park District would like to invite you to participate in this 30+ year-old tradition. This event draws nearly 2,000 patrons each year and offers great exposure to the community. Celebrate the Chambana community with us! Enjoy live music, tasty food, children’s activities, senior activities, and more! Friday, August

Virtual Visit with Colson Whitehead

Zoom

As the author of The Underground Railroad, The Nickel Boys, Harlem Shuffle, The Noble Hustle, Zone One, Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, Apex Hides the Hurt, and a collection of essays, Whitehead is only the fourth writer to win two Pulitzers in the Fiction category (for Underground Railroad in 2017 and The Nickel Boys in 2020). His highly anticipated latest novel, Crook Manifesto, is a darkly funny

Interrogating Discourses Around Resilience for Black Women: Holding Space for Strong Stories and Radical Healing

UIUC School of Social Work 1010 W. Nevada, Urbana, IL

Event Type: Professional Development Sponsor: School of Social Work Location: 1010 W. Nevada St., Room 2015, Urbana Date: Sep 15, 2023   12:30 - 3:00 pm Cost: $25 for CEU's, $10 for no CEU's Registration: Register Now September 15, 2023 12:30-3:00pm In-Person at the School of Social Work, room 2015 2.5 CEUs for LCSW/LSW and

Francesca T. Royster Discussion & Book Signing

Urbana Free Library 201 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL

Join author Francesca T. Royster at the Urbana Free Library for a discussion and book signing on her memoir "Choosing Family: a Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance" as part of Pygmalion 2023. There are times in your life when you make choices that change everything: choosing a new job, finding a partner, adopting

Musical Crossroads: Interpreting the Material Culture of African American Music

Music Building Auditorium 1114 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

The ways we engage with music are constantly evolving. In recent decades, countless museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives have built music collections for research, exhibitions, and programming purposes. Within this movement to document, preserve, and interpret music’s existence, is a growing interest in music’s material culture, the tangible objects that are the evidence of

Jalimusa: An Epic Tale of Black Women’s Mothering

Urbana Free Library 201 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL

Activist-artist-educator Dr. Amira Davis joins The Urbana Free Library for this special event on Black Motherhood. This program will be a combination performance and presentation based on Davis’ book, Jalimusa: An Epic Tale of Black Women’s Mothering. She will perform songs related to Black women’s mothering and read excerpts from her book, including stories of

SPEAK Cafe with Shaya Robinson

Krannert Art Museum 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, Illinois

Speak Café stands for Song, Poetry, Expression, Art, and Knowledge. It is an open-mic public performance space at Krannert Art Museum curated by local artist, Shaya Robinson, featuring guest performers and welcoming all to the mic.

16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series — Voices of Our Past: Frederick Douglass

Museum of the Grand Prairie 950 N. Lombard St., Mahomet, IL

Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 2 p.m.  Help us kickoff the 16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series with this special event! The theme of this year’s series is “Voices of Our Past'' and will feature first-person interpretations of African-American voices present during the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Did

Afro-Futurism Symposium

Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center 1212 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

AFRO-FUTURISM SYMPOSIUM Event Type Seminar/Symposium Sponsor African Students' Organization and co-sponsored by Center for African Studies, Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program, and Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center Location Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (BNAACC) Date Oct 20, 2023   5:00 - 7:00 pm Contact Morgan Toyosi E-Mail toyosim2@illinois.edu Views 26

Fireside Chat with Sheila Johnson

Alice Campbell Alumni Center 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL

School of Music alumna, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Sheila Johnson (BME ’70) published her memoir Walk Through Fire on September 19. The College of Fine and Applied Arts invites you to join us in welcoming Ms. Johnson back to campus on October 25 for an exclusive fireside chat to discuss her book, how the university and Illinois School

Food for the Soul/Inside Scoop with Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center 1212 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a Queer Black Troublemaker and Black Feminist Love Evangelist and an aspirational cousin to all sentient beings. Her work in this lifetime is to facilitate infinite, unstoppable ancestral love in practice. Her poetic work in response to the needs of her cherished communities have held space for multitudes in mourning and movement. Alexis’s co-edited volume of Revolutionary

Piloting Archival Processing: Insights from the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) Archive (Webinar)

Zoom

Archivist Steven Booth joins the RBML virtually to discuss the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) archive: acquired in 2019 by a consortium of philanthropic and cultural heritage organizations, the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) Archive is co-owned by the Getty Research Institute (GRI) and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). Dating from 1942,

16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series — Voices of Our Past: Ann Bradford Stokes

Museum of the Grand Prairie 950 N. Lombard St., Mahomet, IL

Museum of the Grand Prairie, Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, 2 p.m.  Join us as history comes to life with another event in the 16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series! The theme of this year’s series is “Voices of Our Past'' and will feature first-person interpretations of African-American voices present during the life and times

16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series — Voices of Our Past: Sojourner Truth

Museum of the Grand Prairie 950 N. Lombard St., Mahomet, IL

Come join us and see history come to life with our final event in the 16th Annual Lincoln Lecture Series! The theme of this year’s series is “Voices of Our Past'' and will feature first-person interpretations of African-American voices present during the life and times of Abraham Lincoln. Isabella Baumfree, better known as Sojourner Truth,

Book Club: Dark Princess by W. E. B. Du Bois (October 9–December 11)

Champaign Public Library - Douglass Branch 504 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL

Join the Humanities Research Institute as book club members read Dark Princess, W. E. B. Du Bois' 1928 novel about an African American medical student's and an Indian Princess' struggle for freedom. Free books available! To participate, register her by November 5: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/408766198 Meeting time: Mondays at 6:00–7:00 P.M., October 9–December 11 Location: Douglass Branch Library - Douglass

BIPOC Artist Meet-Up

Gallery Art Bar 119 W. Main St., Urbana, IL

Urbana Arts & Culture and The College of Fine and Applied Arts invite all Champaign-Urbana BIPOC artists, creatives, makers, storytellers, and cultural bearers to connect and unwind with an evening of togetherness at Gallery Art Bar in Downtown Urbana. Join hosts Carolyn and Vivian from The College of Fine and Applied Arts and the Urbana

THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG

Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, IL

In this special presentation by Illinois Public Media, watch the second hour of the acclaimed four-hour documentary series THE BLACK CHURCH, followed by a live performance of gospel music and a post-film discussion panel with local Black preachers plus an audience Q & A. For many, it’s their house of worship. For some, it is an

Martin Luther King, Jr. Countywide Celebration

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL

Martin Luther King, Jr. Countywide Celebration January 14, 2024 - 5:00 pm Martin Luther King Jr. at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana 61801 Doors open at 4:00pm Community Choir begins TBD Featured Keynote Speaker - Rev. BJ Tatum  ​ During the ceremony, three community members will be honored with

Passing: Film at the Virginia Theatre

Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, IL

THE ARTHOUSE EXPERIENCE FILM SERIES Rated PG-13 98 Min Presented by Illinois Public Media, home of WILL-TV, WILL-AM, and WILL-FM. In 1920s New York City, a black woman finds her world up-ended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who's passing as white. Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut is a powerful drama that brings Nella

KAM Spring 2024 Opening Night: Jen Everett

Krannert Art Museum 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, Illinois

Opening Events 5:30 pm | Conversation with the artist Jen Everett and curators Blair Ebony Smith and Amy L. Powell in the Link Gallery 6 pm | Collage workshop with Siobhan McKissic, Visiting Design & Materials Research Librarian, Ricker Library of Architecture and Art in the KAM cafe 6:15 pm | DJ set with DJ lovenloops begins in the Link Gallery About Jen Everett: Could

The Black Joy Project: Public Launch Celebration

Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, IL

The Black Joy Project launches February 2 with a celebratory reception of performance, food, and fellowship. About the Project The Black Joy Project aims to make an unprecedented celebration of Black JOY visible in our communities and museum spaces. The project celebrates the beauty, joy, and resilience of Black women and girls and their lived

Bethel A.M.E. Church: National African American Read-In

Bethel A.M.E. Church 401 E. Park Street, Champaign, IL

Join the Bethel A.M.E. Church by reading excerpts from the works of your favorite Black writers! Sunday, February 4, at 2:00 p.m. at Bethel A.M.E. Church (401 E. Park Street, Champaign, IL 61820).