The Black Joy Project

Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, IL

Running from February 2 through December 1, 2024, the Black Joy Project aims to make an unprecedented celebration of Black JOY visible in our communities and museum spaces. The project

Willie Summerville: A Life of Music, Faith, and Service

Sousa Archives & Center for American Music 1103 S 6th St, Champaign, IL

The Sousa Archives exhibit, “Willie Summerville: A Life of Music, Faith, and Service” opened at the School of Music lobby.  In Kathya Alexander’s 2017 memorial essay to William “Willie” Thomas

Krannert Center Uncorked with Nadirah Shakoor

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

Presented in collaboration with Illinois Soul 101.1 FM in celebration of Black History Month. The recipient of a Grammy nomination, an MTV Video Award, the 2005 Artist for a Better

Interseminars | Kameelah Janan Rasheed

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Kameelah Janan Rasheed (artist, educator, and writer, Cooper Union) will present an artist talk. This event is part of the Interseminars series for "Improvise and Intervene," supported by the Mellon Foundation. About the

Sporting Publics Symposium | Panel with Louis Moore, Daniel Nasset

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Professor Louis Moore will speak about his book I Fight for a Living: Boxing and the Battle for Black Manhood, 1880-1915 (University of Illinois Press, 2017). Respondent Daniel Nasset (Editor-in-Chief, University of Illinois Press)

Sporting Publics Symposium | Conversation with Shakeia Taylor

Levis Faculty Center 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL

Shakeia Taylor is a Chicago-based award-winning writer and storyteller, whose work focuses on the intersection of sports, history, and culture. She is currently a Deputy Senior Content Editor at the Chicago Tribune,

MLK March for Peace

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

The Urbana Park District is hosting the Martin Luther King Day Peace March on April 4, from 5:30 to 7pm. The march takes place on the 56th anniversary of the

Nurtured in Nature in Spring! Homer Lake

Salt Fork Center, Homer Lake 1229 Flicker Drive, Homer, IL

A nature-based community building event for BIPOC community members of Champaign County! Join us for a community, nature-based community wellness event intentionally for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community members

Crafty Adults | Black Out Poetry

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

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library will be at the library to discuss blackout poetry and the Gwendolyn Brooks poetry collection. You'll then be able to try your own blackout

A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham Presents Repertory Works

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

MacArthur "Genius" award-winner Kyle Abraham brings his unique choreography and internationally renowned dance company, A.I.M, to perform a repertory of new and exciting works for Urbana Champaign audiences. Considered “one

OPEN MIKE EAGLE w/ $imba P & A$AVV

Canopy Club 708 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL

9pm doors / 10pm show w/ $imba P & A$AVV Purchase tickets here: https://canopyclub.com/event/open-mike-eagle/red-room/ Humor can conceal and alleviate the pain of trauma, but no joke will erase it. Even Wu-Tang Clan told

Urbana Poet Laureate Celebration

Spurlock Museum 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, IL

This year, the 2024 Poet Laureate is none other than one of the Black Joy Project curators, Ruby Mendenhall, and the Spurlock Museum is proud to host a poetry-writing workshop in

Juneteenth 2024: Reflections and Reverence Ceremony

Urbana City Hall 400 S. Vine St., Urbana, IL

The City of Urbana Office of Human Rights and Equity and the Juneteenth 2024 Committee enthusiastically announce an event in honor of the Juneteenth holiday! The event, “Juneteenth 2024: Reflections

MTD’s Juneteenth Block Party

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

Please join MTD for a Juneteenth Block Party on Friday, June 14, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm in the parking lot of Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. Black history is American