Timeline: 1975

May: William Dye was sworn in as the Chief of Police in Champaign. He was the first African American to hold this position and he continued until 1982.

200 local residents protested the decision by the Champaign Park District board to demolish the old Douglass Center and replace it with a new gym. The group advocated for the old center to be replaced with a full-service, comprehensive community center.

Terry Hite became the first female African American head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She coached and directed the volleyball program.