As more people are sitting at home watching films, many have turned to the social media platform Letterboxd to rate and candidly share their opinions about films.

COVID-19 has killed nearly 20,000 Illinoisans. And for the family left behind, rituals of mourning have been curtailed or prevented. We talk about saying goodbye in a pandemic with the Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago's West Garfield neighborhood; he and his community have been hard-hit by COVID. We also spoke with SIU-Edwardsville Prof. Jocelyn DeGroot, who studies death and grieving, and is the author of The New York Times op-ed, "What Should You Say When Someone is Grieving?" And Kevin Rafferty, president of Rafferty Funeral Home in Moline.

In a series by Illinois Newsroom Education reporter Lee Gaines, some students and faculty at the University of Illinois want campus police departments abolished, saying they overpolice students, especially Black students and residents. Meanwhile, officers say there are systemic issues that need to be addressed and their presence offers important protection. 

The January 6, 2021 siege on the US Capitol left five people dead and a country reeling in its wake. To talk more about some of the Illinoisans who have been arrested in relation to the Capitol seige, The 21st spoke to a federal courts reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.

We were joined by listeners of The 21st as well as Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times and Jeremy Hobson, former host of NPR's Here & Now to talk about what's ahead and the feelings about President Joe Biden's adminstration.

The 21st spoke with Sen. Durbin about what politics is meant for, Democrat's top priorities and power sharing with Republicans. 

It’s been one year since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the U.S. The 21st spoke with the author of “The COVID-19 Survival Guide" about what you should think about if you are diagnosed with this virus. 

The Senate Republican Caucus has a new leader — State Sen. Dan McConchie, from Hawthorn Woods in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We talked with him about the pandemic, vaccine prioritization and the presidential election.

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2021... we held a multigenerational conversation with Illinoisians active in the Civil Rights Movement. They reflected on that legacy and the fight for racial justice today. 

The 21st explored the struggle for civil rights and against white terrorism in the southern Illinois city of Cairo. 

It's 2021, but unfortunately we haven't yet left 2020 in the past. There's still a global pandemic, social unrest and many people out of work. Enter mindfulness and meditation. The 21st spoke to experts about the importance of mindfullness.

The 21st spoke to two politics reporters from Illinois about the new General Assembly,massive Criminal Justice reform that passed in the last few days and allegations against the new Illinois Speaker of the House, Emanuel "Chris" Welch. 

It’s been a year since Illinois became the 11th state to legalize marijuana. As total sales for its first year is expected to reach more $1 billion, we’ll check in with two marijuana reporters about sales and the law’s social equity promises.