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Sankore Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage site, built in the 14th century in the African country of Mali.
AP Photo

The 21st Show

Schools To Teach Pre-Enslavement Black History

A major overhaul of K-12 social studies programs in Illinois schools calls for every elementary and high school to develop a curriculum that includes one unit of studying pre-enslavement Black history, dating back to 3,000 BCE. Three guests shared reaction and how the education will happen.

 Manuel Rene Del Carmen organizes bags of recyclables and throws them into their allotted storage spaces at the Sure We Can recycling depot, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, in the Bushwick neighborhood of New York.
AP Photo

The 21st Show

Rethinking Recycling

Even if we’re careful about sorting paper from plastic, and washing that plastic, too, what really happens to our recycling? An Illinois expert says all that paper and plastic you carefully sort from the trash might very well end up in a landfill. 

Fotos_PDX/Flickr

The 21st Show

How Biden’s New Infrastructure Plan Affects Farmers

The next big item on the Biden Administration’s legislative agenda is to pass a sweeping, $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan which the administration is calling the American Jobs Plan. The 21st spoke with two agriculture reporters about what it could mean for farmers and rural areas of Illinois.

Anna Webber

The 217 Today Podcast

217 Today: Friday April 9, 2021

In today's deep dive, a conversation with Christian McBride. The Grammy-winning bassist and bandleader is the host of NPR's Jazz Night in America, which debuted on WILL-FM last weekend.

A work called Nyan Cat by Chris Torres sold for $590,000 recently. It's part of growing interest in digital assets, known as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, that are generating millions of dollars in sales every day.
Chris Torres

The 21st Show

NFT Art with Illinois Artists

Various forms of digital art can be sold as a “non-fungible token." To talk more about NFT sales and how they're transforming the art community, The 21st was joined by an artist and a reporter following art news. 

I-80 in the Quad Cities
WVIK

The 21st Show

Bison Bridge National Park

An interstate highway bridge near the Quad Cities is set to be replaced. Instead of destroying the old one, an environmentalist wants to turn it into a new national park. The 21st spoke to the President of Living Lands & Waters about the details of the plan.