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For over twenty years, students at University Laboratory High School have worked with Illinois Public Media to produce audio documentaries covering a wide range of issues. Their latest project has taken them further afield than usual:  to Clarksdale, Mississippi and other Delta communities, to see how Habitat for Humanity and other organizations are bringing greater opportunity and renewed purpose to people's lives.  

This documentary explores the experiences of these traditionally marginalized couples from the 1950s to the present, and offers insight into evolving perceptions of race and sexuality throughout this time. Students at University Laboratory High School, in collaboration with Illinois Public Media WILL-AM 580, interviewed 16 individuals and couples whose stories capture both struggle and triumph as the battle for marriage equality has played out.

By the end of this month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of state bans on same-sex marriage. Students from University Laboratory High School have prepared a series of reports on the history of the right to marry in contemporary American society. Today in the final installment of Breaking Barriers we meet Kathleen Robbins, a transgender woman.  Series producer Vinay Koshy narrates the story written by Uni High student Keisha Patel.

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on several issues related to same-sex marriage. Students from University Laboratory High School have prepared a series of stories on the experiences of people who have fought for the right to marry. In part three of Breaking Barriers we hear about the stories of non-traditional couples who have chosen to have children and how their marriage has affected their children’s upbringing. Series producer Alice Hu narrates the story written by Uni High students Rima Rebei and Zina Dolan.