Illinois Public Media News

Now until July, the Spurlock Museum in Urbana is exhibiting of local AIDS quilt panels made during the midst of the AIDS pandemic. University of Illinois journalism students teamed up with Illinois Public Media to create short videos about the panels and the men the memorialize.

Generation X sometimes known as the "Forgotten Generation," but the Illinois State Musuem is planning to give Gen X their day in the sun with an exhibit that opens this fall. The 21st was joined by the museum's curator of history to talk about growing up in the '70s, '80s and '90s, designing the exhibit, and more.

Though the coronavirus, like many other infectious diseases, will never be truly gone, it could one day be considered endemic like rhinovirus or other upper respiratory infections. Where do we go from here? We invited back two virologists to update us on what scientists now know and help answer more of your COVID-19 questions.

For decades, archeologists have debated when humans first set foot in North America. Now, ancient footprints discovered in New Mexico are offering some clues to when people first inhabited the continent we call home, which could alter the widely accepted timeline for when humans first lived in North America by thousands of years. This segment originally aired September 30, 2021.

Lawmakers and social workers are asking what could have been done to prevent the deaths of DCFS workers in recent years, but the safety of the children in DCFS custody has also been questioned. For years, the agency has lacked an appropriate number of beds to house children, with reports of the kids even sleeping on the floor of offices. 

Back in 1963, Don Rose was an organizer for Midwest states at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He’s made plenty of other marks in Chicago politics, but today we wanted to talk with him mostly about 1966, when Martin Luther King brought his civil rights work to Chicago, and Rose worked as his press secretary.

On February 4, 1968, at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a sermon called the “Drum Major Instinct.” “Everybody can be great,” he said, “because everybody can serve.” As we continued to look back at his life and legacy on this Martin Luther King Day, The 21st was joined by the 22-year-old Trustee serving on the Peoria Park District Board.

Today on The 21st, we dedicated the entire hour to Dr. King’s legacy, beginning someone who says King paved the way for her own groundbreaking role as the first Black woman elected to the United States Senate. Former Illinois US Senator Carol Moseley Braun joined us to talk about how King inspired her, voting rights, and more. 

The omicron surge is continuing to put a strain on hospitals and healthcare workers. We were joined by three frontline healthcare workers to discuss morale and experiences among healthcare workers during the pandemic.