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Congress allowed the expanded child tax credit to expire in January, and while parents can still get the remainder of that credit when they file their taxes, many middle and lower-income families are feeling a financial squeeze without the extra cash flow that came monthly. Researchers and early childhood education advocates in Illinois joined The 21st to talk about what the credit meant for families.
With Illinois set to lift the statewide indoor mask mandate on February 28, 2022, questions remain about what’s next in the case of schools. We were joined by two reporters following the story.
Chicago is known for many things: It's food, architecture, and culture, just to name a few. The 21st was joined by a south side native better known as "Chicago’s Neighborhood historian" who wanted to share all of Chicago’s riches and history with his 81,000 followers on TikTok.
Around the country, at school board meetings, in state legislatures, and in some local libraries, books are facing challenges, and many of the books being challenged have to do with race. To talk about this rise in book censorship, what’s behind it, and how it impacts which lived experiences get shared in classrooms, we were joined by the editor of an independent editorial book site, as well as professors of library science and comparative literature.
Like all live performers, from actors to musicians, people who perform drag have had to adapt and change during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 21st was joined by two central Illinois drag performers to talk about different ways that drag artists have had to adjust to performing in the pandemic.
