Illinois Public Media News

Dawn Turner grew up on the south side of Chicago and went on to have a successful career as a columnist at the Chicago Tribune, but her sister and best friend were not so fortunate. Turner recounts the different paths their lives took in her new memoir, Three Girls from Bronzeville. This segment originally aired September 16, 2021.

Today we pulled back the curtain here at The 21st and let you hear from the team that puts the show together day in and day out. Our team of producers shared some of our favorite segments from this past year. This segment originally aired November 30, 2021.

Today we spent our show understanding what Critical Race Theory is, why it’s become so weaponized and what examining systemic racism in a classroom setting looks like. To talk about it, we were joined by a professor of information sciences, a professor of education who teaches Critical Race Theory, a professor from NIU's Center for Black Studies, and a public policy reporter. This show originally aired November 17, 2021.

Illinois has lots of places to see, things to do, and history to explore, but it also has a lot of strange attractions and obscure history. The 21st was joined by an Illinois native who's has taken to Tik Tok to share her far reaching explorations of the Prairie State. This segment originally aired December 2, 2021.

After a massive influx to Chicago during the Great Migration, many Black residents are leaving the city. To talk more about the out-migration of Chicago’s black residents, we were joined by the CEO of an resident association, a professor of Urban Planning, a Chicago bakery owner and former professor, and a former Chicago resident who left the city a few years ago. This segement originally aired on December 2, 2021.