Illinois Public Media News

In recent news, Bollywood stars Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor came under fire after speaking out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement when many South Asians called them out for perpetuating skin-tone based standards of beauty themselves for having skin-care lines of whitening products and starring in ads for lightening creams. The 21st is joined by experts on colorism to talk more about prejudice or discrimination due to the darkness of one's skin tone. 

Illinois announced new metrics, regions and tiers of mitigation for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The 21st is joined by WBEZ's Kristen Schorsch to get the latest on the changes. 

The 21st speaks to the Illinois Department of Public Health Director about what prevented us from grasping the full extent of COVID-19 in early March. And the challenges ahead for getting it under control.

Among the many Confederate statues being taken down amidst the protests for racial justice, one controversial figure of Illinois whose plaque is being taken down is Stephen Douglas. The 21st spoke to a professor from Auburn University and a Ph.D. student from the University of Chicago about whether the removal of Douglas' plaque provided any kind of reparation.

In light of the racial justice movements in Illinois, statues honoring Confederate figures like Jefferson Davis, are coming down around the South — either by protestors or local governments. Here in the Midwest, some student groups at the University of Wisconsin in Madison are also calling for the removal of an Abraham Lincoln statue.