Illinois Public Media News

Some version of the newspaper known today as The State-Journal Register has been published in Springfield and Sangamon County since 1831, but today, The newspaper of today is a shadow of what it once was. Today on the program, we talked about what's lost when a community sees its newspaper shrinks. This segment originally aired October 25, 2021.

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.

What do Chance The Rapper, REO Speedwagon, John Prine, Muddy Waters and Cheap Trick have in common? They're Illinois artists, and they were featured in "The State of Sound" exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library And Museum. Brian Mackey takes us on a tour. This segment originally aired on July 1, 2021.

We talk with two authors about helping children grow into independent, confident, and self-sufficient adults. Lenore Skenazy is the author of Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow, and Christina Hillsberg is the author of License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids. This segment originally aired on July 12, 2021. 

December 26 will be the first night of the African-American cultural holiday known as Kwanzaa. The 21st was joined by a professional storyteller, arts educator and author of several children's books including The Story of Kwanzaa and L’il Rabbit's Kwanzaa. This segment originally aired December 16, 2020. 

According to the latest report from AARP Illinois and SAGE, more than 60 percent of LGBTQ adults fear neglect, abuse or discrimination because of their identity when accessing long-term care. We spoke with older members of the LGBTQ community about where they’re finding support. This segment originally aired October 21, 2021.