Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Major Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army, informed enslaved people in Texas that they were free. It happened years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The 21st was joined by three guests to talk about Juneteenth celebrations across Illinois.

Commentary: A North Shore suburban native reflects on the community's troubled racial history.

Experts blame the long-standing problem on discrimination, especially the "inadequate, inequitable'' education funding system.

Voters on April 4 elected the first African-American to serve on the board of Parkland College in Champaign. In addition, trustee-elect Rochelle Harden is also a member of the Parkland faculty, a position that brings legal questions along with it.

Considered by many to be the outstanding African American classical composer of his generation.