Individuals and groups across the campus and community were honored with the 2025 Civic Engagement Awards as part of Illinois State University’s annual Civic Engagement Celebration on April 8.
2025 Civic Engagement Award winners announced
Unit: African American Studies
Drs. Lawless and Selman empower students as African American studies faculty affiliates
Dr. John Lawless and Dr. Kaitlyn Selman, second-year professors at Illinois State University, are strengthening the African American studies (AAS) program through their passion for social justice, innovative teaching, and transformative research.
ISU’s African American Studies Program will host a Black History Month Film Series
The African American Studies Program at Illinois State University invites the campus and local community to celebrate Black History Month with a series of engaging events throughout February. Featuring two film screenings and a play reading, the events will highlight Black stories and foster meaningful conversations on race, culture, and history.
Selman and Turner to give African American Studies Fall Lecture
Drs. Kaitlyn Selman and Justin Turner will deliver their talk, Razing the “House of Screams:” Teaching, Learning, and Living the Reparations Won Curriculum, as part of the African American Studies Fall Speaker Series. Selman and Turner will critically examine the Reparations Won: A Case Study in Police Torture, Racism, and the Movement for Justice in Chicago curriculum.
Dr. Nathan Stephens returns from Summer Learning Academy in Johannesburg
Dr. Nathan Stephens, assistant professor in the School of Social Work and affiliate faculty member in African American Studies, recently returned from a two and a half week visit to the University of Witwatersrand-Johannesburg, South Africa.
History professor calls for Juneteenth celebrations to amplify the 13th Amendment
In a 2022 essay published in Common Dreams, titled “Why Juneteenth Celebrations Should Acknowledge the 13th Amendment,” Dr. Touré Reed makes the case for why Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021, should focus more on the 13th Amendment—and why it matters.
African Music and Dance Ensemble performance, November 29
Illinois State University’s African Music and Dance Ensemble will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, in the University’s Kemp Recital Hall.
