#BlackWomenMatter: The fight to support incarcerated black women
By Jasmine M. Ellis A Medill Newsmakers Report There are 106,000 women in prison in the United States. But how does race factor into this? According to The Sentencing Project, the number of African-American women in prison was more than double that of white women in 2014. This edition of Medill Newsmakers will examine how black women […]
Leslie’s Place Gives Formerly Incarcerated Women a Second Chance at Life
By Jasmine M. Ellis Second chances in life are far and few between, but Leslie Brown knows what it’s like to have one. Brown, who was formerly incarcerated gives a second chance to women through her organization Leslie’s Place. [vimeo 169569429 w=474]
Medill Reports Newscast: NFL Draft Edition
By Jasmine M. Ellis With the NFL Draft in town, Chicago expects a huge turn out from fans. Watch our team coverage on what to expect. [vimeo 164485740 w=474] Photo at top: Chicago is ready for the 2016 NFL Draft in Grant Park. (Caroline Kenny/MEDILL)
One UIC Student’s Fight for Justice in Palestine
Jasmine M. Ellis The Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only impacts people abroad but also in Chicago. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) student Manar Daghash spoke on her experiences as a Palestinian American. [vimeo 163894309 w=474]
#WHERESTHEJUSTICE: Muslim students talk about social justice from an Islamic perspective
By Jasmine M. Ellis Students at Loyola University Chicago are learning more about the Muslim community through Islam Appreciation Week. Hosted by the Muslim Student Association, the organization is focusing on social justice from an Islamic perspective. Using #WHERESTHEJUSTICE students are contributing to the conversation by sharing what social justice issues matter most to them. […]
#SayHerName, hear her too: black women activists fight to be heard
By Jasmine M. Ellis In the age of #SayHerName and #BlackLivesMatter social justice movements, black women have played a key role in protesting injustice across the country. Dedicated to changing the U.S. political and racial climate, they have demanded their voices be heard, while demanding change. However, black women have been noticeably absent from many conversations […]
Local college women answer the call for Hillary at Old Town phone bank
By Jasmine M. Ellis and Torene Harvin With the March 15 Illinois primary less than a week away, local college students hosted an evening of phone banking for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday at the Parkway Ballroom in Old Town. Sponsored by Hillary for America, several of the volunteers remember meeting Clinton at a young age […]
Civil Rights Legend: Black Lives Mattered — Then and Now
By Jasmine M. Ellis In the age of Black Lives Matter and #SayHerName movements, America’s current racial climate eerily mirrors its past, according to renowned civil rights activist Diane Nash. “My contemporaries had you in mind when we reacted,” said Nash, keynote speaker for Northwestern University’s campus observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday […]
Would Jesus really do that?: Experts weigh in on Wheaton College controversy
By Jasmine M. Ellis Whose God is it anyway? As a Christian, Dr. Larycia Hawkins thought she was doing what Jesus would do when she posted a photo of herself in December wearing a hijab head covering on Facebook in solidarity with Muslims worldwide. “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, […]
Anti-abortion activists bring caroling to West Loop clinic
By Jasmine M. Ellis In the midst of tension between pro-abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion protesters from various groups, Christmas carolers gathered in front of a West Loop abortion provider on December 5. In frigid temperatures, escorts from The Clinic Vest Project accompanied people to and from the clinic past anti-abortion activists who sang Christmas […]
