Illinois e-News Release

September 29, 2025

URBANA, ILLINOIS — The State of Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC) will host a public hearing in Urbana, Illinois, to discuss reparative justice efforts for Black Americans across the state who are descendants of American Chattel Slavery. Members of the public are invited to attend this event, which will be held at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on October 4, 2025, at 10 a.m. Those who are unable to attend in person can join via livestream on the ADCRC YouTube page: www.YouTube.com/@IllinoisADCRC.

Expert speakers Sundiata Cha-Jua, State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), Rev. Terrance Thomas, and Dr. Clinton Boyd, Jr. will join the commission to speak on Stolen Labor and Hindered Opportunity, Mental and Physical Harm and Neglect, Wealth Gap, and Pathologizing the Black Family. In addition to featured speakers, ADCRC encourages members of the public to participate and share their experiences. This is the sixth public hearing hosted by the commission, which is gathering recommendations on reparations for policymakers and key stakeholders.

“These public hearings offer a safe space for Illinoisans who descend from enslavement to share their experiences and visions for equity and restitution, for their families and communities across the state of Illinois,” said ADCRC Board Chair Marvin Slaughter. “Their voices are vital to the conversation of reparations and ensure accountability as we work together towards repair.”

 

Date:        Saturday, October 4, 2025

Time:       10 a.m. – 1 p.m. CST

Location: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 500 S Goodwin Ave, Urbana, IL 61801

Members of the public can RSVP and learn more about ADCRC at https://adcrc.illinois.gov/events.html. Livestream the public hearing at https://www.youtube.com/@IllinoisADCRC.

Free parking is available in the Yellow or Orange parking garages, located on Illinois Street (between Goodwin Ave and Gregory Street).

Members of the media planning to attend should RSVP to [email protected] by 2 p.m. on October 3, 2025.

The African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission is a State of Illinois-appointed commission committed to advancing equity and opportunity for African Americans with lineage to the American Slave Trade. The commission was created to research Illinois’ historical involvement in slavery and its enduring impact, and developing legislative recommendations to promote restoration and reparative justice. ADCRC’s mission is to prioritize preserving and strengthening historically Black communities, fostering economic empowerment through vocational training and workforce development, ensuring equitable access to state contracting, and advancing accountability through the Illinois Slavery Era Disclosure Bill.