LWVCC Events Details

Naturalization Ceremony November 30

11/30/2023

TThere will be a Naturalization Ceremony at Parkland College Theatre on November 30, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. The event is hosted by the Honorable Eric I. Long, United States Magistrate Judge, Central District of Illinois, Urbana. It's a joyful event for the new citizens and for their friends and families.

LWVCC volunteers will help the new citizens register to vote and become better informed about their voting options.

(Please note: attendance limited to new citizens, families and friends, due to space limitations.)

Keeping It Local: The Farm Bill, What's In It and Why We Care

11/15/2023

The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXzfU4XMnA

The current Farm Bill expired on September 30. The final decision about whether to reauthorize the bill or not will have a significant impact on our local community, not only for consumers through its food assistance program but

for farmers who depend on its crop insurance, commodity subsidies, and rural development funding. Given the prospect of the first trillion-dollar Farm Bill in U.S. history, its reauthorization is expected to be highly contentious.

Many local citizens, including our always well-informed League members, feel uninformed and uneducated about the Farm Bill and its full impact and importance to our community.

We are fortunate to have a local, highly sought, national expert on the Farm Bill join us for this month’s Keeping It Local program. Jonathan Coppess, associate professor of Agricultural Policy and Law at the University of Illinois and director of the Gardner Agriculture Policy Program, will discuss the history and key components of the Farm Bill, how coalition-building across party lines has provided strength, and what is at stake if the bill is diminished or broken apart.

Jonathan is the author of The Fault Lines of Farm Policy: A Legislative and Political History of the Farm Bill. He previously served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency. Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School.

This program is part of LWVCC’s Keeping It Local series, featuring topics of interest with a local or regional presenter, followed by discussion.

LWVCC at Democracy Summit Session: Civic Symposium October 27

10/27/2023

The UIUC Office of Civic Life has invited the League to host a table at one of their Democracy Summit sessions: the Civic Symposium on Friday, October 27 from 11:00am to 3:00pm. Visit this registration page for the Civic Symposium.

LWVCC Voter Ready volunteers will be there to register voters, provide voting information, and talk with attendees about the League and how we support democratic learning and engagement.

Civics Education in Illinois Public Schools: Keeping It Local Presentation on October 25

10/25/2023

Available on video: https://youtube/crA3StOO1SM

Background: Recent data from the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey showed some troubling trends regarding Civics Education. The survey found that one in six U.S. adults could not name any of the three branches of government and only one in 20 could name all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment.

Civics in Illinois Schools: If you are curious about what is covered in civics classes and how it is being taught in Illinois high schools, this is an opportunity to have your questions answered. We will hear from Tracy Freeman, who, after 30+ years in the classroom, retired from McLean County Unit 5 as a department chair at Normal West High School in 2022. A Nationally Board Certified teacher, she has continued to work in education as an Illinois Instructional coach for the Illinois Civics Hub, a supervisor of student teachers for Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan Universities, and a virtual mentor for the Illinois Education Association.

This program is part of LWVCC’s Keeping It Local series, featuring topics of interest with a local or regional presenter, followed by discussion. For more information, contact Program Team Member Ann Panthen at apanthen@gmail.com.

Urbana Market at the Square: Visit the LWVCC Table: Saturdays

10/21/2023

LWVCC volunteers staffed a table at 3 "Urbana Market at the Square" events at Lincoln Square in Urbana. The next dates were:

August 19
September 16
October 21, 2023

Folks stopped by to register to vote, check voter registration and gained information about the March 19, 2024 primary election. It's also a good way to learn more about the League of Women Voters of Champaign County (LWVCC).

Women's March for Reproductive Justice October 14

10/14/2023

Women’s March for Reproductive Justice Sponsored by the Women’s Law Society, University of Illinois, this is an annual event supporting reproductive justice. Join marchers and speakers at the Alma Mater statue on campus. The march starts there and ends in front of the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana.

Stop by our LWVCC table at the campus Alma Mater statue to register to vote, check your voter registration, gain information about theMarch 19, 2024 primary election, sign up to learn more about the League of Women Voters of Champaign County.

Saturday, October 14, 2023, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. Here's the route for the march:

Civics Education: LWVCC Reading Club October 12

10/12/2023

This month, the LWVCC Reading Club will talk about Civics Education. We are delighted that one of our 50-year members, Barbara Wysocki, will lead our discussion. Here are recommended articles to read - read what you wish, and come ready to discuss.

The Need For Civic Education in 21st-Century Schools. Brookings Institution
Strengthening Democracy With a Modern Civics Education.Americanprogress.org. December 19, 2019.
What The Research Says: Civics and History Education. Center for Information and Education on Civics Learning and Education.
“Forgotten Purpose: Civics Education in Public Schools.” NEA Today.

The meeting will be Thursday, October 12, 2023, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, 1713 Mayfair Road, Champaign. In-person at 1713 Mayfair Road, Champaign
Please RSVP to Alansford1713@gmail.com

The LWVCC Reading Club meets three times a year to discuss either a book or a few articles on a topic of interest. For past titles and more about League series of programs, see the series page.

Community Resource Fair Ashland Park Area September 30

9/30/2023

This community resource fair is hosted by the Ashland Park neighborhood, located north of Market Place Mall. Stop by our LWVCC table to register to vote, check your voter registration, gain information about the March 19, 2024 primary election, and sign up to learn more about the League of Women Voters of Champaign County.

Open to the public with refreshments and activities for kids.

September 30, 2023, 1:00 am - 5:00 pm, Toalson Park, 502 Bardeen Lane, Champaign, Ashland Park neighborhood (map)

Video: The Changing Role of Public Libraries in Preserving Democracy September 27

9/27/2023

"The Changing Role of Public Libraries in Preserving Democracy" was presented September 27, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm and is now available on video at: <insert link>.

Brittany Millington, Director, Champaign Public Library

John S. Howard, Director, Mahomet Public Library

Celeste Choate, Executive Director, Urbana Free Library

Topics include:

How our local libraries help preserve “democracy in action” in today’s environment
Libraries as citizen centers for voting, immigration services, job fairs, and more
Access to collections, services, facilities, and technology
Book banning and censorship
First amendment issues

This program is part of LWVCC's Keeping It Local series.

For further information, contact Program Team Member Paula Kaufman at kaufman46@gmail.com.

No Time to Fail, a film screening, September 21

9/21/2023

Thursday, September 21, 7:00 p.m. Champaign Public Library
Robeson Rooms A&B

The League of Women Voters of Champaign County screened a one-hour nonpartisan documentary about the challenges poll workers faced in the 2020 election, challenges heightened by the pandemic and a relentless disinformation campaign.

The film was followed by a Q&A with the County Clerk.

Once invisible to the public, election workers are at the center of an ongoing public debate about the integrity of our democracy. By chronicling the 2020 experience of election administrators in Rhode Island, No Time to Fail takes us behind the scenes to witness the perspective of these essential workers. From hand delivering ballots to people’s homes, to weathering the brunt of confusion and anger, their dedication to the voters is palpable.

The documentary, directed by Sara Archambault and Margo Guernsey, will be shown by PBS stations in October.

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