Ubuntu: Black Community Organizing and Coalition Politics in Champaign-Urbana

Alexander K. Horton traced the term ubuntu, the organizing that followed the 2009 police killing of Kiwane Carrington, the campaign against Chief R.T. Finney, the Ubuntu Project's 2020 Facebook Live political-education series, and 2021 in-person organizing around police hiring. Guest speaker Shamar Betts gave a first-hand account of his federal prosecution and $1.6 million restitution after a 2020 Facebook post following George Floyd's death. An associate director and a staff member from the Office of Diversity and Social Justice Education opened the program, in the forum's 96th year and the Y's 150th anniversary year.