Politics & Justice

UNI student Joyce Levingston leads a Black Lives Matter protest.

‘Blood, sweat and tears’: UNI student helps lead the charge for racial equality

The first time Joyce Levingston watched the video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, the mother of four said her heart “shattered.” Seeing Floyd on the ground, crying out for his mother brought back all the battles she’s fought for her own children - how, as a single, Black mother, she’s sometimes felt overwhelmed fighting her own battles against racism in America.
University of Northern Iowa criminology professor Gayle Rhineberger-Dunn

UNI professor discusses the future of policing

The death of George Floyd reawakened demands for police reform across the country. From calls to defund police departments, to reexamining use-of-force policies, policing practices are once again falling under scrutiny. Here, University of Northern Iowa criminology professor Gayle Rhineberger-Dunn discusses these topics and the role UNI plays in preparing future criminal justice professionals. What is your work at UNI focused on?
A Confederate monument

Demonstrators march, statues fall as US grapples with racist past

Anger over the death of George Floyd has led to a reappraisal of the history of racism and oppression in America. In recent weeks, demonstrators have toppled Confederate statues, Congressional leaders have proposed renaming military bases and NASCAR has banned Confederate flags from being displayed at events. We asked UNI associate history professor Thomas Connors, an expert on historical memory and monuments, to weigh in on the discussion. 
UNI Assistant Professor of Criminology Alison Cox

Protests, prisons and COVID-19: An interview with Alison Cox

Despite crime rates that have fallen for decades, the United States still imprisons far more of its population than any other country in the world. COVID-19 has forced Americans to take a closer look at our society — including the millions behind bars in jails and prisons where infections are hard to contain. While some county jails have released thousands of detainees to slow coronavirus’ spread, prisons have been reluctant to follow.
UNI Associate Professor of Literacy and Education Shuaib Meacham

‘A system of interconnected institutions’: Racial inequality in schools

UNI Associate Professor of Literacy and Education Shuaib Meacham helps teach future educators how to handle race in the classroom. He also leads a local hip hop literacy program to help connect youth to their love of language, and is helping launch a new project aimed at showcasing Iowa’s diversity. Here, he discusses his work and offers advice for using this unprecedented moment to create lasting change.
UNI Athletics Director David Harris

UNI's athletic director reflects on national push for racial justice

Amid protests across the country and world last week calling for racial justice, University of Northern Iowa Athletic Director David Harris shared some of his personal thoughts and life experiences in a conversation with Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations Leslie Prideaux.
Aerial view of UNI campus

UNI week in review: racial justice protests, campus return and tuition freezes

Widespread protests over the death of George Floyd swept the nation for a second week, with tens of thousands of mostly peaceful protestors vowing that his death at the hands of Minneapolis police would at last spark change. The protests that have occurred in hundreds of cities, including in the Cedar Valley, have placed a powerful spotlight on racist practices endemic in American society. The message was clear: institutions, including college campuses, must respond. 
UNI honors students whose peaceful protest 50 years ago paved the way for the Center of Multicultural Education.

'UNI Seven's' courage honored

Older now but unbowed, nine members of a group that came to be known as the UNI Seven walked across a Maucker ballroom stage Monday night to be honored for their work sparking change on campus some 50 years ago.