A
Century of Struggle for Peace with Justice
This April, the Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF) is celebrating a
tremendous milestone: the IDF’s 100th anniversary. The IDF is
a pioneering peace with justice campus ministry, located on the University
of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, which was envisioned in April 1905
and later chartered in 1916.
The story of the IDF can best be understood by the ideals, traditions,
and socio-historical circumstances that have shaped the past one hundred
years. Since 1906, the tireless and visionary efforts of numerous individuals
have kept the IDF at the forefront of campus ministry. The theology
behind many campus ministries, like the IDF, is known as the Social
Gospel Movement, a reaction to mainstream religion’s failure to
respond to the growing consciousness that the evils in the world had
a social origin and were not merely evidence of the failings of individuals.
IDF’s Campus Minister Emeritus, Rev. Jim Holiman, describes the
religious nature of the IDF as “a regional unit of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin. We represent
the Anabaptist tradition of the Disciples, which is historically focused
on doing social justice work.”
As one of the first campus ministries in the United States, the IDF
has offered people of faith and conscience in the University of Illinois
community an outlet for channeling their faith into social change. Joseph
T. Miller, the current IDF Board Moderator, recently commented, “In
my work with IDF over the past 17 years, I have found it to be the most
consistent and most visible peace with justice campus ministry in our
area. We have made a difference here. We have nurtured generations of
peace and social justice activists who continue this work wherever they
go.”
Throughout the past hundred years, the IDF has been involved in countless
social justice struggles. In the late 1950s, the IDF helped organize
anti-racist protests targeting the local business owners on Green Street
who denied service to African Americans. The IDF became heavily involved
in the civil rights movement and the struggle against the Vietnam War.
As part of the IDF’s anti-war work, the IDF worked with the Selective
Service Project which: trained military counselors, counseled GIs, informed
GIs about their options in obtaining Conscientious Objector (CO) status,
prepared GIs to go through the CO process, and much more.
One of the most important projects the Illinois Disciples Foundation
worked on was the Neighborhood Service Ministry. In the early 1970s,
the IDF did a survey of the surrounding neighborhood, which at the time
was primarily lower income people of color, to see what needs were not
being addressed. At that time, three priorities became clear: transportation,
crime prevention, and low-cost food. In 1973, the IDF put the Neighborhood
Service Ministry into action. First, the IDF purchased a van, which
was used to help transport people to the hospital, pharmacies, groceries,
etc. This gave people who did not have personal transportation and could
not afford taxis a way to get around to take care of their basic needs.
Plus, this was before the mass transit system was established. Next,
the IDF started a Neighborhood Watch program, modeled after a similar
program started in London, since the surrounding area around the IDF
had the highest rates for burglaries, robberies, murder, and rape in
CU at the time. Finally, the IDF established the Food Co-op to address
the need for a local and affordable store, now known as the Common Ground
Food Cooperative. When the doors opened in August 1978, members of the
IDF Board and the Campus Minister, Rev. Jim Holiman, ran the program
for five years as a test-run to determine the feasibility of the Co-op.
After five years, the Co-op leadership and membership transitioned into
local community members and grew from there.
In the 1980s, the IDF became a public sanctuary for political refugees
from Central America. In response to the numerous Guatemalan and Salvadoran
refugees fleeing violence and seeking political asylum in the U.S.,
the IDF Board unanimously decided to make the IDF a Public Sanctuary
where these refugees would have a place to stay, despite the legal consequences
that could face IDF.
In its early days, one of the IDF’s programs, now known as the
Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), helped lead the local
anti-war movement against the first Gulf War. Since then, the IDF has
been involved in the recent anti-war struggles, the movement against
the racist symbol of the University of Illinois, “Chief Illiniwek,”
and the global labor injustices perpetrated by Coca-Cola. The PRC has
been involved in the anti-“Chief” movement since the beginning
when Charlene Teters began protesting the symbol in 1989.
Currently, the IDF has five programs: the Activist Forum Speaker Series,
the Common Ground Food Cooperative, the Progressive Resource/Action
Cooperative, Uprisings, and the Women’s Direct Action Collective.
Overall, the IDF, largely through its program work, is a place where
divisions are bridged and communities are strengthened through work
and commitment to social justice.
As part of the IDF’s centennial celebration, the Illinois Disciples
Foundation staff and Board see this milestone as chance to reflect in
the rich IDF history and look forward to the next century of social
justice struggles. In affirming our history, the IDF is constantly renewing
the struggle for social justice and re-energizing those who seek human
liberation. Locally, the PRC is still fighting against “Chief
Illiniwek.” Nationally, the IDF has joining thousands of groups
in fighting our government’s policies limiting our civil liberties.
And globally, the IDF must keep up the struggle against the U.S.’s
supposed war on “terror,” which has proven to be a means
for U.S. globalization and has led to the death of over a hundred thousand
people.
One of the activists whose vision and commitment has moved IDF forward
in great strides is Rev. James Holiman, the Campus Minister Emeritus
at the IDF. On April 19th, 2005, the IDF will host Rev. Holiman in the
Activist Forum Speaker Series in a talk is entitled, “Deep Memory
and Uprising Hope.” The Activist Forum Speaker Series provides
a source of inspiration and experience for people who are currently
active in social justice work, or those who are looking to become involved.
This semester the IDF will also host its Third Annual Human Rights Film
Series, which will feature five documentaries—Soldiers Pay, Plan
Colombia: Cashing In On The Drug War Failure, Ballot Measure 9, End
of Suburbia, and Brothers and Others—that each address a current
social justice issue (a press release for this film series will be coming
out in the next two weeks). Also, the IDF in conjunction with the PRC
will be hosting an anti-war speakers panel on Saturday, April 16th.
Each new day, the IDF continues its struggle for peace with justice.
Jen Tayabji, the IDF Executive Director since April 2002, reflected,
“As a freshman at the University of Illinois, I became involved
in the programs. It allowed me to be pro-active and constructive in
addressing my social justice concerns. I think the IDF empowers people
to take action through grassroots organizing on the issues that affect
their lives.”
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