The Activist Forum Speaker Series brings in several long-term activists each year to reflect on their social justice work. The presentation provides insight into the issues that each activist has worked on. The 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. Some speakers that have appeared so far include Mike Doyle, Barry Romo, Esther Patt, and Mark Weisbrot.

More information on Activist forum can be found at www.prairienet.org/idf/activistforum.html

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) is a multi-issue, multi-tactical activist organization committed to struggling for peace with justice. The PRC is composed of students, faculty, and community residents working to promote human rights, democracy, and self-determination for all people.

The PRC is committed to the eradication of all forms of oppression and exploitation. It struggles against corporate injustice, social inequality, militarism, and intervention in the Third World. The PRC organizes forums for critical social analysis, analyzing the root causes and interrelation of issues through educational programs and progressive issue studies. It works to build a stronger, better informed, and more united progressive community in Champaign-Urbana by serving as an informational and organizational resource, and by participating in community work and direct actions.

From removing the racist University of Illinois mascot "Chief Illiniwek," to fighting for justice in Colombia, the PRC focuses on a wide variety of social justice issues.

More infomation on PRC can be found at www.prairienet.org/idf/prcweb/index.html

The Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF) Human Rights Film Series presents important documentary films dealing with issues of human rights and social justice. These films will be presented to the public, free of charge, on Thursday evenings in the Spring and Fall at the Illinois Disciples Foundation. In addition, the films will be presented by local activists and community members who will moderate discussions about the issues presented in the films with the people who come to the viewings.

IDF is very excited about this event, which has grown in popularity since we began the series in 2003. In that time the series has expanded from an annual event to now a semi-annual event. We intend to enrich the event further this year, by linking individual films to additional events or discussions which will expand on the issues in the films, or to provide accompanying actions, moving people from education to becoming active on organizing for social justice. We hope that you will join the IDF in supporting this wonderful event for the community, organize your members and supporters to participate and help to spread the word in the community. Also, in order to more easily present these wonderful, thought-provoking films to the community, the Illinois Disciples Foundation has recently purchased it's own video projector and high-quality screen.

More information and current line-up can be found at www.prairienet.org/idf/filmseries.html

Uprisings

Uprisings introduces and traces significant historical strands in the legacy of Christian left-wing social justice ministry, and provides a format for community reflection on the disciplines of a praxis of social justice ministry: discernment and resistance. Moreover, Uprisings wants to nurture and incite the spirituality of social justice in the IDF community. Uprisings can teach us about this progressive tradition of Christianity so that we can learn from it for the social justice work we are doing today. Uprisings is a study group, which is critical of mainstream Christianity and holds it accountable for the injustices it has perpetrated in its name. Critically analyzing Christianity will give us tools to be critical of other societal institutions that create and perpetuate injustice.

More information on Uprisings can be found at www.prairienet.org/idf/uprisings.html