What We Do at The Illinois Disciples Foundation

The Illinois Disciples Foundation is dedicated to a mission of peace with justice, and has been at the forefront of many important issues that have faced the University of Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana area for almost 90 years. The IDF was founded in 1916, and drew on a legacy of left-wing Christianity that advocates social activism outside traditional church structures. Today, the IDF continues in this struggle for social justice, and is open to all regardless of any religious affiliation. The IDF encourages students, faculty, and community members in true participatory democracy and direct, collective action campaigns to effect social change. Further, we actively work to build coalitions with other social justice organizations and to recruit and train new activists to expand, diversify, and further our mission.

The IDF has been a leader in movements ranging from the civil rights struggles in the 50s and 60s, to the protests against the Vietnam War, to the Equal Rights Amendment and anti-apartheid campaigns, to the Sanctuary movement in the 80s. In the last decade, the IDF has been a leader in the anti-Gulf War movement and in a variety of anti-racism work, including the anti-"Chief Illiniwek" movement. It has also emerged as a leader in local feminist organizing and, most recently, as a strong voice against the United States' military retaliation in the Middle East and for the rights of Arab, Arab-American, and Muslim people facing attacks on their civil liberties in the United States.