Town Hall | Take 2: Being Black in America, 5 years later – The News-Gazette

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Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Updated: June 3, 2025 @ 7:19 am
Dana Gillon

Dana Gillon
, director of operations and faculty development at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
“Has enough changed since May 25, 2020? Police violence is still an ever-present threat to the Black community. Food insecurity, health inequities and racial trauma are all still very real. These are just some of the things that come with racial injustice that creates and reinforces systemic inequality. Today, racism continues to be politicized, which makes it even more difficult to address.
“As a society, we have grown accustomed to abusive, racist behaviors. We make room for privilege based on race in our schools, in our workplaces, in our medical facilities and in our world at large. We have failed to effectively challenge offending behaviors and call for sustainable change.
“We have created systems to protect those who harm and abuse others. We have protected power and privilege with our policies and our practices. We have failed to identify the necessary measures to implement and sustain nonviolence against Black folks — and other underrepresented persons — in our nation.
“There are allies — White people who work to end the system that oppresses people of color. We want to affirm the importance of allyship. However, too often, those who ascribe to allyship look to minority underrepresented communities to educate them on the actions/behaviors for effective allyship. This can be interpreted as performative rather than genuine allyship by minoritized individuals.
“It is important for those who would be allies to recognize their own unearned privilege and how they benefit from that privilege and express a willingness to reject systemic racism even to their own detriment.
“After the death of George Floyd, there were many instances of social-media posts and other activities that required little of us. It was a moment. We moved on, but racism lingers. Racism is a terror to our communities, still. Not enough has changed.”
This week’s panel: Karen Simms, Marnita Harris, Evette Campbell, LeConte Nix, Patricia Avery-Neal, Marietta Turner and Karena LaPlace.

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