Liberation Now Ep 20: Reparations, Self-Determination, and Healing
Release Date: 06/19/2026
Liberation Now Ep 20: Reparations, Self-Determination, and Healing
Liberation Now Podcast
In this Juneteenth episode, Helen Neville speaks with Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons about reparations as a process of repair, healing, historical truth, and self-determination. The conversation explores the legal foundations of reparations, the relationship between public policy and racial justice, the importance of restoring memory and ancestry, and concrete ways listeners can engage in reparative justice. ABOUT THE GUEST State Representative Carol Ammons is serving her sixth term representing Illinois' 103rd District, proudly serving the communities of...
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Liberation Now Ep 19: Textbooks as Tools for Liberation: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the United States
Liberation Now Podcast
Episode Description In this episode of Liberation Now, Salman Safir and Helen Neville sit down with Dr. José Causadias to discuss his recent open access textbook, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the United States. Drawing from his experiences as a Panamanian immigrant and scholar, Dr. Causadias describes the book as a “love letter” to the United States. In this powerful text he critically unpacks the myth of the American Dream, centers the lived experiences and scholarship of Women of Color, and exposes how laws and policies actively produce inequity. We...
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Liberation Now Ep 18: Future is a Weapon
Liberation Now Podcast
Episode Description In this episode, Radia DeLuna, Salman Safir, and Helen Neville speak with Dr. Devin Atallah about his decolonial and liberation psychology praxis. Together, they explore grief, hope, and possibility for Palestinians amidst ongoing genocide. This deep and moving conversation delves into love, loss, and the power of storytelling, highlighting how our stories root us in history while inspiring us to imagine and build just futures. We reflect on the idea of future as a weapon. You won’t want to miss it. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Devin George Atallah is an Associate Professor in the...
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Liberation Now Ep 17: Reparations and Reparatory Justice
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with Dr. Mary Frances Berry and Dr. Sundiata Cha-Jua about their powerful new edited collection (with V.P. Franklin), Reparations and Reparatory Justice: Past, Present, and Future. Listen in to explore the global fight for reparations, uncover pivotal moments in the U.S. movement, and hear bold visions of what justice, liberation, and healing could truly look like for African Americans. ABOUT THE GUESTS Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches American...
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Liberation Now Ep 16: Storytelling as Liberation
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Helen Neville and B. Andi Lee speak with Dr. Matthew Miller about storytelling as liberation. Dr. Miller shares his personal journey and the origin story of the SPOKENproject, which promotes coping with, resisting, surviving, and healing from racism through storytelling. Listen in to explore the transformative power of storytelling—and get inspired to integrate it into your own life and work. ABOUT THE GUEST Matthew J. Miller (he/him) is a cisgender heterosexual Korean American male who has spent the latter half of his life trying to understand the many ways in...
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"We Are Not a Curse, We Are a Gift": Trans and Nonbinary Joy and Its Role in Liberation
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Helen Neville and Radia DeLuna speak with psychologist Dr. Em Matsuno about the meaning and importance of trans and nonbinary joy to wellbeing and liberation. Dr. Matsuno shares insights from their research highlighting the strengths, resilience, and joy found within trans and nonbinary communities. Listen in to learn more about research and community practices celebrating joy among trans and nonbinary youth, families, and adults. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Em Matsuno (they/them) is an assistant professor in Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Arizona State University. Dr....
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Liberation Now Ep 14: Teaching for Social Justice in these Challenging Times
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with psychologists Drs. Roxanne Donovan, Grace Kim, and Karen Suyemoto about teaching for social justice in these challenging times. The authors share insights from their two books, Teaching Diversity Relationally and Unraveling Assumptions, both published by Routledge. They discuss psychological and social justice frameworks to teaching and learning about power, privilege, oppression, and resistance and they end with thoughts about practicing hope and engaging in self-care strategies amid domestic and global geopolitical crises. ABOUT THE GUESTS Dr....
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Liberation Now Ep 13: Decolonizing Methods in Psychology: Implications for Healing and Liberation
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Salman Safir and Helen Neville speak with internationally recognized psychology and mental health scholar Dr. Joseph Gone. We cover topics related to decolonizing and Indigenous research methodologies and reclaiming American Indian therapeutic traditions. In this conversation, Dr. Gone outlines attributes of traditional knowledge, disrupts ideas about psychological mindset, discusses how some forms of counseling is ideological work, and complicates our understanding of collaborative partnerships. ABOUT THE GUEST Joseph P. Gone () is an international expert in the psychology...
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Liberation Now Ep 12: Ongoing Uprisings in Iran - Woman, Life, Freedom
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with Iranian American scholar-activists Dr. Mehrgol Tiv and Amir Maghsoodi about the current uprisings in Iran. We cover the nationwide protests and state responses since the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini on September 22, 2022. The guests provide context for the roots of the women-led liberation struggle, and the goals and hopes for Iran and her people. This episode was recorded on Nov 29, 2022. Since then, the Islamic Republic government has executed two young men for taking part in protests: Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard. As of...
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Liberation Now Ep 11: The Practice of Radical Hope
Liberation Now Podcast
In this episode, Liberation Lab members B. Andi Lee, Briana Williams, and Helen Neville speak with creator and healer Dr. Della Mosley (a.k.a., Dr. Della) about her first-authored paper entitled “.” Dr. Della discusses the practice of radical hope in her personal life and community work. Listen in to learn about the psychological framework of radical hope and how to apply it to daily life. ABOUT DR. DELLA MOSLEY Dr. Della intentionally uses her education and training in counseling, skills and experience conducting culturally mindful and award-winning research, history counseling Black...
info_outlineIn this Juneteenth episode, Helen Neville speaks with Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons about reparations as a process of repair, healing, historical truth, and self-determination. The conversation explores the legal foundations of reparations, the relationship between public policy and racial justice, the importance of restoring memory and ancestry, and concrete ways listeners can engage in reparative justice.
ABOUT THE GUEST
State Representative Carol Ammons is serving her sixth term representing Illinois' 103rd District, proudly serving the communities of Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding region. A lifelong activist and accomplished legislator, Rep. Ammons has dedicated her career to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for all Illinoisans. She made history as the first African American woman elected to represent the 103rd District, and she continues to be a steadfast advocate for her constituents and a leading voice on issues of racial justice, economic equity, environmental sustainability, higher education, and community well-being.
With nearly 15 years of elected public service spanning county, municipal, and state government, Rep. Ammons brings the perspective of both a grassroots organizer and an experienced policymaker. Her work is grounded in the belief that lasting social change requires strong partnerships between community organizers and elected officials. Throughout her legislative career, she has championed transformative policies that expand opportunity, remove systemic barriers, and strengthen communities across Illinois.
Committee Assignments
- Chair, Energy & Environment Committee
- Appropriations – Higher Education
- Economic Opportunity & Equity
- Ethics & Elections
- Higher Education
- Museum, Arts, Culture, & Entertainment
- Personnel & Pensions
Task Forces and Commissions
- Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers Task Force
- Commission on Equitable Public University Funding
- Mahomet Aquifer Council
- Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices Final Report Implementation Task Force
- Task Force on Campus Sexual Misconduct Climate Surveys
- Task Force on Higher Education in Prisons
REPARATIONS INITIATIVES
- First Repair National organization supporting state and local reparations initiatives and hosting the National Symposium on State and Local Reparations.
- H.R. 40 Federal bill to establish a commission to study and develop reparations proposals.
- S.40 Senate companion legislation on reparations.
- California Reparations Task Force Report Landmark report and recommendations.
- Evanston Reparations Nation's first publicly funded municipal reparations program.
- New York State Reparations Commission Information on New York's reparations commission.
- Asheville Community Reparations Local reparations initiative.
- TAKIR (The African Kinship and Identity Reconstruction Project) Illinois genealogy initiative that reconnects African descendants with family histories.
SELECTED REPARATIONS GROUPS
- N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America)
- Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM)
- CARICOM Reparations Commission
- National Reparations Network
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
- Learn about reparations efforts in your own community.
- Attend the National Symposium on State and Local Reparations.
- Support state and local reparations legislation.
- Read scholarship on reparative justice and African American history.
- Engage elected officials about reparative policies.
- Support organizations advancing healing, historical truth, and self-determination.
STAY IN TOUCH!
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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Bluesky: @liberationlab_
EPISODE CREDITS
Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams
Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi
Episode Intro/Outro: Helen Neville
Episode Production: Helen Neville and Salman Safir