Race In The Rock River Valley

It's time to talk about racism.

WNIJ and the Rockford Register Star have committed to a year-long occasional project "Race in the Rock River Valley." We'll take a look at a wide variety of issues regarding race in our region, dig out and analyze statistics, talk to people who are affected, and most importantly, listen.

WNIJ News

Race In The Rock River Valley: First We Talk, Then What?

Susan Stephens

About 100 people packed a meeting room this weekend at Midway Village Museum in Rockford to talk about the realities of racism in their community. It’s…
WNIJ News

Race In The Rock River Valley: Black And Blue

Susan Stephens

Assembling a police force that “looks like the community” is an important goal for many American cities. But it can be a slow process. 11% of Rockford’s…
Business

Race In The Rock River Valley: Why The Employment Disparity?

Susan Stephens

Unemployment rates in Rockford tend to be among the highest in northern Illinois. For African Americans, that rate is nearly double.WNIJ’s Susan Stephens…
WNIJ News

Race In The Rock River Valley: Death By A Thousand Microaggressions

Susan Stephens

Overt racism is usually pretty easy to spot. But there’s another less-obvious type of racist behavior that can also hurt. WNIJ and the Rockford Register…
Illinois

Race In The Rock River Valley: Time To Talk

Susan Stephens

This weekend, the Rockford Register Star -- in partnership with WNIJ News -- kicks off a year-long series on race in the Rock River Valley. WNIJ’s Susan…