A team of collaborators at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work and Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) has received one of nearly 200 Healing Illinois subgrants to foster racial and community healing statewide. Healing Illinois is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services in partnership with Field Foundation of Illinois and United Way of Champaign County.
Dr. Kevin Tan, Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the School of Social Work and IHSI affiliate, will serve as principal investigator for the project, working closely with Dr. Celina Trujillo, Research Development Manager for Community-Academic Partnerships at IHSI, and Amy Frederick, Associate Director for Professional Development at the School of Social Work. Dr. Tan has led multiple Healing Illinois initiatives, and he also developed and leads the Learning Our History Initiative, a university-community collaboration that offers educational sessions exploring local history and place-based narratives.
The funded project, “Teaching Our Shared Past: Healing and Education through the Learning Our History Initiative,” aims to foster racial healing through relationship building, dialogue, and shared reflection. Starting in February 2026, bus tours led by community partners, including members of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail, will bring participants to sites around Champaign County that tell the stories of Black families, educators, and leaders who helped shape the region, as well as spaces affected by redlining, urban renewal, and gentrification. Tours will conclude with dialogue at various local Black-owned restaurants.
“Ultimately, this project seeks to restore historical understanding as a foundation for equity and partnership,” said Dr. Tan. “It invites the university community to confront erasures, honor the resilience of marginalized voices, and reimagine its role as an institution that learns with—not merely about—the communities it serves.”
Amy Frederick has been coordinating local history tours through the School of Social Work over the past year.
“Although I was born and raised in Urbana, this experience has provided me with a new perspective on the lived experiences of our communities affected by historical and racial injustices,” she said. “I feel deeply honored to help amplify this knowledge, and feel especially privileged to work alongside a team who is devoted to community healing in the place I call home.”
Public webinars and professional development sessions throughout the spring will create additional learning opportunities. The first session, “Learning Our Shared Past: Reflections on Why History Matters for Understanding Champaign-Urbana and Beyond” will be held Feb. 6, 2026, from noon – 1 p.m. The session will be moderated by Dr. Tan and feature Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason and Angela Rivers, Co-Chairs of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. They will discuss racial healing, identity, place, and how history can be integrated into education and community life.
“The significance of our local history lies in the reality that so many members of the community are not aware of it,” says Dr. Suggs-Mason, in a recent story about the local history tours offered through the School of Social Work in collaboration with the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. “Part of the legacy of Carter G. Woodson is that he believed in advancing the history of ordinary people who made extraordinary change. Think of Frederick Douglass and his ‘Self-Made Men’ speech—he reminded us that greatness is not inherited but forged through struggle and resilience. Our objective is not to live in the past, but to learn from it to better build for the future. Many of the men and women who shaped our local community have made lasting contributions. And while many of their descendants still live and work here, others have moved throughout the diaspora and continue to have national and even international impact. A significant consequence of living in this community is that there are deep ties to the university. It’s important for our university community to understand and honor that legacy—and carry it forward.”
Another session on understanding why history matters for research is planned for March 27, 2026, as part of the Community-Engaged Research Series.
“Dr. Tan is a long-time IHSI collaborator, and this project exemplifies how we strive to approach community engagement at IHSI – learning from the wisdom of the community and working together under shared understanding and goals,” said Dr. Trujillo.
Ultimately, the team hopes that those who participate in the bus tours and webinars learn to recognize that the local streets, neighborhoods, and landmarks hold stories of resilience, resistance, and renewal. By strengthening Illinois’s capacity to teach local history to students, they aim to cultivate a generation of educators and practitioners dedicated to racial healing, civic engagement, and community transformation.
The Family Resiliency Center (FRC) at Illinois also received a Healing Illinois subgrant to encourage healing through video storytelling. Learn more about the project on the FRC website.
Since 2020, Healing Illinois has invested in community-led efforts to address racial inequities across the state. Managed in partnership by the Field Foundation and the Illinois Department of Human Services. For the fourth cycle, the initiative distributed grants to nearly 200 nonprofit organizations supporting racial healing events and projects taking place from January through June 2026.