[Pnews] Right Wing Media Attacks Cost James Kilgore his job - Sign petition

[Prisoner News]

Dear friends,

Please take a minute to read the story about James Kilgore, a respected 
scholar and formerly incarcerated person, being dismissed from the 
University of Illinois, and add your name to a letter of support asking 
for his job to be reinstated. This is the national petition endorsed by 
James.

Friends of James Kilgore

Link to 
petition:https://www.change.org/petitions/phyllis-wise-chancellor-university-of-illinois-restore-james-kilgore-s-employment-status

*The Story*

James Kilgore is a respected researcher, writer, educator and criminal 
justice activist.  For the past three years he has worked at the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as a temporary faculty 
member, teaching classes in Global Studies, Urban Planning and the 
College of Fine and Applied Arts. Student evaluations of his work have 
been overwhelmingly positive, landing him on the University’s Excellent 
Teacher list in 2013. Each of his supervisors has given him glowing 
performance reviews and they had plans to employ him in the 2014-15 
academic year. He has been open about having felony convictions 
resulting from political activities in the 1970s and about having served 
six years in prison

On February 9th 
<http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-02-09/jim-dey-plain-sight.html>, 
16th 
<http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2014-02-16/john-foreman-kilgores-status-leaves-unanswered-questions.html>, 
and 23rd 
<http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/guest-commentary/2014-02-23/it-appears-little-has-changed-ex-sla-terrorist.html> 
of this year, the local paper, the /News-Gazette,/ published attack 
pieces on James, highlighting his criminal background, political 
activities of the 1970s and questioning UIUC for hiring a person with 
such a history.  The articles also pointed to his work in opposing the 
construction of a new jail.  On March 22^nd UIUC spokesperson Robin 
Kaler told the /Chicago Sun-Times/ James was doing a “great job” and 
that he was a “good example of someone who has been rehabilitated.” *On 
April 9, the University Provost, in a private meeting, informed James 
Kilgore that the university would not approve any future contracts to 
employ him and declined to give him any explanation whatsoever* as to 
why, how and by whom this decision had been made.

This decision poses a serious threat to academic freedom and to 
employment opportunities for the 15 million Americans with felony 
convictions. This must be reversed before we have further attacks on 
university employees based on their criminal background, their political 
views, race, immigration status or gender identity. Sign the petition to 
get James his job back. Link to 
petition:https://www.change.org/petitions/phyllis-wise-chancellor-university-of-illinois-restore-james-kilgore-s-employment-status  
(same as link above)

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