Urbana Conference

As a 15-year-old Muslim woman from North Africa, Farida heard the gospel from a nurse, who then invited her to a two-day youth camp. At first, Farida rejected the gospel. Despite having immigrated to Paris with her family at a young age, she saw her identity fully as a North African and a Muslim…

Michelle Higgins’s talk last night was powerful and challenging. For many of us who are on campus and who are familiar with the Black Lives Matter movement, the concepts she shared with us are familiar. Others of us may be feeling challenged in ways that are uncomfortable. She said some hard things.

Since 1946, Urbana has changed the way students see the world, God’s mission, and their own part in it. But, Urbana also has a history of changing people’s perceptions of the “other”—whether that’s a neighbor, an Urbana roommate, or a people group around the world—especially those of different ethnicities.