If you need a little inspiration this week, CU is providing! I'm feeling very uplifted seeing folks paying more attention to our local government with this Flock stuff and seeing unionization efforts from our friends over at The Lit. This is people power in action! Everyone unionize your workplace and go to welcoming week events and have fun <3.

News to Know

• Champaign County uses cannabis tax money to fund Flock cameras (Smile Politely): Diabolical honestly. This spells it out pretty well, but yeah to take cannabis taxes of all things for this feels especially dark-sided. 
•  Workers at The Literary are hopeful unionization and new ownership will bring positive changes (Illinois Public Media): Love seeing unionization in a local coffee shop! I think a lot of the media on this unionization is following this as a part of bookstore unionization efforts throughout the country, but for me it is so connected to the coffee shop unionization movement. You don't get a story like this without the Starbucks unionization efforts, and even the unionization of Collectivo coffee shops in Chicago. In any case, I hope more coffee shops in CU unionize, because as someone who worked as a barista for half a decade, this town desperately needs it. The conditions at most places are not good for workers or consumers. 
• Jose Vazquez, Welcoming Week unite to support immigrant communities (Daily Illini): A great highlight of one of the many features of CU's Welcoming Weeks! From 9/9 - 9/19 Champaign, Urbana, and Rantoul will be celebrating our immigrant population with events and performances. You can check out the full schedule here. 

Lavender Vibes

• Champaign City Council Recap - 9/8/26 (by meeee): Okay self plug, I'm doing recaps of the Champaign City Council meetings, and I'm doing other meetings on request, so gimme a follow <3

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