Kennedy Williams is a big fan of feature writing. She loves collecting facts and reporting for News3, the student-run TV station at Western Illinois University. In her Fall 2021 BC&J 330 (Magazine and Feature Writing) class, however, she went beyond facts to create something not only truthful but also beautiful. By combining her journalistic skills with various literary techniques, she was able to tell a wide range of emotional and compelling narratives. Narratives that give readers a strong sense of being there. Narratives that make people laugh, cry or amused. Narratives that allow readers to re-experience a dramatic moment in an average citizen’s life. I count on her to get the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. Enjoy her stories below and offer your comments!
By Kennedy Williams
It will be two years on March 10, 2022, and it still doesn’t feel real.
He was the man who traveled to Chicago to walk me to school on the first day. He was the man who took me to the mall to buy me all the gym shoes I desired. He was the man who gave up his bed whenever I came to visit because I was scared to sleep in the guest room alone. He was the man who watched reality shows with me, even if a football game was on. He was the man who gave me speeches about the importance of managing money. He was the man who loved to spend time with me. He was the man who loved me for me. He was the man who never judged me.
Papa is what I call him, but his actions resembled those of Superman, which is why I believed that he was invincible.
It was March 8, 2020, and I slept in till 4 p.m. because it was Spring Break. As soon as I woke up, I heard my step dad yelling, “Bandy, come downstairs!” I was starving, so I rushed downstairs because I thought he ordered some food for me.
I was wrong. My step dad was sitting at the kitchen table with a distraught look on his face. A few seconds later, he said, “Bandy, we have to go to Missouri tomorrow to be with your mom. The doctors are saying that papa only has a few days to live, and we both agree that it is important for you to witness his passing.”
In 2014, my papa’s oncologist informed him that he would only live another year, so when my step dad told me that the doctors were saying that papa had a few days to live, I didn’t believe it. In my eyes, there was absolutely nothing that my papa could not overcome.
At 9:30 p.m. on March 9, 2020, I walked into my papa’s room on the hospice floor at the Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo. My papa was breathing, but it looked like every breath he took was a struggle. He laid in the hospital bed with his mouth wide open, and every time he took a breath, he made a loud grunting sound.
As I witnessed my papa’s struggles, it became apparent that the doctors were right this time. My papa was transitioning into the afterlife. My mom, whose eyes were red from crying, hugged me and said, “The last thing that someone loses when they are dying is their hearing. If you talk to him, he will be able to hear you. He just cannot respond.”
Following my mom’s words, I pulled up a chair to my papa’s bedside, held his hand, and said the only words I could think of at that moment, “Papa, I love you deeply… Thanks for the 18 years we shared. You are and always will be the greatest man ever.”
A few hours later, at 12:55 a.m. on March 10, 2020, my papa passed away while we were hand in hand.
By Kennedy Williams
[Editor’s note: This is an expanded version of the first-person feature story.]
It will be two years on March 10, 2022, and it still doesn’t feel real.
He was the man who traveled to Chicago to walk me to school on the first day. He was the man who took me to the mall to buy me all the gym shoes I desired. He was the man who made me a chess pie, barbecue ribs, and chicken wings whenever I asked. He was the man who always had my favorite snacks in the kitchen pantry whenever I visited. He was the man who gave up his bed whenever I visited because I was scared to sleep in the guest room alone. He was the man who watched reality shows with me, even if a football or basketball game was on. He was the man who gave me speeches about the importance of managing money. He was the man who made sure that I knew the importance of having a strong relationship with God. He was the man who always checked on me. He was the man who loved to spend time with me. He was the man who would do anything in his power to make sure I was happy. He was the man who loved me for me. He was the man who never judged me. He was the man who always told me he was proud of me, even if I wasn’t proud of myself.
Papa is what I call him, but his actions resembled those of Superman, which is why I believed that he was invincible.
It was March 8, 2020, and I slept in till 4 p.m. because it was Spring Break. As soon as I woke up, I heard my step dad yelling, “Bandy, come downstairs!” I was starving, so I rushed downstairs because I thought he ordered some pizza, chicken wings, fries, or a gyro for me.
I was wrong. My step dad was sitting at the brown kitchen table with a distraught look on his face. A few seconds later, he said, “Bandy, we have to go to Missouri tomorrow to be with your mom. The doctors are saying that papa only has a few days to live, and we both agree that it is important for you to witness his passing.”
In 2014, my papa’s oncologist informed him that he would only live another year, so when my step dad told me that the doctors were saying that papa had a few days to live, I didn’t believe it. In my eyes, there was absolutely nothing that my papa could not overcome.
Although I believed that there was nothing that my papa could not overcome, after hearing the horrific news about him, I could not help but think about my favorite memories of us as I packed to leave for Missouri the next day.
One of the memories that went through my mind was from Thanksgiving night 2013. Papa and I were at my Uncle Bo’s party room in downtown Chicago watching a football game together. Unexpectedly, my papa said, “Hey baby, look at that pool table over there. You might be able to beat me in basketball, but you definitely won’t be able to beat me in pool. Let’s go play so I can beat you.” I said, “Papa, I definitely will be able to beat you. You know that you are too old.” A few minutes later, we began to play pool and he was beating me by several points. I am very competitive, so I started cheating by putting the billiard balls in the holes. Papa let me do it a few times before saying, “Nope, those points don’t count because you are cheating.” After saying that, he taught me the correct way to play by standing behind me, placing his hand on top of mine, and guiding my hand, so I hit the billiard balls in the right direction. He helped me a few times. Then, I said, “Papa, I got it now and I can beat you.” We played a few more times and I won. Even now, I believe that he let me win because he did not want to see big light blue teardrops coming down from my eyes.
After I finished packing, my step dad and I headed to Columbia, Mo. on the Amtrak. During the train ride, several thoughts were going through my mind, such as, “What if this is the last time I will see my papa in his physical form?” Each time I had a thought that was similar to that, I tried to erase it from my mind, because my papa always said, “God has the final say and he is the ultimate healer in the sick room.”
At 9:30 p.m. on March 9, 2020, I walked into my papa’s room on the hospice floor at the Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo. My papa was breathing, but it looked like every breath he took was a struggle. He laid in the hospital bed with his mouth wide open, a feeding tube in his nose, two clear chords below his chin, one clear chord below his nose, and every time he took a breath, he made a loud grunting sound.
A few minutes later, at 9:45 p.m. on March 9, 2020, my papa’s primary doctor walked into the hospice room. My papa’s doctor was a tall white man, who wore a white button-up shirt with khaki pants. He stared at my papa for a while and said, “Well, we know that he is dying, and to be honest, if we keep the feeding tube in his nose, he will be in unnecessary pain and discomfort because his body will expand. His organs have failed, and he is not able to digest anything. Therefore, the best option is to remove the feeding tube from his nose, so he can pass away peacefully.” My mom, who shares a close relationship with papa, walked to his bedside, touched his head, looked at the doctor, and slowly said, “Go ahead and remove it. I don’t want my daddy to be in pain,” while tears came down from her eyes. After my mom’s approval, the doctor slowly removed the feeding tube from my papa’s nose.
As I witnessed my papa’s struggles, it became apparent that his doctor was right this time. My papa was transitioning into the afterlife. My mom, whose eyes were red from crying, hugged me tightly and said, “The last thing that someone loses when they are dying is their hearing. If you talk to him, he will be able to hear you. He just canot respond.”
Following my mom’s words, I pulled up a chair to my papa’s bedside, held his hand with my left hand, while rubbing his forehead with my right hand, and said the only words I could think of at that moment, “Papa, I love you deeply… Thanks for the 18 years we shared. You are and always will be the greatest man ever.” A few hours later, at 12:55 a.m. on March 10, 2020, my papa passed away after opening his eyes for the final time while we were hand in hand.
By Kennedy Williams
Imagine a man or a woman, any age, arriving home from work, excited to see their spouse. Then, their spouse walks up to them, angrily and punches them in the face so hard that they fall to the ground. The punch causes blood to gush from their face. As tears come down from their eyes and blood gushes from their face, they look at their spouse and say, “You are so lucky that I do not have the proper resources and confidence to leave you.”
Therefore, thirty-five years ago, The Western Illinois Regional Council Community Action Agency Victim Services’ was established with a mission to help victims of abuse gain confidence and turn them into survivors, according to WIRC-CAA Victim Services public relations manager Jamie Roth.
“Domestic violence can happen to anyone and we want to emphasize to survivors that the abuse is never their fault,” Roth said, in Victim Services’ undisclosed location in Macomb. Victim Services provides free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Besides the free counseling, they also provide medical advocacy and legal advocacy.
According to ncadv.org, Domestic Violence Awareness Month was launched nationwide in October 1987 as a way to connect and unite individuals and organizations working on domestic violence issues while raising awareness for those issues, and during October, Roth hopes that individuals know Domestic Violence is a common crime in Western Illinois.
Since January of this year, Victim Services has received over 1,400 calls on their hotline just for domestic violence. Depending on what the situation is, homelessness is a big concern, finances, the abuser following you, or stalking you. It’s very difficult for survivors to leave abusive situations.
That is where planning comes into play, and Victim services helps survivors form a safety plan, Roth said in a room full of donated clothes for people in need.
“Form a safety plan or think about a safety plan if you are in a situation where you want to leave a domestic violence situation. A safety plan, for people who don’t know, would be things that you would need whenever you leave the situation,” Roth said, while nodding her head in a pink blouse with flowers on it. “Some of those things may include medications, your social security card, your vaccination card, a good contact person, and a change of clothes.”
Roth encourages anyone that is in an emotionally or physically abusive situation to reach out to Victim Services at 309-837-5555.
“Just know that if you are going through this situation you are not alone. We are here to support you,” said Jamie Roth, passionately.
By Kennedy Williams
It started as a normal Tuesday morning for a college student who headed to his apartment complex on the train from Georgetown University. A few minutes later, things quickly changed as he looked across the Potomac River and witnessed the unthinkable; red and black flames bellowing up from the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and loud alarm sirens. He quickly looked away and covered his ears because he thought it was a terrible nightmare.
However, it was a harsh reality. Western Illinois University Associate Professor of Political Science Gregory Baldi was witnessing the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that changed the nation forever as hijackers flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City at approximately 9:03 in the morning, one into the West Side of the Pentagon military headquarters in Washington, D.C. at 9:37 in the morning, and another into a field in Pennsylvania at 10:03 in the morning. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and left behind painful memories.
“It seemed like something that was just outside of anything that you could imagine,” Baldi said in a Morgan Hall conference room on WIU’s campus, while gathering his words emotionally.
Baldi still remembers, 20 years later, the shockwaves and great sorrow that the terrorist attacks caused the nation.
“Very vivid memory, that’s a day that will never be forgotten, and the people that the United States lost will never be forgotten,” Baldi said in a low tone while squinting his eyes.
Baldi, dressed in a blue button-up shirt and beige khaki pants, recalled that a persistent fear or dread continued after the attacks, but also a spirit of great solidarity emerged, which he said encouraged the country to unite.
“That part of it was hopeful,” Baldi said while nodding his head with a sense of pride.
By Kennedy Williams
Fifty-three years ago, America watched the 1968 Olympics Medal Ceremony in disbelief as two black athletes raised their fists in salute of black power while the Star-Spangled Banner played.
According to History.com, it was an iconic image taken after the 200-meter race in Mexico City that put Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the center of a roiling controversy over their raised fist salute and the human rights movement at large.
In Smith’s words, the gesture was “a cry for freedom and human rights,” adding, “We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard,” according to history.com.
Today, athletes are still at the center of the human rights movement amid the fight for America to live up to its creed. Most notably is former NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
“When I feel like that flag represents what it is supposed to represent and this country is representing people the way it is supposed to, I’ll stand,” Kaepernick said convincingly, after receiving criticism for kneeling during the National Anthem.
McDonough County NAACP President Byron Oden-Shabazz supports athletes fighting for social justice issues as he believes that current movements surrounding racism start with athletes.
“Today and in the past, they give voice to when the rest of America says we came to see you play. We didn’t come to hear you; we came to see you. Well, they changed that. It’s like you can keep your fingers in your ears, but this sound I’m going to make is going to be loud enough that it is going to penetrate,” Oden-Shabazz said passionately while banging his right hand into his left palm, to illustrate that athletes will put up a fight to be heard.
Oden-Shabazz said he believes that meaningful conversations with people in power to get the conversation about race, diversity, and inclusion on the table will promote equality and equity in America, adding that everyone must step up and do their part.
“Stop being afraid,” Shabazz said succinctly.
By Kennedy Williams
Imagine a Western Illinois University student arguing with his roommate at 7 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2020. Then, a few hours later, the student becomes outraged and pulls out a 9mm pistol from a backpack and shoots his roommate in the leg, causing his roommate to fall to the ground. As his roommate lays on the ground in pain, he stands over him and shoots him four more times in the abdomen.
Now, imagine another WIU student who is up late doing their homework and listening to music, receiving a text message that says a shooting occurred at Thompson Hall on their college campus. The student’s heart begins to beat fast because they are worried about their safety.
Therefore, the WIU Office of Public Safety works to ensure that WIU students are safe as they go about their school day and as they return to their respective residence halls to make sure that a school shooting on WIU’s campus doesn’t occur again.
“This campus is supposed to feel like home,” OPS Director Derek Watts said, wearing a blue police uniform.
Furthermore, Watts offered some safety tips students can follow. He said students should be aware of their surroundings when walking across campus.
“If somebody makes you feel uneasy, maybe look at that person a little bit more, so you can identify them if something were to happen,” Watts said. ”Put your cellphone in your pocket, your purse, or your backpack, and that way you can pay attention to what’s going on around you.”
Second, Watts said that when students walk across campus at night, they should wear bright-colored clothing and always walk on the sidewalk.
Third, students should never walk alone on campus and always walk in groups.
“If somebody were to look for a victim, they would probably look for somebody that’s by themselves and not paying attention to anything around them,” Watts said in a Mowbray Hall office.
Fourth, students should always lock their doors when they leave the residence halls, even when they are visiting a friend or going to the restroom.
Lastly, students should follow the school’s guest policy and report any problems to residence hall staff.
“If you know somebody on your floor is having a guest, that’s maybe causing trouble with other people, let your resident assistant know,” Watts said. “If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them, come to the police.”
By Kennedy Williams
To be or not to be, that is a question for Hamlet. To get COVID-19 vaccinations or not, that is a question for many Western Illinois University students.
Gov. JB Pritzker’s new COVID-19 mandate requires vaccination or weekly testing for teachers and college students in Illinois, causing Western Illinois University students to have mixed emotions.
As of Sept. 24, 2021, WIU students have several reasons as to why they want to get the vaccine and why they don’t. According to Beu Health Center Director John Smith, 3,482 people on campus are vaccinated, while 3,425 people are required to test weekly.
Freshman Haley Washburn said she hasn’t focused on the vaccine, but from what she has read, she is not convinced that she needs it.
“I have read stuff about [vaccination- caused] infertility in the future and I don’t want to take that risk right now,” Washburn said in an interview outside the University Union.
Washburn joins other students like junior Aliyah Cobb, who said at first, she was hopeful that the vaccine would save lives, but then after reading on social media that it was taking lives, she began to second guess it.
“I’m scared that something will happen to me,” Cobb said passionately while squinting her eyes.
However, junior and music therapy major Lily Fisher said it was important to get the vaccine to protect others.
“I have older parents, so I was really worried about them getting sick, so I was like if I protect myself, they would also be protected,” Fisher said, smiling.
The university is urging students to get the vaccine. Beu Health Center Director John Smith said administrators are sending warning letters to unvaccinated students who are not complying with the weekly testing mandate, but he does understand that some students may have doubts about receiving the vaccine.
“There’s always an inherent risk with any vaccine, so I do understand why some people have hesitancy,” Smith said in a socially distanced interview at the University’s COVID-19 testing center.
Despite the possible risks of the vaccine, Smith believes the vaccine, along with wearing a mask and social distancing, is the most effective way for people to be protected from COVID-19.
“We have more data on this vaccine than 80 percent of the other vaccines that are out there,” Smith said while wearing a white medical face mask.
By Kennedy Williams
It was the afternoon of May 13, 2013, when a young girl was picked up early from school on the Southside of Chicago.
She walked to her mothers’ car quickly with the belief that her mother was going to take her to the nearby shopping mall. However, she was wrong. As soon as she got into the car, her mother informed her that her grandfather, the “rock” of the family, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Leukemia.
The news devastated Western Illinois University Junior and Social Work major, Krystal Thomas, and her family.
Nevertheless, though Thomas’ grandfather, Augustus Suah Siki, a bald head, light skin man who had a smile that could light up in any room, was having trouble walking and losing weight, his genuine heart remained the same.
“He was so weak that my nanny had to hold him up, but regardless of what he was going through, he never let us feel that he was down by always reassuring us that everything is okay,” Thomas said in her home while wiping tears from her eyes. “His biggest concern was us, such a strong gentle giant with a good soul.”
After an 11-month battle, Thomas’ grandfather died on April 26, 2014, in the family home.
Today, to honor her grandfather, Thomas wears a certain color and cooks a certain dish.
“Orange is not only leukemia, orange is him because he was such a bright person, when you see it, it catches your eye and he did that,” Thomas said while she wore an orange hoodie and a necklace of her grandfather.
“When I make red gravy, I feel like I’m making him proud,” Thomas said, smiling. “I know that would have been a bonding moment, showing me how to make a dish from his hometown, whenever he made it, it was always good, ten out of ten,” Thomas said as she recalled memories of her grandfather.
Still, Thomas said she believes that her grandfather put up a strong fight against Leukemia.
“Heaven couldn’t wait to meet him, but he beat cancer in my opinion,” Thomas said, nodding her head assertively. “He fought a long hard fight.”
Reports from Western Illinois (西伊故事) 