On the evening of Tuesday, February 4th, a number of community members and community leaders spoke at the Champaign City Council meeting in response to comments and actions made by Council Member Davion Williams. A full recording of the meeting can be viewed here.
Our Executive Director's statement at public input can be read below:
Statement for Public Input – City Council Meeting
On May 9th, 2024, I called the number listed on the Champaign City Council website to request a meeting.
On May 13th, 2024, I followed up with an email, requesting to meet with all of the Jewish institutions in our community.
On December 24th, 2025, I emailed an invitation to continue our conversation. I have yet to receive any response.
Last week, we honored International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. That same week, I received a phone call informing me that, City Council Member Williams, posted a swastika on your Facebook page.
The swastika—the symbol of the Nazi regime—represents a government that systematically dehumanized, incarcerated, and orchestrated the brutal mass murder of 6 million Jews and 5 million others. To be clear, a government official, evoked a symbol used by a government that perpetrated the largest mass genocide against the Jewish people, killing 11 million in total. This occurred just one month after our meeting.
On December 23rd, I met with CM Williams—facilitated by Mayor Feinen—to break down the extreme harm and deeply antisemitic tropes invoked by CM Williams statement during the City Council in December. I approached that conversation with kindness and the assumption of ignorance. We gave space to process the materials we provided and requested continued dialogue to ensure understanding and accountability.
However, CM Williams' response was deeply disappointing, offering a weak excuse for an apology and failing to follow through on any commitments.
In the statement CM released today, he claims, “I will engage with Jewish leaders.” Yet CM Williams has not responded to a single outreach from the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation. Nor made any effort to engage in dialogue with any Jewish leadership in this community.
There are four established Jewish institutions in this town and eight Rabbis, representing a diversity of perspectives and voices. None of us have heard from CM Williams.
I am baffled by the hollow words and, at this point, have zero trust in CM Williams ability to engage in this process honestly or in good faith.
For eight months now, the Jewish community in this town has been subjected to regular attacks during public comment at these meetings. A minority in your community has been systematically diminished—our history falsely rewritten, and our identities slandered.
Not only have City Council Member Williams stood by while these attacks occurred, but have also used the position to elevate dangerous rhetoric, including blood libel, antisemitic tropes, and Nazi imagery. These are not just symbols or words—they are the tools used to justify the extreme persecution and genocide of Jewish people for thousands of years.
I would like to express my gratitude to the City Council members who immediately reached out following the statements made in December, as well as those who proactively met with members of the Jewish and Israeli community last year to understand their reactions. Those of CM who have not yet responded to our requests to meet, I urge you now to reach out.
The Jewish community deserves better. Our voices matter, and our experiences must not be dismissed or ignored.
City Council Member Williams, I call on you to resign from your position. Furthermore, I encourage CM Williams to walk through my door, engage with the Jewish community, and truly learn about the people you claim to serve.