Visions of Justice: Decatur

Alex Miller is a Professor in the School of Theatre and Dance at Millikin University and the founder and Executive Director of Shakespeare Corrected.

Reverend Courtney Carson is the Executive Director of External Affairs at Richland Community College, Associate Minister at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, and a member of the Decatur Public School Board, the same school board that expelled him as a student upon his arrest in 1999 as part of the Decatur 7 case.

Antonio L. Burton, also known as “Toni Picasso,” is a native of Decatur, IL, who currently works for the Boys and Girls Club of Decatur, and who is one of Envisioning Justice’s 2021 commissioned artists and humanists. His faith in Jesus Christ has fueled his fluent gift in all arts, mediums, and skills. In 2012, Antonio earned a bachelor’s in 2-D Design with an emphasis in painting from Eastern Illinois University. Since then he has hit the ground running laying a foundation in his field of study as a freelance artist in both Illinois and Missouri. Antonio’s hope is to paint into the heart of others a new color of life that will not only inspire others but impact communities using the gifts God has given him.

Alison Jim is an artist based in Chicago, IL. After graduating high school, she became an instructor, choreographer, and director for a hip-hop company based in Miami, FL while working in music videos, and later relocated to Los Angeles, CA to pursue acting. A graduate of the Shakespeare Corrected program, Alison choreographed for The Tempest at Decatur Correctional Center and performed in SC’s first Chicago production. She has twice entertained on the Millikin University main stage, her last performance being They’re Just Chains, an autobiographical collaborative piece featuring Millikin students.

A veteran of the Shakespeare Corrected program, Bibiana Enrriquez participated in five productions and played pivotal roles in The Tempest, Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Much Ado About Nothing. In addition to her work as a performer, she was instrumental mentoring new participants while collaborating with Millikin students on the curriculum and structure of the Shakespeare Corrected program. Ms. Enrriquez is currently living a newly blessed life with her two wonderfully energetic children – ages 1 and 2.

VAM STUDIO is an award-winning production company and film collective behind some of the most disruptive narratives, commercials, and branded content in culture today. VAM is an unapologetic, diverse team of filmmakers working from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and disciplines while standing out on a global scale.

The VAM STUDIO team includes filmmakers and writers Sam Bailey, Fatimah Asghar, Jordan Phelps and founder Vincent Martell.

Black owned.

Meredith Nnoka, the Envisioning Justice Fellow at Illinois Humanities, is a Chicago-based writer, educator, and social justice advocate originally from Southern Maryland. She studied the intersecting histories of Black expressive arts and social movements at Smith College for her BA and later the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her MA, where she first considered the questions now central to her work: What is the power in bearing witness, and how can controlling our own narratives be used toward liberation?