Protection, sex, race and more are all reasons that women and minority communities have crossed over into the world of guns. The growing diversity of American gun ownership defies the idea of the typical gun owner. 

At a gun range in the suburbs of Chicago Seth M. shows me an AR, or Armalite Rifle, that’s become infamous as a tool for mass shootings.

Susan Stone, also known as the Dance of Life Dancer, lives in a white trailer with light pink trimmings to the side of the highway on the edge of Lenzburg Illinois, a rural town with a population of 600. She drives a bright pink car with lime green wheels and wears carefully crafted costumes and tutus to dance at the local park, her goal is to spread hope and positivity to the world and her community. 

With the end of the semester approaching, the Daily Egyptian photo staff reflect on and highlight some of the best images from the Spring 2021 semester.

The Carbondale Women's Center hosted the Take Back the Night vigil to raise awareness of sexual violence.

Marion High School has put track coach Sara Baker on “administrative leave” as  students, parents and other members of the community gathered at the high school to protest a racial comment the coach made to a Black member of the team.

William Russell, a 61 year old Jamaican immigrant, has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since July, 2020.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty an all three counts in the death of George Floyd last summer in Minneapolis, Minn. April 20, 2021. 

Governor Pritzker activated 125 Illinois National Guard members to assist Chicago Police in case of protests due to the Derek Chauvin trial and the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo at the hands of police.

The International Festival has many events, one of which is a talent show featuring SIU’s most talented international students. This year, the event was held virtually Friday, April 9, 2021, allowing students to submit their entries by video or perform them live on Zoom. The range of talent was vast. So was the diversity of participants who came from countries in Latin America to Bangladesh to China. 

Illinois is on a vaccination spree as the number of vaccine doses administered continue to grow every day. According to a Tweet from the Illinois Department of Public Health, over 7 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Illinois.

Collaborating with Disney, DC Comics, the NFL and BTS to make fan-favorite merchandise might sound like a dream to some, but for Funko president Andrew Perlmutter, it's all in a day's work.