By Steven McRae — Ranked No. 11 in his age bracket for Illinois basketball, Jamonte Williams has dreams bigger than just playing in the NBA. He is an honor roll student, helps his mom Sheena Williams around the house and even helps his little brother on the court. Jamonte’s mother raises her two sons as a single parent, while also managing life with sickle cell anemia. Knowing the short life expectancy of someone with sickle cell anemia, Sheena has family support to help love and care for Jamonte. While the limelight shines bright on Jamonte, he remains humble and helpful in Bristol Place.

This project is the culmination of 15 University of Illinois students’ work during fall 2012 as part of the multimedia reporting course taught by Professor Charles “Stretch” Ledford. The students followed their subjects and reported on their lives throughout the Champaign’s decision-making about the fate of the Bristol Place neighborhood. The students did not aim to include this in their reporting, however. They simply wanted to tell the tales of the neighborhood’s residents. To read more, visit Bristol Place Speaks.