Created Equal Programs-March 2015

In early March 2015, the Lillie M. Evans Library District will be hosting a series of three programs focusing on the theme, Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.  The programs will be on Tuesdays starting March 3rd and continuing through March 17th, and all programs will be presented at the Princeville Heritage Museum (325 N Ostrom Avenue). Each program will incorporate documentary film clips to encourage community discussion of America’s civil rights history. 

The first in this series will be "Grassroots Activism in America” on Tuesday, March 3rd at 1:30pm at the Museum. Our own Dan Sullivan will lead us in a guided discussion focusing on grassroots activism, and how it continues to be employed today. Dan recently retired from Princeville High School after 30 years as a History Instructor, Coach and Athletic Director and many may recall his passion and knowledge for American history.

On Tuesday, March 10th at 6:30pm, Owen Muelder will present “Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad in Illinois” at the Museum.  He is the author of The Underground Railroad in Western Illinois and the Director of the Galesburg Colony Underground Railroad Freedom Center at Knox College.  Owen will discuss the anti-slavery movement nationally and regionally before focusing on local abolitionists and sites.

The final program of this series will be “Oh Freedom! Songs of the Civil Rights Movement” on Tuesday, March 17th at 6:30pm at the Museum. Award-winning folk singer, Chris Vallillo, will perform essential songs that inspired and sustained participants in the Civil Rights Movement and will discuss the importance of music to this vital chapter in American history. This program is partially supported by an additional grant from the Illinois Arts Council. 

Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is made possible through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  The films provided through the grant include: The Abolitionists, Slavery by Another Name, The Loving Story, Freedom Riders, and Freedom Summer.  All are available at the LME Library.  The goals of the Created Equal grant focus on telling the stories of individuals, creating a deeper understanding of the ways Civil Rights have been obtained, and helping people understand Civil Rights history as central to the American story.

In addition to the Created Equal programs, the LME Library will host a series of video presentations at the Library.  All video presentations are part of the Presidential Primary Source Project, a series of free, fifty-minute, interactive video conferencing programs focusing on human and civil rights themes. The Presidential Primary Source Project is a collaboration between the National Park Service, U.S. Presidential Libraries and Museums, other cultural and historic organizations, and the Internet2 community.  More information about the Presidential Primary Source Project is available at k20.internet2.edu/presidents or on our LME Library website at lmelibrary.org.

All video presentations will be at the LME Library (207 N Walnut Street) on the following dates:

Wednesday, March 4th @ 2pm video presentation at the LME Library
Civil Rights and the Lincoln Memorial: On the 150th Anniversary of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address presented by the National Mall and Memorial Parks.  In honor of the anniversary, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address will be used as a starting point for a conversation about his views and what he hoped for the country with the ending of the Civil War.

Wednesday, March 11th @ 2pm video presentation at the LME Library
Ulysses S. Grant: A President Committed to Civil Rights presented by Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site.  Topics discussed will include Grant’s support of the 15^th Amendment and use of federal troops to quell the Ku Klux Klan in the South.

Wednesday, March 25th @ 2pm video presentation at the LME Library
President William Jefferson Clinton: Civil Rights Lessons from the Cassidy’s presented by President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home Historic Site.  This presentation will include stories of President Clinton’s childhood, influences on his views of race relations, and legislation passed during his tenure in the White House.

Thursday, March 26th @ 10am video presentation at the LME Library
Abraham Lincoln: “Naturally Anti-Slavery” presented by the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.  By demonstrating how Abraham Lincoln’s lifelong view of slavery was shaped by his Kentucky roots, this presentation will include primary sources, activities, and an exploration of Lincoln’s enduring legacy as the “Great Emancipator.”

All programs are free and open to the public.  The Lillie M. Evans Library is one of the 473 institutions across the country awarded the Created Equal films and programming grants.  Please join us in chronicling the history of the civil rights movement with these special programs and events.