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38 Miles North and South of Chicago Exhibit is On Display Until March 1 in Joliet

Joliet Area Historical Museum visitors can view a comparative look at the African American history of Joliet and Lake Forest through March 1 with the exhibit “38 Miles North and South of Chicago.” Both communities began in the mid-1800s and were served by strong, self-supporting organizations, led from within the Black community.

and The º£½ÇÉçÇø History Center collaborated to tell the important stories with the help of several partners (Second Baptist Church, Mount Zion Baptist Church, the National Hook-up of Black Women Joliet Inc., and Warren-Sharpe Community Center); generous grantors (Illinois Humanities, the Grainger Foundation, the American Historical Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities), and student researchers from º£½ÇÉçÇø and Lake Forest College. 

“Joliet and Lake Forest have been home to African Americans since before the cities’ formal incorporations. Despite these deep-rooted histories, the Black communities have often been on the periphery of historical narrative,” Dr. Dennis Cremin, director of The º£½ÇÉçÇø History Center, commented.

"‘38 Miles North and South’” seeks to address this exclusion by highlighting the contributions of African Americans to the region's diversity,” Morgan Jennings, º£½ÇÉçÇø History alumna and former grant student coordinator, added. The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation partially funded the exhibit through its “Broadening Narratives" initiative.

These joint exhibits showcase the troubling history involved in the practices of disenfranchisement and systematic racism. Yet, they conclude with a story of resilience and community.

The shared exhibition will be displayed at the Joliet Area Historical Museum from January 12 through March 1 in honor of Black History Month. Admission is free on Martin Luther King Day, January 15. Visit for museum hours and more information.

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