Community Trailblazers: African Americans and the Arts

Music, art, and writing can be powerful mediums to convey creative imagination or send a political or social message. Artistic expressions are essential for cultural exchange, community expression, and even social critique. Moreover, the stories behind them help reveal the demographic changes that have transformed blackness's social, cultural, and political significance in the United States. In this discussion, we will look at the lives of African American artists from central Illinois. Every Thursday at 1 pm (CST), we highlight #communitytrailblazers from the African American community of central Illinois for February. Programs will cover the struggle for freedom in a free state, the fight to be remembered in Illinois' history books, individuals who created beautiful art, and the battle to desegregate Lincoln's hometown. Join our director as she discusses iconic trailblazers and how their stories display resilience. The Sangamon Experience produces the program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. It will Livestream on the Sangamon Experience's Facebook page and YouTube Channel.