Political Moses: The Story of John J. Bird, A Long-Forgotten Civil Rights Leader in Illinois

Join the Champaign County History Museum this month as we welcome the Director Emeritus of the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, Wayne Pitard, to discuss his research for his most recent book: Watchman Tell Us: John J. Bird and Black Politics in Post-Civil War Illinois. John J. Bird (1844-1912), though long forgotten, was one of the most important civil rights leaders of Post-Civil War Illinois. As head of the state's second-largest Black community, located in the city of Cairo, during the 1860s-80s, Bird oversaw the establishment of the city's Black Republican wing that provided the community with unprecedented political influence within this hostile, majority-white town. Bird rose to prominence across Illinois in 1873 when he became the first African American to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, a position he held for nine years. Also in 1873, he became the first elected Black judge in Illinois history. He worked tirelessly in support of public education for African American children in the state, became a prominent leader in the Black convention movement, and an influential newspaper editor in both Cairo and Springfield during the 1880s and 90s. Bird was also known as a man of integrity by both his political friends and enemies. This lecture describes the rediscovery of Bird and the story of an extraordinary man.