The impact of votes to allow slavery in Illinois, the debate surrounding them, and the region’s long history of slavery still resonates two centuries later. 

To talk about the area's history, connection to the civil rights movement and legacy, The 21st was joined by the assistant superintendent of the park and a regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association.

In late 2022, the first town in Illinois to be legally founded by a formerly enslaved person became a national park. The 21st was joined by a professor descended from the town's founder and the director of research at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Two women from central and southern Illinois opened up the Route History museum in Springfield and are working to tell the stories of the tragedy, resilience, and excellence of Black people along the Historic Route 66.

Hip-hop is just a few decades old, but its cultural impact in Illinois and America at large is unquestionable.