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.
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.
The 21st was joined by the Illinois National Guard's public affairs director and command historian to talk about the group's history, from their inception in the 1700s all the way through the modern age.
The 21st was joined by the chairperson of Cairo's Magnolia Celebration to talk about the event and how it came to be.
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.
