Unbeknownst to many, Central Illinois has quite a bit of history tied to Juneteenth.

Peoria-based historians discovered the first slaves to be emancipated by Abraham Lincoln, who was an attorney at the time, was Nance Legins-Costley, a woman from Pekin, Illinois, and her infant son William “Bill” Costley.

Nance was freed on July 23, 1841, as a result of the Illinois Supreme Court case Bailey v. Cromwell. This ruling by Justice Sidney Breese was extremely significant in our state’s history for declaring that Illinois was a free state where slavery was illegal, causing other states to follow.

The Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued by then-President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states were free. However, Texas was not under Union control at the time, so the Emancipation Proclamation did not take effect there until June 19, 1865, when federal troops under the command of Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced that all enslaved people in the state were free. Nance’s son Bill was among Union troops on that day.

This day became an unofficial Independence Day for the Black community in America and is now celebrated as Juneteenth, a federal holiday in the United States.

Here in Illinois, many of the celebrations included reading the Emancipation Proclamation and telling harrowing stories of the past generations’ journey to freedom.

In particular, throughout the 1990s, Decatur, Illinois had an annual Juneteenth celebration organized by the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society of Illinois where they crowned a Mr. and Mrs. Juneteenth.

In Chicago, a local African-American radio station WVON hosted a celebration at Mandrake Park near the Bronzeville neighborhood with former Alderman Dorothy Tillman in 2002, causing other informal celebrations to pop up at Rosenblum Park. In this same year Mayor Richard J. Daley acknowledged the holiday in a city council meeting and urged all Chicagoans to celebrate.

Since then, Juneteenth was commemorated in Illinois in 2003, and became a state and federal holiday in 2021. This day is a time to celebrate and acknowledge Black lives, stories, and experiences and this country's painful history of injustice.

If you would like to attend any local Illinois Juneteenth events, read more here.

Across Illinois there are hundreds of Juneteenth celebrations, commemorating the emancipation of ensalved African Americans, which has been observed for 160 years. Come celebrate the importance of this day in your local community near you! If you would like to learn more about Illinois' history to Juneteenth click here.

Friday, June 16:
Juneteenth Illinois Scholarship Reception
-When: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
-Where: 540 W. Madison St, Chicago
Registration: bit.ly/3ZZV9EB

Juneteenth Lake County & The African American Museum at The England Manor Juneteenth Celebration
-When: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
-Where: 2400 Dowie Memorial Drive, Zion

Illinois State Museum Art Fair - Noir Art Fair
-When: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
-Where: 501 S Spring St, Springfield

City of Blue Island Juneteenth Resource and Health Fair
-When: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
-Where: John D. Rita Recreation Center - 2805 141 St., Blue Island

Read more ...

Between 1891 and1914, there were at least 22 racially motivated lynchings in Illinois. On June 3, 2023, exactly 130 years after his murder, the first Illinois State Historical Society marker recognizing the untold stories of racial terror lynchings was placed in the city of Decatur in memory of Samuel J. Bush.

Bush was accused of assaulting two white women on June 3, 1893. He was then charged and held in the Macon County Courthouse. Before he had a chance to defend himself in a court of law, a mob of 1,500 white people from Mt. Zion stormed the courthouse, and abducted him. The mob then dragged a naked Mr. Bush to the intersection of Water & Wood Street, and proceeded to hang him from a utility pole. There, according to newspaper accounts, he knelt and prayed for, “Jesus to come and take his soul and forgive the men who were murdering him.”

None of his perpetrators faced legal consequences for his murder.

Read more ...

Some of the very best donut shops are located right here in Illinois! From glazed to Boston cream, the selections are endless.

National Donut Day is celebrated every first Friday of June of each year, succeeding the donut event created by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to honor their members who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. The day not only celebrates the sweet treat but often gives everyone a chance to indulge, with many bakeries and stores offering free donuts on this day.

Last year, Yelp compiled a list of the 100 best donut shops across the U.S., four of them being in Illinois! If you have the chance to sink your teeth into these delightful donuts, consider yourself lucky!

Four bakeries in Illinois were listed among the best spots to enjoy unique donuts, with two in Chicago, according to the list.
• No. 8 – Dip and Sip Donuts, located at 2256 W. Roscoe in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago, offers both premade donuts and customized creations. According to Yelp, Dip and Sip is known for cake donuts and gluten-free options.
• No. 25 – Country Donuts, located in suburban Crystal Lake at 181 W. Virginia St., specializes in handmade chocolate iced cake, honey dip, white long John, devil's food, powdered, old fashioned and red velvet donuts, among others flavors.
• No. 83 – Old Fashioned Donuts at 11248 S. Michigan Ave. in Roseland has received 4.5 stars on Yelp, with some calling the treats the "best donuts in Chicago."
• No. 87 – Gurnee Donuts has been serving specialty bites to the Chicago suburbs at 4949 Grand Ave. since 1994. This shop also has 4.5 stars on Yelp with over 200 reviews.

You can check the full list here. Happy National Donut Day — don’t forget to treat yourself!