African American Heritage Trail

Black on Black on Black on Black
2022-09-24 - 2022-12-10 | IL
This exhibition will feature Black faculty in the School of Art & Design through the lens of the Black Quantum Future as proposed by Philadelphia-based activists and theorists Rasheeda Phillips and Camae Ayewa. The collaborative exhibition will explore Black identity, collectivity, positionality, healing, innovation, and education as explored via a multi-leveled/multi-dimensional immersive, critical, and openly reflective space.
This re-visioning of the Faculty Exhibition recognizes the legacy of Black knowledge and production in ways that supports the ongoing efforts by the School of Art & Design, Krannert Art Museum, College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign towards addressing and celebrating our unique diversity, equity, and inclusion.
A lecture series, community conversations, sound installation, and a catalogue is planned in conjunction with the exhibition.

Co-curated by Patrick Earl Hammie, Stacey Robinson, Blair Ebony Smith, and Nekita Thomas
Cosponsored by Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center and the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Opening events produced in partnership with Pygmalion Festival.
Supported by the Frances P. Rohlen Visiting Artists Fund/College of Fine & Applied Arts, School of Art & Design, and the James and Beth Armsey Fund.

Thriving While Black Roundtable Series: Listening to Black Men
2022-11-10 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | IL
Join Soulful Justice in this 3-Part Roundtable discussion series where we to listen to and learn from Black residents and BIPOC allies. The goal of this series is simple, we want to see black people thrive in Champaign-Urbana! But we need your help! We want to learn more about the Black experience in navigating economic, health care, housing, and justice systems.
Discussion Sessions Include:
Thursday, October 27, 2022 | Listening to Black Women

Douglass Public Library | 5:30- 7:00 PM

Thursday, November 10, 2022| Listening to Black Men

Douglss Public Library | 5:30- 7:00 PM

Tuesday, November 15, 2022 | Connecting with Allies & Advocates

Robeson Pavillion Room C, Champaign Public Library | 6:00- 7:30 PM

For more information, visit: https://allevents.in/champaign/thriving-while-black-roundtable-series/10000436549359887

Thriving While Black Roundtable Series: Connecting with Allies & Advocates
2022-11-15 18:00 - 19:30 | IL

Black Santa at Neil St. Blues
2022-12-03 13:00 - 15:00 | Neil St. Blues, 301 N Neil St, Champaign, IL, 61820
Black Santa is coming to town and making a special appearance at Neil St. Blues. Capture the moment and take a FREE professional family photo with Santa by photographer Matt Difanis with RE/MAX Realty Associates. Santa will be available for photos between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, December 3.

This event is free and open to the public. Pictured is Black Santa from 2019. Event organized by Buy Black Chambana: https://www.facebook.com/buyblackchambana/

Table Talk Book Club: The Violin Conspiracy
2023-01-10 18:30 - 19:30 | Champaign Public Library – Douglass Branch, 504 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL, 61820
Join the Champaign Public Library’s casual monthly get-togethers to talk about books by contemporary African American writers. New members are welcome; call 217/403-2090 for more information.
On January 10, 2023, the book club will discuss Brendan Slocumb’s novel The Violin Conspiracy.
“Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can’t afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition–the Olympics of classical music–fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back. But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them. With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting, will Ray ever see his beloved violin again?”– Provided by publisher.
Books for this season are:

Jan 10, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
Feb 14, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Mar 14, Sister Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Apr 13, Brighter by the Day by Robin Roberts *Note: This is a joint meeting with the library’s other book clubs and will be held at the Main Library.
May 9, No book discussion. We will meet to select the books for next season.

A Conversation with Ross Gay
2023-01-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Kick off your new year with an online conversation about joy with best-selling essayist and award-winning poet Ross Gay.

This conversation will explore the joy we incite when we turn our attention to what we love and what brings us together. Ross Gay will discuss his most recent collection of essays, Inciting Joy, with performance poet Dan “Sully” Sullivan.
About the Authors
Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which, Bringing the Shovel Down, Be Holding (winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award), and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude (winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award). His first collection of essays, The Book of Delights, was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller.
Dan “Sully” Sullivan is a three-time Chicago Poetry Slam Champion. His poems and performances have been featured on HBO Def Poetry Jam, WGN Morning News, and National Public Radio. Sully’s first full-length book of poems, The Blue Line Home, is available from EM-Press.​
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present (ILP), a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com.

The Library is committed to making programs accessible for all. If you need an accommodation to attend a program, please let the Library know at least two weeks in advance. To request an accommodation, contact the Programming and Outreach Manager via email at programming@urbanafree.org or via phone at 217-367-4057.

MLK Advocacy for Social Justice Celebration
2023-01-15 17:00 - 19:00 | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801
Advocacy for Social Justice and MLK Countywide Committees
38th Annual Dr. MLK Jr. Service of Celebration
Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 5:00 PM
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
500 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Featured Keynote Speaker: Rev. Joel King
nephew of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The partnership of the Advocacy for Justice and the County-wide MLK Committee will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event will highlight the academic achievement of local area high school students in announcing this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship recipients and include the presentation of the James R. Burgess, Jr. Award , Susan Freiburg Humanitarian Award, the Doris Hoskins Prestigious Community Service Award, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award. This year’s keynote speaker will be Rev. Joel King, nephew of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee, MLK County-wide Committee, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
For additional questions or to request disability-related accommodations for this event, please contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at diversity@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs.

Each year, the Cities of Champaign and Urbana come together with Champaign County, the Village of Rantoul, Parkland College and the University of Illinois to host a countywide celebration honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The 2023 theme for this year’s celebration is “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

38th Annual Unity Breakfast
2023-01-16 08:30 - 11:00 | Vineyard Church, 1500 N. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL
Community members are invited to attend the 38th Annual Unity Breakfast sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and hosted by the Vineyard Church. Please join us as we honor Dr. King, the most important voice of the civil rights movement and recognize the 2023 Dr. King Scholarship recipients.
Sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee.
For more information contact Domonic Cobb, dcobb@illinois.edu.

MLK Day of Service: U-C Books to Prisoners
2023-01-16 10:00 - 12:00 | IL
Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday by joining with U-C Books to Prisoners to help with book sorting and selecting for the incarcerated people who write to request books from us. Please sign up for either the morning session or the afternoon session.
At each sessions there will be two kinds of work to do, and an opportunity to view a short introduction video about Books to Prisoners if you are interested in that.
Sign up to volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4ca9ae2aa1f5c16-sign#/

Amari's Blood Drive at MLK Elementary
2023-01-16 11:00 - 15:00 | MLK Elementary, 1108 Fairview Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801
An Urbana High School student is putting together a blood drive on MLK Day. This is a great act of service to give back to our community! Just one blood donation can save up to three lives. #PowerofU116

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: Monday, Jan. 16
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: King Elementary | 1108 Fairview Ave.
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫: bit.ly/3GeireC

If you are unable to attend on the 16th, you can PLEDGE to give during Black History Month: rcblood.org/3ClQ7FL

First or second time donors with Impact Life will receive a $25 gift card! #UrbanaBetterTogether

MLK Walk for Peace
2023-01-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 915 W. Wascher Dr., Urbana, IL, 61801
Join other community members for a walk celebrating peace. The walk will begin and end at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Parking is available at King School and along Wascher Drive.
Walking route maps will be provided at the park.
Sponsored by City of Urbana, The Urbana Free Library, Urbana Park District, Urbana Rotary Club, Urbana High School PTSA, When We All Vote, and Champaign County.

The Library is committed to making programs accessible for all. If you need an accommodation to attend a program, please let the Library know at least two weeks in advance. To request an accommodation, contact the Programming and Outreach Manager via email at programming@urbanafree.org or via phone at 217-367-4057.

Volunteer Opportunity: University of Illinois Police Department MLK Day of Service Community Building Volunteer Experience
2023-01-16 12:00 - 16:00 | IL
On Monday, January 16, 2023, the University of Illinois Police Department will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s Day of Service by creating a space where members of the community will have to opportunity to work together with a variety of Non-Profit organizations alongside some of our police officers. Dr. King once said that the “The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation.” Let’s help one another create and maintain such a “Beloved Community” by engaging in community service that will help our agencies spread unity, peace, and a common understanding in the place we call home.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to engage in different activities and projects led by participating agencies meant to help members of the community in a variety of ways and purposes. To register as a volunteer, follow this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSct_-kQp-y69mat_IPmxK2gs900H6C9AQ5ONFraxOyBhemRRg/viewform.
Vendors: The Salvation Army, Stephens Family YMCA, Parkland College PD, Salt & Light, DREAMM, Family Service RSVP, and Feeding Our Kids
Sponsored by the University of Illinois Police Department, Community Outreach and Support Team, Illini Union, and the 2023 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.
For more information contact Dementro “Debo” Powell, dementro@illinois.edu.

Martin Luther King Day Celebration for Kids
2023-01-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Museum of the Grand Prairie, 950 N. Lombard St., Mahomet, IL, 61853
Make your day off count! Join the Museum of the Grand Prairie as we explore the rich cultural heritage of the African American community in Champaign County on this Martin Luther King Day. We will learn about the life of Dr. King, celebrate his legacy, and explore how we can keep his mission alive today. Activities will include several crafts celebrating MLK’s life and legacy. Ages 5-12. $5 per child. Adults must accompany children. Space is limited; registration required by Jan 9th at ccfpd.org.
Current public health guidelines will be followed. Program may be altered or canceled due to weather or health related concerns.
For more info: (217) 586-2612 or ksnyder@ccfpd.org.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Reflection & Service
2023-01-16 18:00 - 19:30 | Levis Faculty Center, 919 W. Illinois St., Room 300, Urbana, IL
Keynote: Dr. Jamie Washington, co-founder of the Social Justice Training Institute
Every Spring, the Office of Civic Life assists students in exploring the legacy of service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This program is a part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Commemorative Celebration. This year, the MLK Day of Service will engage campus and community partners in recognizing the power of community action and civic engagement as local partners and students convene to honor the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. vision of impacting others through social change. This event will acknowledge the work and engagement of “MLK Champions” who have dedicated their talents to enhancing a movement of justice, equity, and dignity.
This program will be keynoted by Dr. Jamie Washington, co-founder of the Social Justice Training Institute. Doors open at 5:30 and program begins at 6 pm.
Register for the Reflection & Service Event here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/581475708
Sponsored by the Office of Civic Life and the 2023 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.
For more information contact Gina Lee-Olukoya, golukoya@illinois.edu.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. K-12 Creative Expressions Contest
2023-01-21 10:00 - 12:00 | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL, 61801
The College of Education will award the winners and honorable mention recipients of the K-12 MLK Creative Expressions Contest. This event will highlight the talents of our local students through essay, poems, and art.
Sponsored by the College of Education, and the 2023 MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.
For additional information contact Victor H. Perez, vhperez@illinois.edu.

Kumasi J. Barnett Artist Presentation (Zoom)
2023-01-26 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom
Please register here (https://form.jotform.com/223406851908964) for a virtual talk by Kumasi J. Barnett, presented in conjunction with In Blackest Shade, In Darkest Light exhibition at Giertz Gallery at Parkland College and the Black on Black on Black on Black lecture series. This is available online through Zoom. We are excited to have you join us!
Date: Thurday, January 26, 2023
Time: 6 PM
Location: Online
A reminder notification will be sent to the email you have provided and one day prior to the event.
This lecture is co-sponsored by Giertz Gallery at Parkland College, Black on Black on Black on Black Lecture Series, Krannert Art Museum, the School of Art & Design, and the College of Fine & Applied Arts at University of Illinois.
Details for visiting Giertz Gallery at Parkland College
Planning to visit Giertz Gallery at Parkland College to see the exhibition? Please note our gallery hours are Mon – Wed 10am-5pm, Thur 10am-7pm, Sat 12-2pm. In Blackest Shade, In Darkest Light will be on exhibit Monday, November 14 through Saturday, February 18, 2023. Please note that we will be closed January 16 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
To find the gallery, we suggest using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through door X7, turn left, and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area. Face coverings are recommended.
We look forward to having you attend the lecture and hope to see you in the gallery!
Giertz Gallery acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

"I Have a Dream" Quilt Submission
2023-01-27 | Phillips Recreation Center, 505 W. Stoughton, Urbana, IL
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech to thousands of civil rights marchers in Washington D.C. This has famously become known as his “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he talks about the racial injustices black people face and how it “is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”
60 years later, his speech is still as powerful and relevant as it was when first delivered. In honor of Black History Month, the Urbana Park District is asking the community to submit paper quilt squares filled with their own dreams that will then be “stitched” together to form a paper quilt, which will be on display at the Phillips Recreation Center from February 1-28.
You can pick up a quilt template at any park district facility or download here. Please return them to the Phillips Recreation Center at 505 W. Stoughton or by email to info@urbanaparks.org by January 27th.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Social Work Poverty Simulation
2023-01-27 13:00 - 15:00 | UIUC School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada, Urbana, IL
The impact of poverty in any community can be both devastating and hastening. It is a reality for many individuals and families; it’s difficult to truly understand poverty unless you have experienced poverty. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s advocacy work around poverty issues, the School of Social Work, in partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, invites students, faculty, staff, and community members to engage in a poverty simulation that helps participants begin to understand what life is like with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. The simulation enables participants to view poverty from different angles and discuss the potential for change within themselves and their local communities. It is designed to sensitize participants to the realities of poverty.
Register for the simulation here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/604961494
For additional information contact Sharva Hampton-Campbell, shamcamp@illinois.edu.
Sponsored by the School of Social Work and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

USD #116 Black History Month Kickoff
2023-01-28 15:00 - 17:00 | Dr. Preston L. Williams, Jr. Elementary School, 2102 E. Washington St., Urbana, IL, 61802
The Urbana School District #116’s Black History Month kickoff in honor of Janice Mitchell will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2023, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. at the Dr. Preston L. Williams, Jr. Elementary School Gym (2102 E. Washington St., Urbana). Interactive learning activities for children will run from 3:00–3:30 p.m., and the program will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m. The event is part of USD #116’s celebrations of Black excellence 365 days a year.

DIY Kids │Black History Bingo
2023-02-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Champaign Public Library – Douglass Branch, 504 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL, 61820
Learn about famous people, places, and events in Black History by making your own bingo card and playing together at our weekly do-it-yourself activity for kids. Hosted by the Champaign Public Library Douglass Branch.

Stacey Robinson Artist Talk
2023-02-02 10:30 - 13:00 | William M. Staerkel Planetarium, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign, IL, 61821
Concurrent with “In Blackest Shade, In Darkest Light” exhibition, Krannert Art Museum is hosting an exhibition featuring Black faculty in the School of Art & Design. This exhibition includes participating artists Patrick Hammie and Stacey Robinson. The collaborative exhibition explores Black identity, collectivity, positionality, healing, innovation, and education as explored via a multi-leveled/multi-dimensional immersive, critical, and openly reflective space. For more information, please visit the Krannert Art Museum website.
Participating artist, Stacey Robinson will give a lecture on February 2, at 10:45 am in the William M. Staerkel Planetarium. A “Chat & Chill” with the artist will be held at 12 pm, in the gallery.
Robinson is one of seven artists participating in “In Blackest Shade, In Darkest Light,” In addition to a full-length video, Robinson’s work includes three large digital drawings that are 70 x 44 inches each. The images are inspired by the artist’s vinyl record collection and difficult-to-find additions that elude him during research to connect golden-age hip-hop samples to their source material. His collection ultimately fuels the series that incorporates animation and comic book illustrations ignited by the Black cultural wealth of hip-hop. He explains his process “as a collage culture of various influences that tether the past to the speculative future through the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa, meaning to ‘go back and get it.’ We go back and retrieve Black pasts, bring them into the future with us as a means of defining our Black liberated futures.”
Robinson was a 2019-2020 Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellow at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. After completing his Masters of Fine Art at the University at Buffalo in 2015, the artist has traveled internationally, discussing the complexities of decolonized future spaces. As one half of the collaborative team “Black Kirby” with artist John Jennings, Stacey creates graphic novels, gallery exhibitions, lectures, and workshops that use world-building strategies to imagine new worlds inspired by design, hip-hop, the arts and sciences, and diasporic African belief systems.
Robinson’s latest graphic novels are I Am Alfonso Jones, written by Tony Medina (2017), available from Lee & Low Books, and Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and Tulsa Race Massacre, written by Alverne Ball (2021), available from Abrams Books. Recent exhibitions include Ascension of Black Stillness (CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, NY) and The Black Angel of History (Carnegie Hall’s ‘Afrofuturism Festival) in 2022.

Saying Yes to Your Story: Kwame Alexander (Zoom)
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Join the Illinois Libraries for an evening of inspiration and conversation with bestselling and award-winning children’s and young adult author and poet, Kwame Alexander, author of the Newbery Award winning book, The Crossover, Newbery Honor/Caldecott Medal winning book, The Undefeated, The Door of No Return, and most recently, An American Story, for an Illinois Libraries Present event for young people and their families.
Please note that this program will be presented live without a recording.
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 36 books, including Swing, Becoming Muhammad Ali, co-authored with James Patterson, Rebound, The Undefeated, The Crossover, and The Door of No Return. A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of The Crossover show on Disney+.
This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). ILP is committed to inclusion and accessibility. To request accommodations, please email illinoislibrariespresent@gmail.com

Community Education African American Film Series
2023-02-09 11:00 - 13:00 | Parkland College, 2400 W. Bradley Ave., Champaign, IL, 61821
Parkland College is hosting a Community Education African American Film Series on Thursday, February 9, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Room U140.
Contact the office of Student Life at Parkland for more information:
Office: U111
Phone: 217/351-2492
Fax: 217/373-3835
stulife@parkland.edu
Hours:
Mon., Thurs., 8:00 am-6 pm
Tue., Wednesday., Friday., 8:00 am-5 pm

Bystander Intervention Training (Online)
2023-02-14 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-02-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Parkland College’s Black History Month programming includes an online Bystander Intervention Training.
Tuesday, February 14
10 am and 1 pm sessions

Everyone has the right to be who they are, wherever they are.
Learn how to respond, intervene, and heal from harassment.
Join your fellow students and colleagues for training online or in person
Student Union Cafeteria
Click here for Zoom link to 10 am session | Passcode: [REDACTED]
Click here for link to 1 pm session | Passcode: [REDACTED]
Contact Parkland’s Office of Student Life for more information:
Office: U111
Phone: 217/351-2492
Fax: 217/373-3835
stulife@parkland.edu
Hours:
Mon., Thurs., 8:00 am-6 pm
Tue., Wednesday., Friday., 8:00 am-5 pm

Table Talk Book Club: The Personal Librarian
2023-02-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Champaign Public Library – Douglass Branch, 504 E. Grove St., Champaign, IL, 61820
Join the Champaign Public Library’s casual monthly get-togethers to talk about books by contemporary African American writers. New members are welcome; call 217/403-2090 for more information.
On February 14, 2023, the book club will discuss The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.
“The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian-who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray. In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. Pierpont Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white-her complexion is dark because she is African American. The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go-for the protection of her family and her legacy-to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives”– Provided by publisher.
Books for this season are:

Feb 14, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Mar 14, Sister Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Apr 13, Brighter by the Day by Robin Roberts *Note: This is a joint meeting with the library’s other book clubs and will be held at the Main Library.
May 9, No book discussion. We will meet to select the books for next season.

Google My Maps: Visualizing Your Ancestors’ Lives (Zoom)
2023-02-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Learn how to start using Google Maps in your genealogy research! Register for the online program here: https://urbanafreelibrary.libnet.info/event/7792434

Do you love maps? Spend this Valentine’s Day with the Champaign County Genealogical Society and Linda Debe, a tech-savvy genealogist, who will show how to effectively use Google Maps for genealogical research.
“Google My Maps” provides a way to visualize our ancestors’ lives, from migration patterns to cemetery locations, from trip planning, to helping decide if documents and facts are plausible for an ancestor. Learn the basic features of Google My Maps and begin to pinpoint your ancestry.
This event is co-sponsored by the Champaign County Genealogical Society.

The Urbana Free Library is committed to making programs accessible for all. If you need an accommodation to attend a program, please let the Library know at least two weeks in advance. To request an accommodation, contact the Programming and Outreach Manager via email at programming@urbanafree.org or via phone at 217-367-4057.

RACE Talks
2023-02-16 12:00 - 13:00 | IL
Join Parkland College for RACE Talks:
Thursday, February 16
Noon–12:50 pm
Room U140
Facilitators: Donna Tanner-Harold, Counseling Services (retired),
and Dr. Marsh Jones, Social Sciences and Human Services

Dr. Smith presents: "Food for Those Who Want to Be Free: Race, Food Security, and Civil Rights in Black Life"
2023-02-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Spice Box Cafe, 905 S. Goodwin, Urbana, IL, 61801
Food is a cultural artifact in the lives of Black people. But what happens when food is transformed into a weapon to oppress them? What happens when Black people in turn (re)weaponize food as a tool to emancipate themselves from such oppression? In this talk, Dr. Bobby J. Smith II grapples with these questions through a brief case study from his forthcoming book, Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement. This case study reveals how the relationship between race, food security, and civil rights in Black life forces us to rethink how we understand food and the history of Black people.

Black History Month Luncheon at Research Park
2023-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Research Park, 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, IL, 61820
Join Research Park in honoring Black History Month on Friday, February 17 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM with trivia, live music by Bianca Bailey, and lunch from Neil Street Blues.
This event is free; however, registration is encouraged to ensure that we have enough food and seating: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1667773653
If you have any questions, please contact Cathy McArthur at mcarthur@illinois.edu.
