Throughout this year we have all witnessed the loss of loved ones and others who have touched our hearts in ways we might not have imagined. For many of us within the Springfield area – with emphasis on the Black community – one of those great losses was that of Elizabeth Alexander. Born Elizabeth Geraldine […]
Vincent "June" Chappelle
Posted inArts & Culture
Promoting visibility for Black creatives
Black business owners have long been a force in Springfield. From William De Fleurville, a Haitian immigrant who moved to Springfield in the 1830s and was a business owner and barber for Abraham Lincoln, to the modern-day owners of businesses like Clay’s BBQ and Boyd’s New Generation on Springfield’s east side, the legacy of area […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Exhibit spotlights first Black churches in Springfield
For centuries now, the entity known as the “Black church” has been a pillar of Black society. Many traditions such as singing styles and joyous reverberations like call-and-response have deep roots in Western Africa. Even the way in which some Black Christian churchgoers – particularly those who were raised in Baptist or Pentecostal traditions – […]
Posted inOpinion
Saving the Lincoln Colored Home
In 1898, Eva Carroll Monroe opened one of the first Black orphanages in the nation, which she ran for 35 years. It’s a facet of Springfield’s history that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Mary Frances – a professor, artist and activist who lives in Springfield – set out to help rectify that last year […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Springfield’s Black LGBTQ trailblazer
In a climate where Black, Indigenous and other people of color still struggle to live freely, those who have paved the way for a more equitable world too often go unrecognized. People of color who lived at the intersection of other marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ, can be especially overlooked. Ruth Ellis lived outwardly and […]
