CAIRO, Ill. (WSIL) -- An exhibit in Alexander County takes a closer look at the 200-year history of segregation, racism and violence in Illinois.
The Shawnee Community College's extension center in Cairo is the temporary home for the Illinois Freedom Project's exhibit. It was previously in Union County during Civil War weekend festivities.
Each panel tells stories of the struggle for Black rights in Illinois while showing the allies and foes of slavery, says historian Tim Townsend of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield.
Townsend says Illinois' racism roots go back centuries when the French introduced the practice in the Illinois country, or the present day Metro East area.
"[It] set the stage for what we call the 'Black Codes'," Townsend said. "Even though technically slavery was illegal in Illinois, slavery existed in Illinois for quite a long period of time."
At the bottom of each panel is a QR code that people can scan with their smartphones. Once scanned, a video will play, explaining what's on the panel.
Longtime Cairo resident Derek Eurales says he was excited to finally see the exhibit make its way to Cairo. The exhibit previously made trips to parts of northern and central Illinois.
Eurales remembers experiencing racism firsthand in the 1960s, that led to sit-ins in Cairo.
"We didn't have the right to go and sit at restaurants," Eurales said. "We had to go through the back window to go in certain stores, drink from different water fountains."
Not only can students benefit from the history lesson, Eurales says adults can too.
"Not only just for Black people, for all people," Eurales said. "We need to learn from our past so we can do better in the future."
The exhibit opens to the public on Tuesday and is on display through May 31.
