We are excited to lead the 2026 National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program for our region. We’ve partnered with five Southern Illinois public libraries and John A. Logan College to bring a full lineup of events inspired by our regional book choice: Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton.
This initiative brings together community members, artists, librarians, students, and families to learn, create, and connect around the themes of courage and freedom through Harriet Tubman’s story.
Why We Chose This Book
We selected Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom because Harriet Tubman’s legacy and the principles she stood for continue to resonate today. Her life reflects the themes of courage and freedom that define our 2026 Big Read program.
The book focuses on Tubman’s pursuit of freedom and her work helping others seek liberation. By sharing her story and providing 250 free copies of the book across our region, this program supports community dialogue, learning, and creative expression across Southern Illinois.
Honored to be a National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Grant Recipient
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read grant, in partnership with Arts Midwest, helps make this program possible and allows us to distribute 250 free copies of the book throughout Southern Illinois. The NEA Big Read has been bringing communities together around books since 2006. Over the past two decades, it has reached thousands of towns and cities nationwide. More than 6 million people have attended Big Read events, supported by over 100,000 volunteers and 40,000 community partners. Grantees have also leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to grow their programs. We’re proud to be part of this long-running national effort and excited to bring it to Southern Illinois this year.
Events
Pre-Civil War Quilts: Secret Codes to Freedom on the Underground Railroad
September 21, 5:30 pm
Location: Marion Carnegie Library—206 S Market St, Marion, IL 62959
Presenter: Connie Martin, M.A. - Illinois Humanities Road Scholar
Event Overview
Presentation/Sing-a-long/Q&A
"Quilt Whisperer" Connie Martin, MA. provides an American historical information presentation from research on her family history to reveal secret codes in quilts as a 6th-generation descendant of enslaved Africans in Kentucky.
This presentation begins with the definition of a Negro Spiritual. Hear about stories of secrecy surrounding hidden messages inside the lyrics of several beloved pre- and post-Civil War-era songs while gaining the history and the mystery of the who, what, where, and how these special songs were used, and in what circumstances they aided freedom seekers as they navigated and escaped safely to freedom in Canada during 1850–1865, the end of the Civil War.
Connie shares fascinating stories and recollections of meaning-embedded spirituals that were heard and sung for most of her life and her mother's, noted historian Dr. Clarice Boswell, who played piano for 25 years in a Black church in Joliet, Illinois, during her youth. Many songs were used by ancestors; their meanings and interpretations have been passed down to her, a sixth-generation descendant of American slaves in Kentucky. Connie plays portions of several of the most popular songs sung in the South, and the audience is invited to join in singing together.
Learn how certain lyrics and human emotions sung in Negro Spirituals were utilized to inform freedom seekers about when and how to escape from the bondage of slavery in the South. By defining Negro spirituals, showing the origins, and following along as the songs play, you’ll gain a greater understanding of certain songs' meanings and interpretations and why they were used on plantations in the South—and a better understanding of the intelligent planning of enslaved African Americans and abolitionists, both Black and White, who worked to assist freedom seekers in reaching Canada.
Connie’s mother passed the songs’ hidden messages down to her, and she hopes that everyone will share this knowledge with others and better understand the culture of Black people through a closer look at a portion of our American musical history that provided inspiration, spirituality, and courage to live free.
“I am Harriet” with Dr. Clover Johnson
Date & Time: September 25, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Location: Stinson Memorial Library—409 S Main St, Anna, IL 62906
Presenter: Dr. Clover Johnson
Event Overview
Presentation and Community Discussion. Participants are invited to step into one or more of Harriet's roles within their own community. Using her leadership as a framework, they will identify community strengths, vulnerabilities, safe places, communication networks, trusted allies, and people and resources that need protection.
“Joseph Rodney, Freedom Seeker on the Illinois Central Railroad” - with Darrel Dexter
Date & Time: September 26, 1:00 pm
Location: Sallie Logan Public Library—1808 Walnut Street, Murphysboro, IL 62966
Presenter: Darrel Dexter, author, historian, popular speaker, and Illinois Humanities Road Scholar
Darrel Dexter, a native of Cairo, Illinois, holds B.A., B.S., and M.A. degrees in history and has taught high school history. He has participated in NEH programs on Abolitionism and African American citizenship and received the Illinois State Historical Society’s Olive Foster History Teacher of the Year Award. An Illinois Road Scholar (2026), he is the author, editor, or compiler of 40 books on Illinois history and genealogy, including Pulling Off the Sheets, Bondage in Egypt, and A Trot Down to Egypt. He lives in rural Jonesboro, Illinois.
Event Overview
This presentation shows how Abolitionists and organizers of the Underground Railroad in Illinois recognized the potential of the Illinois Central, especially the line of tracks from Cairo to Chicago, and how it could be used to help freedom seekers headed north. Dexter shares the story of Joseph Rodney, a freedom seeker, and the court case that led to the Illinois Central Railway becoming part of the road to freedom.
Art Exhibit: Courage and Freedom
Date & Time: October 5 - October 31
Location: Corridor Gallery | Carbondale Civic Center—200 S Illinois Ave, Carbondale, IL 62901
Event Overview
In this art exhibit, explore works by local and regional artists reflecting on themes of courage, resilience, and the journey toward freedom.
Freedom to Zine—Creative Workshop & Hands-on Creativity
Date & Time: October 6, 5:00 pm
Location: Carbondale Public Library—405 W Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901
Presented by: Library Staff
Event Overview
In this creative workshop, join the class for a brief history of zines and their role as primary sources for marginalized voices throughout history, followed by a hands-on workshop to share your own story in a handmade zine.
Songs of the Illinois Freedom Road—Music & Storytelling
Date & Time: October 10, 2:00 PM
Location: John A Logan College—700 Logan College Dr, Carterville, IL 62918
Presenter: Chris Vallillo, Illinois Humanities Road Scholar
Chris Vallillo is an award‑winning folk musician and folklorist who has spent more than 30 years documenting and performing the roots music of the rural Midwest. In the 1980s, he worked to preserve the music of Illinois’ last pre‑radio generation of traditional musicians, shaping the historical foundation of his work. His project Abraham Lincoln in Song earned endorsement from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and reached #10 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart, and his 2016 album Oh Freedom! Songs of the Civil Rights Movement charted at #6 and later aired on Illinois Public TV. Vallillo’s performances combine deep historical research with traditional songs to illuminate the lived experiences, resilience, and cultural history of the Midwest.
Event Overview
In this music and storytelling performance, award‑winning folk musician and folklorist Chris Vallillo brings the music and stories of the Underground Railroad in Illinois to life through first‑person accounts of Freedom Seekers and performances of the spirituals that guided and inspired them. Drawing on extensive research, including slave narratives and accounts of those who passed through Illinois, Vallillo shares powerful stories such as John and Mary Little’s 140‑mile journey to the Ohio River and George Burroughs’ work on the Illinois Central Railroad helping smuggle escapees to freedom. His program blends historical insight with eleven traditional songs like Go Down Moses and Steal Away, revealing how music carried knowledge, courage, and hope for those seeking emancipation. Co‑sponsored by Carbondale Public Library and Herrin City Library.
Closing Celebration - National Endowment for the Arts Big Read
Date & Time: Coming Soon
Location: Corridor Gallery Carbondale Civic Center—200 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, IL 62901
Reception
Join us for a closing celebration and reception:
* Meet the regional artists in the Freedom Exhibit featured at the Corridor Gallery
* Celebrate the close of our region’s National Endowment for the Arts Big Read
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the web at: https://www.arts.gov/
This project is made possible in part by:
Thanks to our program partners
