We are pleased to present this program in partnership with Illinois Humanities, along with our session co-host, Marion Carnegie Library.
We are honored to welcome Dr. Caroline Kisiel, Associate Professor at DePaul University and Illinois Humanities Road Scholar, with more than two decades of research and writing focused on Illinois history, for this impactful presentation.
Although Illinois entered the Union as a free state in 1818, residents had practiced slavery and indentured servitude since the 1700s, laying the foundation for the Illinois Black Codes, enforced from 1819 to 1865. These were severely restrictive laws that controlled nearly every aspect of life for enslaved people, indentured servants, and free Blacks for nearly 50 years.
Scholar Caroline Kisiel will trace the history and share stories of African Americans whose resilience helped change the course of Illinois history.
Educator Caroline Kisiel considers it an honor to help illuminate the forgotten yet important history of slavery, indentured servitude, and race-based legislation in our state, as well as the important period when Illinois was on the brink of becoming a slave state.
Bio
Educator and storyteller Dr. Caroline M. Kisiel considers it an honor to help illuminate the forgotten yet important history of slavery, indentured servitude, and race-based legislation in our state, and the largely forgotten 46-year period when the Illinois Black Codes were in effect. Although these laws imposed severe restrictions on African Americans, this presentation elevates individual and communal stories of resilience, perseverance, and creativity.
Dr. Kisiel is an Associate Professor at DePaul University where she works with adult learners using experiential learning approaches. An educator for over 30 years, she has been researching and writing about Illinois history for over two decades. As a Road Scholar, she seeks to support individuals and communities across Illinois in understanding the past, and to support organizations in their civic engagement efforts.
Dr. Kisiel has published articles and presented at numerous conferences about her research, she is writing a book about the role of Albion, Illinois in keeping the state slavery-free, and is co-authoring a book about race in Illinois from colonial times to the present. As a Road Scholar, she is passionate about making her scholarly research accessible – taking it beyond the halls of academia and into communities across the state.
Additional Resources
Please note this is just a small sample of resources. Caroline will share 2 handouts with host organizations, including additional resources (as noted in Program Logistics).
Books
• Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua, America’s First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois 1830-1915. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2000. https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p070808
• M. Scott Heerman, The Alchemy of Slavery: Human Bondage and Emancipation in the Illinois Country, 1730-1865. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018. https://www.pennpress.org/9780812225174/the-alchemy-of-slavery/
• Glennette Tilley Turner, The Underground Railroad in Illinois. Glen Ellyn, IL: Newman Educational Publishing Company, 2001. https://www.ugrrillinoisandbeyond.com/books
Articles
• Caroline M. Kisiel and Brian J. Miller. “Property and Racial Exclusion in Illinois: Patterns and Practices from Colonial Slavery to Suburban Marginalization, 1720s-2010s,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Vol. 116, Issue 4, Winter 2023.
• Tara McClellan McAndrew, “Illinois Issues: Slave State,” https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2016-10-20/illinois-issues-slave-state
Websites
• Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722-1863) – Illinois Secretary of State: https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/databases/servant.html
• Illinois Supreme Court History: Slavery and the Illinois Supreme Court: https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/News/363/Illinois-Supreme-Court-History-Slavery-and-the-Illinois-Supreme-Court/news-detail/
• New Philadelphia Association: http://newphiladelphiail.org/
Podcasts
• “Illinois’ History with Slavery and Its Links to the Present,” The 21st Show, Illinois Public Media. Interview with Caroline M. Kisiel, Brian J. Miller, and Kiffany Dugger. (March 27, 2023).
Event Details
FREE & Open to the public
Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Light refreshments provided
Location: Marion Carnegie Library, 206 S. Market Street, Marion, IL
Part of the Illinois Humanities Community Conversations Program
The program is an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar and Community Conversations Program, and part of the Marion Carnegie Library Summer Reading Program.
Artspace Southern Illinois is proud to present this program in partnership with Illinois Humanities and with Co-host Marion Carnegie Library:
