Joliet looks to the past to ‘chart a better future’ for Black community

Joliet — The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre hosted the first of three planned Community Interview events on Saturday aimed at gathering the stories of the Joliet-area Black community.

The events are part of the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study, an initiative funded by the city of Joliet and Will County to gather firsthand historical accounts of the Will County Black community in order to compile a report on the problems and challenges faced by African Americans in the region.

Additional events are planned for Saturday, June 21, and July 19, at the same location.

“We’re trying to capture Joliet history in our own words,” said Chris Parker, president of the Will County African American Business Association and a member of the study’s steering committee. “We’re inviting everyone to come in and tell their truth and share their historical perspective on the Joliet area from the 1800s and 1900s.”

The committee is looking for anecdotes and historical records of people and buildings from Joliet and the surrounding communities.

Some of the subjects identified as areas of interest include specific neighborhoods: East Side, Fairmont, Forest Park, The Hill, Manningdale, Preston Heights, South End, Hillcrest, Near West Side and West Side.

“We’re trying to capture Joliet history in our own words. We’re inviting everyone to come in and tell their truth.”

—  Chris Parker, president of the Will County African American Business Association

Also of interest are the social, cultural, and entertainment clubs and recreational groups such as the Assembly Club, Beacon Club, Buffalo Soldiers, Busy Bee Club, Debutante Balls, Sojourner Truth Club, Joliet Unity Movement, Fort Erie Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge and Black Greek fraternities and sororities; community institutions and organizations such as the Joliet NAACP, the YMCA, Generation Dance Company, Peter Claver Center, Warren-Sharpe Community Center, National Hookup of Black Women, the Joliet Black Pride Parade, MLK Day of Service, the African American Business Association and Including You Inc.; and local church congregations and schools.

The committee also is looking for recollections of historical issues and events that were significant both in Joliet and more broadly across the state and country.

Issues such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Joliet, the construction of Interstate 80 and the resulting closure of Black-owned businesses on Chicago Street and Collins Street.

it will also examine the affects of redlining, a practice where financial institutions denied individuals or communities loans for home mortgages and businesses based on race or ethnicity.

The history of public housing, school busing and job loss from deindustrialization are also subjects being explored, as well as individuals’ personal experiences with Black-owned businesses, employment and military service.

“This is an opportunity to identify the actual experience of the African American community and how we can learn from their experiences to chart a better future,” Parker said, emphasizing that the noted subjects are not an exhaustive list.

One specific issue mentioned as detrimental to the local Black community by committee member and Including You Inc. President Julia Alexander is the loss of many small Black-owned businesses over the years, particularly on Chicago and Collins streets after the construction of I-80 through the city.

“We need to look at what happened there to the community and how we can possibly bring back that economic renaissance,” she said. “As a city we want to make sure people’s experiences are documented: how we came here, toiled here, became successful here, and then moved on.”

“History helps contextualize the current moment,” committee member Elizabeth Blasius said. " I think that‘s very important right now, which is why we’re asking people to come to us with their stories and history."

While turnout was somewhat slow Saturday with people signing up for interviews in advance, some did come in unscheduled, and Blasius said she anticipates a higher turnout in June and July as word spreads and the events aren’t competing with graduations and school events.

Will County residents, particularly from Joliet, Lockport, Manhattan and Crest Hill, are encouraged to visit the project website to sign up for an interview slot. Interested parties can email their information to blackhistory@joliet.gov or call or text 708-683-9121 to arrange an interview or get information.

Certain individuals will be asked to take part in an oral history component of the project, which will include additional, more formal interviews recorded for preservation.

The compiled stories and information, along with relevant business and building records, will be used to compile a report that will be given to local governments to provide insight to the Black community.

The hope is for the report to act as a potential starting point for discussing policy changes or other initiatives that could be taken to benefit the Black community.

Parker noted that a summary of the report’s main takeaways will be available to the public.

While the Steering Committee and the city hope to gain valuable insights into the “plight” of the local Black community from the report, the organizers said they do not want to make assumptions about what the report will contain or how it will be implemented by the city government.

“We don’t have an outcome already set,” Parker said. “We need to see what we learn and strategize from there. I have some things in my mind – I’m sure we all do – but we don’t want to make any plans without all the information.”