newsletter of the Peoria Public Library www.peoriapubliclibrary.org
FEBRUARY 2014 Volume 23 n No. 2 Published monthly by the Peoria Public Library
MAIN LIBRARY 107 N.E. Monroe 309.497.2000 LAKEVIEW BRANCH 1137 W. Lake 309.497.2200 LINCOLN BRANCH 1312 W. Lincoln 309.497.2600 MCCLURE BRANCH 315 W. McClure 309.497.2700 NORTH BRANCH 3001 W. Grand Parkway 309.497.2100 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Edward J. Barry, Jr. Stephen M. Buck Margaret E. Cousin Lucy D. Gulley F. Eugene Rebholz Debbie Ritschel Sid P. Ruckriegel Barbara Van Auken Jeanne Williamson DIRECTOR Leann Johnson EDITOR Trisha Noack DESIGNER Eric Atkins
Now Showing! Changing America Exhibit Celebrates Abolition and Civil Rights Movements “Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963” a national traveling exhibit which explores the relationship between two great people’s movements for equal rights, will open at Peoria Public Library Main Library on the Main Floor on Monday, January 27 and remain through Thursday, March 6. “Changing America” examines the events leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the March on Washington in 1963. Both grew out of decades of bold actions, resistance, organization, and vision. One hundred years separate them, yet they are linked in the larger story of a struggle for liberty which brought together different races, classes and ideologies and had a profound impact on the generations that followed. The exhibition tells the story of how these two pivotal events came into being, a century apart, and how they helped put the nation on a course to fulfill its commitment to liberty and justice for all. The exhibit was highlighted with programs that will provide further information and discussion. On Saturday, January 25th at 2:00 at the Main Library, “Ruffians and Wiseacres: Peoria’s History with Antislavery” will be presented by Dr. Stacey Robertson, Oglesby Professor of American Heritage, Bradley University. Her presentation included a lecture with time for questions and answers. On Saturday, February 22nd at 2:00 at the Main Library the film “Slavery By Another Name” will be shown and a discussion of the film will follow facilitated by
Smithsonian Institution
Family Portrait, Library of Congress
Dr. Stacey Robertson. This film and discussion program is also made possible by Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle A special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The exhibit was created to commemorate the two pivotal achievements on their 150th and 50th anniversaries. It explores the historical context, accomplishments and limitations as well as their impact on the generations that followed. The stories are told with large panels of photographs and accompanying explanation. Free public programming will help Peorians understand the significance of these events and the relationship between these two great people’s movements. “Changing America” is presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanitites: Exploring the human endeavor.