Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum News


	For Immediate Release: February 19, 2009	Contact: David Blanchette (217) 558-8970
	Generations of Pride New African American section of Presidential Library website features chronology, genealogy resources and other history materials Springfield, IL — It begins with the 1712 introduction of the slave trade into the Louisiana Territory, which includes what is now Illinois, and ends with the 2008 election of President Barack Obama. "Generations of Pride," a new section of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum website (www.presidentlincoln.org), features an updated African American chronology, a selected listing of African American genealogical resources at the Presidential Library, and information about the 1908 Springfield Race Riot, Chicago and the Great Migration, and the notorious Black Codes. "We are pleased to make this new addition to our website available during African American History Month. The breadth and depth of the contributions that African Americans have made to this state’s history deserve this recognition," said Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) Interim Director Jan Grimes. The website section was created by ALPLM staff from resources at the facility. The highlight is an updated, selected chronology of African Americans in Illinois from the late 17th century through early 2009, and includes many people and achievements that might be unknown to many website visitors. The website also includes a selected listing of African American genealogical resources at the Presidential Library, making it easier for Library users to search their family histories. A video interview with famed historian Edna Greene Medford, a nationally renowned African American history expert, may be viewed. The 1908 Springfield Race Riot, the event that sparked the formation of the NAACP, is covered in detail, including an on-line, student-produced magazine and a video interview with the curator of the Library’s recent, highly acclaimed exhibit on the riot. There are also sections describing the Black Codes, a series of laws that guaranteed unequal treatment for African Americans; and the Great Migration of African Americans from southern states to Chicago. "Presidential Library staff members are always ready to aid researchers in searching our library resources that can help with family genealogies," said Presidential Library Services Director Kathryn Harris. "The selected listing of African American resource materials identifies useful titles in our collections that will help our users discover their roots." In addition to the new website addition, the Presidential Library’s Audio Visual Department has mounted a temporary display entitled "Don’cha get weary; life along MLK Drive," a collection of 1990s photographs of everyday scenes along Springfield’s Martin Luther King Drive (formerly 18th Street). The 19 framed photographs and accompanying poems were donated by Robert and Carolyn Blackwell of Springfield, and can be seen during regular Library hours in the A/V Department on the second floor. For more information on the programs and resources at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, visit www.presidentlincoln.org. ###