Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Interest on Old Slave House Grows
While we're still waiting on the governor's office to respond, we are getting more interest from other groups across the state. Anne Walker of the Freedom Trails Legacies of Hope organization called last week and we had a long conversation. (I'm thankful it was on her long-distance bill). Her outfit is developing African-American heritage tourism efforts. We met a few years ago at a DCCA meeting in Collinsville about heritage tourism efforts where she learned about the Old Slave House for the first time.
I also talked last Friday with Terry Ransom in Springfield. He's president of the Illinois Underground Railroad Association, which met over the weekend up in Lincoln, Illinois. Terry came down a few years ago when we had an official with the National Park Service's Underground Railroad study look at the house in 1997, I think.
This morning Pedro Delgado of the Illinois Coalition for Community Services called about the house. Again, as the phone calls prove, there is widespread interest in this project.
Underground Railroad Legislation
Gov. Rod Blagojevich quietly signed SB1363 11 days ago. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Donne. E. Trotter, creates a Freedom Trail Commission to do the following:
Provides that the commission must prepare a master plan to promote and preserve the history of the freedom trail and underground railroad in the State;
Work in conjunction with State and federal authorities to sponsor commemorations, linkages, seminars, and public forums on the freedom trail and underground railroad in the State and in neighboring states;
Assist and promote the making of applications for inclusion in the national and State register of historic places for significant historic places related to the freedom trail and the underground railroad in the State;
Assist and develop partnerships to seek public and private funds to carry out activities to protect, preserve, and promote the legacy of the freedom trail and underground railroad in the State;
And work with the Illinois State Board of Education to evaluate, conduct research concerning, and develop a curriculum for use in Illinois public schools regarding the underground railroad, with emphasis on the activities of the underground railroad within this State.
According to Trotter, the Old Slave House is supposed to be included in this, even though it represents the reverse UGRR.
While we're still waiting on the governor's office to respond, we are getting more interest from other groups across the state. Anne Walker of the Freedom Trails Legacies of Hope organization called last week and we had a long conversation. (I'm thankful it was on her long-distance bill). Her outfit is developing African-American heritage tourism efforts. We met a few years ago at a DCCA meeting in Collinsville about heritage tourism efforts where she learned about the Old Slave House for the first time.
I also talked last Friday with Terry Ransom in Springfield. He's president of the Illinois Underground Railroad Association, which met over the weekend up in Lincoln, Illinois. Terry came down a few years ago when we had an official with the National Park Service's Underground Railroad study look at the house in 1997, I think.
This morning Pedro Delgado of the Illinois Coalition for Community Services called about the house. Again, as the phone calls prove, there is widespread interest in this project.
Underground Railroad Legislation
Gov. Rod Blagojevich quietly signed SB1363 11 days ago. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Donne. E. Trotter, creates a Freedom Trail Commission to do the following:
According to Trotter, the Old Slave House is supposed to be included in this, even though it represents the reverse UGRR.