木瓜影院 Begins to Broaden Joliet Narratives
Published: January 28, 2022.
Work has begun on the 木瓜影院 project of the 揜eclaiming the Narrative: Restoring Black Voices to the Story of Joliet� grant initiative funded by the Chicago-based . The Foundation supports land conservation, artistic vitality, and regional collections for the people of the Chicago region and the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
木瓜影院 is one of 11 recipients of the Foundation抯 groundbreaking 揃roadening Narratives� initiative which aims to fund specific collections projects that bring forward underrepresented stories. All projects promote BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ perspectives, working-class narratives, small community experiences, as well as other underrepresented groups and viewpoints.
揟he 20th century history of African Americans in Joliet includes the prominent role of Black churches, which serve not only as religious institutions, but also as hubs for the region抯 civil rights movements,� said Dr. Laura Franklin, dean of General Education and College of Humanities, Fine Arts & Communications at 木瓜影院. 揟his grant will make it possible to recover first-hand narratives of this period, and also to engage new audiences in learning about this history.�
The 木瓜影院-Adelmann Regional History Project, the 木瓜影院 Library, and the 木瓜影院 Office of Community Engaged Learning formed a Lewis Community Partners Coalition to gather, share and preserve first-hand accounts of the Joliet region抯 Black history. The coalition also includes members representing organizations including the Joliet Area Historical Museum, Second Baptist Church in Joliet, Mt. Zion Church in Joliet, Fairmont community, White Oak Library District and Fountaindale Libraries, among others.
Additionally, the project is expected to grow collaborations between 木瓜影院 and predominately Black organizations and engage new audiences with the region抯 Black history through public programming.
