More than 100 people decided not to let Saturday's blistering July heat keep them away from a peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration in Elmwood.
With temperatures spiking into the high 80s by mid-morning, demonstrators gathered in the lightly shaded Central Park in the middle of the rural city's square.
Brooke McClaskey grew up in Elmwood, about 30 miles west of Peoria. As a parent now raising three young children here, she said it's important to push back against the casual racism she sometimes sees and stand up for what's right.
"I've seen some racism go from generation to generation. Unfortunately, I thought it would die out with older generations, and it would become normal for everybody to become accepting and inclusive. And unfortunately, that has not been the reality," McClaskey said.
As a Black man born and raised in Elmwood, Brandon Butler said one missing component is more education around Black history.
"If we do not speak about our history, then we will just repeat it. And seeing the things that are happening in the world today, we are going backwards. We are not going forward," he said.
Butler said the American education system largely only mentions Black history during Black History Month in February, and it largely rehashes the same topics every year - such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.
He advocates for a deeper dive and greater understanding through Brandon's Black History, a social media-driven educational effort he recently started.
"We're trying to teach history that has not been taught in schools," he said.
He said he focuses on topics like the Red Summer of 1919, Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, and Seneca Village, a 19th-century Black settlement cleared to make way for New York's Central Park.
He said because nobody's teaching the lessons of these people and events from the past, history is repeating itself now.
"People that are being oppressed today have always been oppressed, and we've always been fighting for the same rights that other people have," Butler said.
Other speakers included Jayshree Panchal, a former English teacher who came up with the idea for the event and talked about how to be an ally; Abigail Livengood, a 17-year-old incoming Elmwood High School senior who recited the names and stories of several Black people killed in officer-involved incidents; and Pierre Paul, who explained privilege and sang the "Black National Anthem."
Like in many other central Illinois towns, there was some concern about a Black Lives Matter protest buzzing around on social media in the days before the event, though it was peaceful like similar Black Lives Matter events held in Peoria, Pekin, Peoria Heights, and Metamora.
"I've heard a lot of people to say that there's been so much negativity surrounding this, and I want people to know that that's absolutely not the truth," said McClaskey. "For the one blip of negativity, there has been just absolutely an explosion of love."
We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WCBU will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WCBU can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.
