On Tuesday, June 20th, at 6:00 p.m. central, the LaSalle Public Library will virtually host Historian and Educator, Caroline Kisiel for her unique program, “Lives in Code: Stories of African American Resilience Under the Illinois Black Codes, 1819 – 1865.”

It is often surprising for Illinoisans to learn about the long history of slavery, racial segregation and exclusion in Illinois’s past. Federally obligated by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to pass its constitution as a free state in 1818, residents in the region prior to Illinois statehood had practiced slavery and indentured servitude since the 1700s. This laid the groundwork for harsh laws passed post-statehood called the Illinois Black Codes, which regulated the lives of enslaved people, indentured servants and free Blacks in Illinois from 1819-1865.

Among the restrictions under these Codes, free Blacks residing in the state were required to possess certificates of freedom and register themselves and family members with the court; hiring of free Blacks who did not possess certificates of freedom was considered a crime; bringing slaves into the state for the purpose of freeing them was deemed a crime, and enslaved people were barred from selling goods, gathering in groups, or traveling more than ten miles from their master’s home. Despite these restrictions, African Americans in nineteenth-century Illinois persevered. This virtual presentation will highlight stories of African American resilience under the Illinois Black Codes.

Caroline Kisiel is a public historian and educator who has been teaching for over 25 years. With a background in immigration law, literature, history, storytelling, and performance, Caroline writes and presents on early Illinois history and is currently conducting research on the role of Albion, Illinois in the struggle to keep Illinois slavery-free in the early years of statehood as well as research on stories of African American resilience under the Illinois Black Codes.

This is a free program, open to the public, and made possible through a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, a state agency. Illinois Humanities is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General Assembly, through the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, as well as by contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations. This unique program is free and open to the public. Register – https://rb.gy/3omb6. For more information, please contact the LaSalle Public Library at 815-223-2341.