Marker to Recall Segregation of Miller Park

"Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”

1940: Miller Park's whites-only beach.

That famous quote attributed to Edmund Burke, a one-time orator, political theorist and British member of parliament, is behind a new effort at Bloomington's oldest park.

The Illinois State Historical Society is putting up a marker to stand as a permanent reminder of the history of racial segregation at Bloomington’s Miller Park.

From 1908 and into the early 1950s when the beach was closed for a time, the swimming area at Miller Park was divided by a well-maintained section with a lifeguard and an unkempt, unguarded section labeled “Blacks Only.”

The Community Has A Secret

Mark Wyman, a retired Illinois State University distinguished emeritus history professor, said when the beach was reopened in 1957, there were no references to the decades of segregation.

The marker the McLean County League of Women Voters erected in Franklin Park in 2005 to recognize the local resident who was the first woman elected to the Illinois Senate.

Credit Illinois State Historical Society

"I saw the secret really develop then because in all of the editorials about reopening and in the speeches by the mayor, no mention that it used to be segregated until it closed in 1953," said Wyman, who along with historian Jack Muirhead researched the history and interviewed residents about what they knew about the separate and not-so-equal policies at Miller Park lake.

“People were not aware of that. ‘Did we ever have segregation here?’ they asked longtime residents. The replies were all the same, ‘No, too far north. No, never heard of it.’ Wyman said he and Muirhead heard the same response many times. "That’s when I realized this community has a secret."

The NAACP is supporting the project along with the McLean County Museum of History and the Not In Our Town (NIOT) coalition. Camille Taylor of NIOT said history has a way of repeating itself, so the marker is an important recognition of this community's ability to discriminate.

"Our mission is to stop hate, address bullying and to make a safe, more inclusive community for all so the things that Mark describes would certainly be under that mission in terms of sharing the history of segregation and where we are now as a community," Taylor said.

Taylor was involved in The Bloomington-Normal Black History Project, formed in 1982 to document the local history of the local black community with a collection that now contains photographs, portraits, booklets, articles, and artifacts.

The former Unit 5 counselor used those artifacts and documents for presentations during Black History Month at area schools. She said students could not understand why blacks were not allowed to swim in the same section of Miller Park lake.

"When I talked about Miller Park and a little girl named Phyllis Hogan who had to swim in the segregated part of the lake that had lots of debris and she got caught up in it and drown and some of the children were the same age as this little girl ... they couldn't believe it. They would ask, 'Why would they make those people do that?'" she said.

"That's when I realized this community has a secret."

Taylor said the students hearing those presentations in the 1980s and 1990s had no idea about this kind of treatment of blacks in their own community.

"Their eyes opened as big as saucers when they would hear things like the cheerleaders at Bloomington High School, going downtown to the square after a game and they wouldn't be served if a black cheerleader was with them, so all the cheerleaders got up and left," Taylor said about how the children responded to her accounts of discrimination.

She said the historic marker will be permanent and do more good to educate people and bring awareness than what she was able to accomplish through her school visits.

Plenty of Support

Wyman said he has encountered no opposition from city leaders including Alderman Karen Schmidt whose ward includes Miller Park. He was never worried about raising the estimated $4,000 to erect the marker and he says once he began talking about it, the money flowed in.

"Right away when I would mention it in talking to groups around town about our segregation past people would come out and say, 'I want to donate.'" He said several individuals who read about it in the McLean County Historical Society newsletter contacted us and offered donations.

The marker will measure 44 by 51 inches. There has not been an Illinois State Historical Society marker erected in the Bloomington-Normal area since 2005. Twelve years ago, the McLean County League of Women Voters sponsored a marker on the east side of Franklin Park honoring the life and career of pioneering lawmaker and community leader Florence Fifer Bohrer.

Wyman said plans are to put up the marker sometime this spring.

It includes 16 lines of text including a final line that reads, “Today, Miller Park—like all city facilities—is open to all.” 

Camille: Solidarity -- Questions Asked, Some Unanswered

Camille Taylor

WJBC Forum

After the Executive Order banning travel was signed, the Not In Our Town Facebook page lit up wondering how to show support of all of our neighbors. A solidarity event was planned last Sunday, and three days later almost 1,200 people showed up at the BCPA to support the diversity in our community.

Rabbi Rebecca DuBowe, NIOTBN Faith and Outreach.

The mission of Not In Our Town is to stop hate, address bullying, and to make a safe, more inclusive community. This positive event included prayers from the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Episcopalian faiths, speeches by both mayors, a U.S. Army Veteran immigrant from Kenya, a representative from the Immigrant Project, and representatives from two of our legislative offices. In addition, a member of the Dimmitt Grove Neighborhood Association shared the history behind a yard sign campaign that is springing up all over town.

The yard sign reads in Spanish, English, and Arabic as follows: “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor.” There was a small group outside the BCPA with signs that read, “In Our Town Pro-Citizen and Pro National Security. One man was quoted as saying, “What we see inside is a very negative message.”

Bloomington's Imam Abu-Emad Al-Talla, with NIOTBN's Mike Matejka and Dontae Latson.

I guess this is one of those “alternative facts!” If he’d actually sat inside, he would have seen signs like “Humanity has no borders,” “Never Stop Believing that Fighting for What is Right is Worth It,” “the American Flag,” and “Open House…Welcome.” He would have heard prayers, personal stories of immigrant relatives, and the invitations sent to our local, state, and national legislators.

Each was contacted and asked two questions: One: “Do you affirm your support of the First Amendment (Freedom of speech and religion); and two: Would you stand against any registry that was based upon a person’s faith beliefs?” Senators Durbin and Duckworth sent a legislative aide who read a letter supporting both questions. An aide for Senator Barickman read a statement that all were welcome to come to his office and/or share their thoughts (but it didn’t answer the question).

No replies were sent from LaHood, Sommer, Davis, or Bill Brady. Dan Brady was there for a time, but left before giving his answer. The Regional Office of Education, Wesleyan, Heartland, Unit 5, and District 87 sent statements of support to provide all students with a safe and inclusive environment, and Dave Bentlin represented ISU with a similar statement of support. The rally was affirming, inspiring, and encouraging! We are a nation of immigrants, and we must never forget it.

Camille: Stereotypes Obscure the Person Inside

Camille Taylor

WJBC Forum

A homeless person …a gang member…a terrorist. What images popped into your mind? Did you see a person of a particular race, gender, or age? If so, why did you get that particular image?

A stereotype is an idea about a thing or group that may be untrue or only partly true. It’s a judgment based on one or two pieces of information that don’t tell the whole story. They are often shared by many people such as “Politicians are dishonest” or “Rich people are snobs.” The problem with the stereotype paintbrush is you start to believe these untruths or partial truths without taking the time to get to know the individuals behind them.

Not In Our Town is a movement that has been active for about 20 years in our community. The vision of Not In Our Town is to eliminate hate, address bullying, and to make a safe, inclusive community. In order to do that, we know that there is no room for believing stereotypes which often leads to prejudice, discrimination, and hatred.

Last week, members of Not In Our Town mobilized when a sign that perpetuated a stereotype was displayed outside a local business. I was involved in a demonstration on the street outside the business and tried talking to the owner about why the sign was offensive. Unfortunately, the media headlines published “angry protestors” and “free speech” as the main focus. We were not angry, just full of conviction, and freedom of speech was never the issue. The issue was and always has been to make Bloomington/Normal a community where all people can live without fear of being stereotyped, discriminated against, or feel prejudice.

Last week I also spoke to about 25 young people at the McLean County Diversity Project Scholars’ Retreat at East Bay Camp. I shared the history and vision of Not In Our Town as well as why stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice hurt people. These young people gave me hope, because they wanted to understand and to learn. We had a good exchange of ideas and several hope to get involved with efforts to make their schools more inclusive and safer from bullying next year.

After talking to the scholars of the McLean County Diversity Project, I would say our community’s future is in good hands, because these young people share that vision of hope. I’m Camille Taylor for the WJBC Forum.

Camille: Not So Different

Camille Taylor

for WJBC-AM Forum

December 17, 2014

Do you remember the Seinfeld T.V. show when they celebrated “Festivus?” The main characters celebrated around an aluminum pole and had the traditional “airing of grievances” and “feats of strength.” The expression, “Festivus with the rest of us!” became very popular. I started thinking about how many different ways people all over the world celebrate holidays, particularly in late November through December. So of course, I “Googled” it, and here’s what I found. Of course most of this listening audience is familiar with the Christian celebration of Christmas which commemorates the birth of Jesus. Some who prefer a total secular celebration recognize the Winter Solstice which is the day when nighttime is longest and daytime is shortest. Buddhists celebrate Bohdi Day or Rohatsu around December 8th. It recalls when Buddha sat beneath a Bohdi tree, a type of fig tree, and was believed to achieve enlightenment thus escaping repeated incarnation. Jewish people celebrate Hanukah which is the Feast of Dedication and Festival of Lights. It recalls a time when a war was being fought for religious freedom. There was only enough oil in the candles for one day in a Jerusalem temple. However, the candles burned for eight days. Muslim holy days are fixed to the lunar calendar. The Feast of Sacrifice or Day of Sacrifice occurs during the 12th lunar month of the Islamic year, and it recalls when Abraham intended to follow God’s instructions to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Wiccans and some Neopagans celebrate Yule at Winter Solstice time. Yule was a pagan religious festival observed by historical Germanic peoples that was later absorbed into and equated with Christmas. From this small sample, you can see that no matter where in the world you live or whether you practice religion or not, people are celebrating and recalling some type of observance during this time of year. My proposal is that instead of debating over secular versus religious observances, we recognize that our world is a huge tent. We have plenty of room under that tent for people to observe and celebrate their individual customs without it being a threat or a problem to anyone else. So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Bohdi Day, or whatever, but most importantly, enjoy the time you have with the people you love the most. I’m Camille Taylor for the WJBC Forum.

Lunch and Learn: NIOT at the Museum

Twin Citians interested in cultural nourishment are invited to "Lunch and Learn" Jan. 8 at the McLean County Museum of History, in downtown Bloomington.

The twin cities of Bloomington - Normal, Illinois, were early adopters of Not In Our Town before a hate crime occurred. Then when a wave of arsons struck African American churches across the country, the campaign drew even more support from twin city residents. (3:19)

Not In Our Town: Bloomington-Normal is featured in the new year's first Lunch and Learn program, at 12:10 p.m. in the Museum’s historic Governor Fifer Courtroom on the museum's second floor. Visitors may bring a brown bag lunch and participate in a special presentation and group discussion led by NIOT organizers Willie Halbert and Camille Taylor. NIOT anti-bigotry/anti-bullying pledge cards will be available at the event.

The monthly Lunch and Learn series is sponsored by the Collaborative Solutions Institute of Illinois Wesleyan University and the Museum of History. Sessions are free and open to the public.

Bloomington-Normal's NIOT activities started in 1995 with the original screening of the documentary Not In Our Town on PBS and a series of community forums on local discrimination issues. Over the following 18 years, NIOT has been involved in further marches, diversity celebrations, community forums, and outreach to area schools. 

NIOT:BN recently "relaunched" with a new grassroots emphasis and an expanded focus on community inclusivity. Watch the video at left recapping NIOT:BN's pioneering initial campaign.

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