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Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement in Joliet, 1950-1980

On June 4, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. appeared in Joliet, speaking to a crowd of 2,000 at Joliet Memorial Stadium. At the height of his notoriety in America, King’s visit was meant to amplify the local struggles with discrimination in schools, housing, employment, and business. However, years before King became a national figure and arrived in Joliet, the movements to create social change began, as they did throughout the nation, at the grassroots level by a coalition of local business, civic, church leaders and everyday citizens who organized against the forces of systemic racism. Hosted by the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Joliet Public Library, this virtual history program will highlight the conditions in Joliet around the time of King’s visit and the efforts of these everyday Joliet citizens to combat structural discrimination.

The program will include special guest Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath. McBath is a native of Joliet whose father, Dr. Lucien Holman, led the Joliet and Illinois Branches of the NAACP throughout some of the most arduous and pivotal years of the Civil Rights Movement. Congresswoman McBath will share her memories and reflections of Joliet while growing up inside the Movement.

Congresswoman McBath will be joined by fellow Congressman Bill Foster and current Joliet Branch NAACP President Mike Clark to offer their commentary and perspective of Joliet’s history and efforts in place today to address our nation’s ongoing struggles to end systemic racism.

The virtual program will be held via Zoom Webinar on Thursday, February 25 at 6:00 pm. Admission to the is free, but advance email registration is required. Please note: Congressional schedules may impact the ability of legislators to attend the program.

Feb 25, 2021 06:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)