African American Heritage Trail unveils 2 new signs in Champaign-Urbana

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Two new signs were unveiled for the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail on Tuesday.

One sign stands near the corner of Main and Freemont Streets in downtown Champaign. It describes the 1961 J.C. Penney Boycott and Picketing Campaign, which addressed local employers’ unfair hiring practices. The successful protest was led by Black Champaign-Urbana residents.

The sign joins two others on Main Street: one that commemorates Frederick Douglass’ 1869 visit and another that acknowledges the impact of the Illinois Central Railroad on Champaign County’s African American community.

Tuesday’s second new sign is placed outside Entrance 9 of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. It recognizes six members of the Hays School Neighborhood Association — also known as the “Ellis Drive Six” — who got the Urbana school board to institute Illinois’ first desegregation program in a school district in the 1960s.

This sign is the second to be installed within Urbana’s Dr. Ellis Subdivision. Earlier this year, the first sign was put on the corner of Goodwin and Eads to share the history of the subdivision and its namesake.

Evelyn Burnett Underwood was a member of the Ellis Drive Six. She was present at Tuesday’s sign reveal.

“I want them to understand that we never gave up,” she said. “We never gave in, but we had no hate.”

Shirese Hursey is an Urbana City Council member and the daughter of two members of the Ellis Drive Six. She said the new marker serves as a powerful reminder.

“It would take more than two signs to share the full impact of the neighborhood and its residents, but it feels great to know this history will continue to be seen and discussed as part of the African American Heritage Trail. I hope everyone in our neighborhood, and everyone who visits, will feel empowered. Today’s challenges may seem monumental, but when we stand up for our communities, work together, and refuse to back down, we can make a difference.”

Jayne DeLuce, President and CEO of the Experience Champaign-Urbana Foundation, said the signs outline important stories of courage within the community.

“These signs celebrate two instances in which African American residents faced discrimination
head on and improved the community for everyone. The men and women who lived this history should be inspirations to us all.”

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