Honoring History: The Genesis of the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail

By: Kyle Huff

8 Minute Read | Updated Oct 23, 2024

Discover how Champaign County’s African American Heritage Trail honors and preserves the region's rich history, uniting the community through a shared commitment to remembering and celebrating the contributions of African Americans.

In the wake of the social unrest of 2020, leaders in Champaign County, Illinois, recognized the need to honor and preserve African American history within their community.

We met with Terri Reifsteck, Vice President of Destination Branding & Development for Experience Champaign-Urbana, to learn more about how the destination organization is collaborating with local partners to tell these essential stories through the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail. Originally started as a single mural project, the comprehensive trail now consists of 23 markers, multiple murals, videos, curriculum, and a revitalized park that help chronicle the region's rich African American history.

Sparking Change Through Preservation

In 2020, amidst the challenges of the pandemic and protests over racial injustice, a conversation between Jayne DeLuce, President & CEO of Experience Champaign-Urbana, and a city council member highlighted the need for a project that could help heal the community. They recalled a now-demolished mural that had once played a vital role in educating school children about African American heritage.

As a steward of the destination and facilitator of community activities, Experience Champaign-Urbana started the process of exploring how to create a new mural to rebuild that critical storytelling. The organization quickly recognized that a single piece of artwork couldn't adequately capture over 130 years of African American history — the struggles, perseverance, and triumphs — that desperately needed to be addressed.

Established in 1863, pre-dating the University of Illinois, Bethel A.M.E. Church is the oldest African American led church in Champaign County.

Experience Champaign-Urbana reached out to community members, the University of Illinois, museums, and other local organizations with a history of showcasing Black heritage in the region. Through these discussions, it became evident that to accurately capture the diverse stories, moments, and landmarks a more extensive approach was needed. This realization led to the development of a trail featuring multiple stops and markers, allowing for a richer, more comprehensive representation of the area's African American history.

The conversations evolved into the formation of a volunteer committee, co-chaired by longtime community members and University of Illinois alumni: accomplished artist and curator, Angela Rivers, and educational consultant and former school superintendent, Dr. Barbara Suggs-Mason. The committee, led by Rivers and Suggs-Mason, began identifying the themes which the trail would chronicle, and the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail was born.

Challenges Met with Collaboration & Innovation

Creating the Trail was no small feat. The challenge of gathering historically accurate information was compounded by the fact that much of the history was passed down orally. “A lot of these stories have just been passed down from generations,” Reifsteck explained, highlighting the urgency of capturing these narratives before they were lost.

Once these storytellers were identified and the information was acquired, Experience Champaign-Urbana worked closely with local archivists, historians, and community members to verify information and ensure the trail's authenticity, with each sign and website entry passing through several rounds of edits and reviews prior to publication.

The Ellis Drive Six: This neighborhood led group advocated for desegregation in schools locally and successfully made Urbana School District 116 the first to voluntarily desegregate in the state of Illinois.

Funding was another significant challenge. Initially, the project relied on small donations and sponsorships, but a grant from the Illinois Office of Tourism through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity propelled the project forward. This grant, matched by significant local contributions, enabled Experience Champaign-Urbana to not only install the trail markers but also commission murals, create videos, develop an app for self-guided tours, and renovate a park as a tribute to African American musicians.

Community Engagement: A Trail That Resonates

The African American Heritage Trail is more than just a collection of historical markers; it’s a living, breathing tribute to the community through a distributed museum concept. Key sites include a marker for Frederick Douglass’s visit to Champaign and several locations on the University of Illinois campus, where stories of resilience and progress are brought to life.

Notably, the trail focuses not only on positive stories of progress, but also conveys key moments of struggle in the communities’ history. Experience Champaign-Urbana and the trail planning committee felt it essential to share all aspects of the African American experience in the region, including stories of discrimination and segregation that impacted many community members, as well as University of Illinois students; some of whom had served in World War II. The University of Illinois was supportive and an empowering agent in sharing these stories, which can now be found on signs placed throughout the campus.

Maudelle Tanner Brown Bousfield was the first African American to enroll in the University of Illinois and went on to become the first Black principal in Chicago. A new University of Illinois residence hall was named in her honor.

One standout project is the revitalization of Skelton Park, which honors the local African American music scene. This once-forgotten space — located in an area which was once home to many of Champaign’s original Black-owned businesses — has been recently transformed into a vibrant community hub, complete with a Hall of Fame honoring local musicians, plus musical play instruments, and a performance area with a beautiful sculpture commissioned to Preston Jackson. Experience Champaign-Urbana and the committee made it a priority to involve the community in this project, offering them the opportunity to purchase commemorative bricks. This initiative not only helped fund the project but also deepened the community’s connection to the park, as many returned for the ribbon cutting to see their contributions immortalized.

“When the Experience Champaign-Urbana Foundation told leaders of the Rotary Club of Champaign about the African American Cultural Heritage Trail and about the plan for Skelton Park to showcase African American musicians from Champaign County, we became very excited,” exclaimed Janet Ellis-Nelson of the Rotary Club of Champaign, one of the primary funders for the park. “We saw this as an opportunity to help transform a rundown area of Champaign into a community showcase that would uplift African Americans and open the eyes of all other races to the significant contributions African Americans have made in Champaign County!"

Stakeholders and co-chairs celebrate the ribbon cutting of Skelton Park.

Measuring Success & Looking to the Future

As Experience Champaign-Urbana and their community partners continue to develop the trail, they measure success by the milestones they achieve — installing signs, creating murals, and developing educational programs. However, the true measure of success will come as they begin to market the trail outside the local community. Experience Champaign-Urbana plans to assess the trail’s impact through visitor engagement, educational outcomes, and shifts in public perception of the region’s history. “Once we are able to really start marketing this opportunity, we will certainly have different KPIs to look at,” Terri explained.

Looking ahead, Experience Champaign-Urbana is committed to expanding the trail and ensuring its long-term sustainability. Plans include additional murals, a robust educational curriculum for local schools, and the formation of a steering committee to guide the trail’s future. Terri emphasized the importance of involving new generations in this work: “We want this to be here for the long term. We need some dedicated volunteers within the community to do that.”

We have people engaging with our office that had never engaged with us before. You just have to kind of ignite that passion through a bigger project.

Terri ReifsteckVice President of Destination Branding & Development, Experience Champaign-Urbana

Lessons Learned: A Blueprint for Other Communities

The African American Heritage Trail offers valuable lessons for other communities looking to preserve their own histories. Involving a broad range of community members and stakeholders from the outset can lead to a more inclusive and impactful project. By leveraging local networks, Experience Champaign-Urbana was able to uncover hidden stories, gain widespread support, and create a heritage trail that truly reflects the community's diverse history.

“We have people engaging with our office that had never engaged with us before,” Reifsteck remarked. “You just have to kind of ignite that passion through a bigger project.”

The committee’s work also underscores the importance of ongoing collaboration, as they continue to guide the trail’s evolution and ensure its long-term sustainability. For other communities, this model demonstrates how a well-organized and inclusive committee can be the backbone of successful cultural preservation initiatives.

Experience Champaign-Urbana team member, Estella, provides a tour for a youth group in the newly unveiled Skelton Park.

Reflections & Future Aspirations

The Champaign County African American Heritage Trail is a powerful example of how a community can come together to honor its past and inspire its future. As Experience Champaign-Urbana continues to build on this foundation, the trail is set to become a lasting legacy, not just for Champaign-Urbana but as a model for other communities nationwide. Through collaboration, innovation, and a deep respect for history, the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail will continue to tell the stories that shape our shared heritage.

Photos courtesy of Experience Champaign-Urbana

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Author

Kyle Huff

Director of Growth Marketing, Tempest

Kyle Huff is Tempest’s Director of Growth Marketing, where he oversees the company’s efforts to enhance the visibility, engagement, and growth of destination partners through forward-thinking SEO, creative storytelling, and performance marketing techniques. Before joining Tempest, Kyle served as the Content Manager for the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, where he promoted the city of Philadelphia to a global audience of meeting professionals, event planners, and international visitors.

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