Kimberly France, the author of “Black Settlements in Southern Illinois,” will discuss her research for the book during a program from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library. The public is invited.
France — a native of Carbondale, Illinois, and a graduate of Howard University and Southern Illinois University — said in a March interview with WPSD television that she wants to encourage others to research Black history in their own communities.
“I just believe, as a person, that everyone should know who they are, whose they are, and why they’re here,” she said.
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The book, from Arcadia Publishing, was released in January.
“Never before has there been a published record that identifies the Black settlements in each of the lower sixteen counties of Southern Illinois,” states a description from Arcadia. “Few are aware of this legacy, which dates back to the early founding of the Illinois territory, but these communities are an essential part of the region’s heritage. Author Kimberly France identifies these historic institutions by the pillars that anchored them. She describes how Black settlement began, how it ended and the untold history that lies between.”
