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On the evening of Friday, December 5th, more than 100 residents and local leaders gathered at Cairo High School to mark the beginning of a new chapter in local preservation: the official launch of the Cairo African American Heritage Trail and the Cairo Oral History Project (CAAHT). The two initiatives, funded by the Illinois Innovation Network with contributions from the College of Fine and Applied Arts and the Campus Research Board, are led by Prof. Magdalena Novoa (Urban Planning) and Don Patton, President of the community organization, The Cairo Historical Preservation Project. The initiative represents a renewed commitment to documenting and elevating the history of African Americans whose lives and labor have shaped the city for generations. Cairo, Illinois, sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and has long been a strategic crossroads of commerce, military activity, and Black freedom struggles, including its role on the Underground Railroad. Its Civil War contraband camp or Freedman camp, river-trade economy, and pivotal Civil Rights activism make it a historically significant site of Black power, contestation, and cultural memory. Despite that, chronic disinvestment and prolonged segregationist politics have eroded the city’s economy and accelerated out-migration, its community continue the effort to unveil the untold histories of its community.
The CAATH empowers residents and guests to discover the history that defines Cairo’s vibrant African American community, both online and in the very places where it happened. Historic landmarks are now found at different locations around Cairo, highlighting the Black community’s cultural contributions to the city. Recorded oral history interviews with long-time residents and archival records — available online via QR codes on the on-site landmark signage — provide residents and visitors alike with a deeper understanding of these often-untold aspects of Cairo’s history. A dedicated website serves as a platform accessible from anywhere to explore digitized photos, stories, landmarks, and oral histories, ensuring that Cairo’s Black cultural heritage is preserved and honored for generations to come. The project involved the collaboration of Prof. Julia Rendleman, Southern Illinois University–Carbondale, Prof. Joseph Altshuler, UIUC School of Architecture, Fabian Araneda, Associate Research Scientist, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Camila Madariaga and Daniela Morales, doctoral students in urban planning and a local team of interviewers who conducted the oral histories and produced videos.
