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The Black Guards

Date: 12/11/1968

Citation:

"The Black Guards," Peoria Journal Star, Dec. 11, 1968.

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Categories:

1963–1969: Civil Rights Hits Peoria Segregation and Desegregation

Tags:

Afro-American Service PatrolBlack GuardsBlack Power movementself-defense

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  • 1. The Carver Center Serves an Enclosed Community (1942–1954)

    • Push Plan for Negro Center

      Push Plan for Negro Center
      –11/13/1942–

      As Peoria's black population surged in the 1940s, plans for a new community center were laid

    • Center Fund Drive Opens

      Center Fund Drive Opens
      –12/02/43–

      The Center Fund Drive launched with hopes of raising $15,000 in a week.

    • Carver Center Is Dedicated

      Carver Center Is Dedicated
      –12/11/1944–

      For its founders, the Carver Center promised to inaugurate “the postwar of tomorrow”

    • Pursuit of Freedom

      Pursuit of Freedom
      –11/1949–

      The mural, a mix of uplift and militancy, that faced Richard onstage at the Carver Center

    • Red Feather Agency Builds Useful Life

      Red Feather Agency Builds Useful Life
      –10/15/1952–

      The Carver Center was thriving in 1952 — and would-be juvenile delinquent “Bob” was proof

    • A Gallery of the Carver Center’s First 10 Years

      A Gallery of the Carver Center’s First 10 Years
      –1954–

      Modern dance and checkers, jazz and basketball — all were on tap at the Carver Center

  • 2. The Congress of Racial Equality: Integration Experiments (1945-1946)

    • Letter from George Houser to Dick Trotter

      Letter from George Houser to Dick Trotter
      –04/13/1945–

      When an “interracial action group” formed in Peoria, the president of the Congress of Racial Equality offered his support

    • Letter from Dick Trotter to George Houser

      Letter from Dick Trotter to George Houser
      –05/16/1945–

      "Sit-down strikes" in eating establishments were the first protests organized by Peoria's CORE chapter

    • Letter from Dick Trotter to George Houser

      Letter from Dick Trotter to George Houser
      –07/21/1945–

      Its membership growing, Peoria's CORE aimed to desegregate public pools as well as local restaurants

    • Letter from Hazel Pritcher to George Houser

      Letter from Hazel Pritcher to George Houser
      –06/03/1946–

      CORE broadened its fight for racial justice by taking on a high school's staging of a blackface minstrel show

    • Inter-Racial Committee Pickets 6 Restaurants

      Inter-Racial Committee Pickets 6 Restaurants
      –06/15/1946–

      Restaurant managers boasted defiantly of improved sales after Bradley University's CORE chapter picketed their establishments

    • Benjamin Alexander, Black Activist, Remembers CORE

      Benjamin Alexander, Black Activist, Remembers CORE
      –1991–

      A detailed, intimate account of the interracial alliance behind CORE's sit-ins

  • 3. A Cold War Episode: Singer Paul Robeson Blackballed in Peoria (1947)

    • Peoria Bans Robeson; He Vows to Sing

      Peoria Bans Robeson; He Vows to Sing
      –04/18/1947–

      The Cold War heated up in Peoria when radical singer Paul Robeson came to town

    • Edward Robb Ellis Interview with Paul Robeson

      Edward Robb Ellis Interview with Paul Robeson
      –04/19/1947–

      An in-depth interview of Paul Robeson, freshly banned from Peoria

    • Paul Robeson Defies Peoria Ban

      Paul Robeson Defies Peoria Ban
      –04/26/1947–

      The Chicago Defender sympathetically reported on Robeson's defiance of Peoria's conservatives

    • Story Behind the Barring of Robeson

      Story Behind the Barring of Robeson
      –05/03/1947–

      A detailed autopsy of the banning of Paul Robeson in Peoria, from the Baltimore Afro-American

    • Strange Case of Paul Robeson

      Strange Case of Paul Robeson
      –05/03/1947–

      A condemnation of Paul Robeson's behavior in Peoria from The Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper.

    • From Fred Douglass to Robeson, Peoria Hasn’t Improved

      From Fred Douglass to Robeson, Peoria Hasn’t Improved
      –05/03/1947–

      Peoria's ban of Paul Robeson echoed its chilly reception of Frederick Douglass 65 years before

    • Crucifixion of Paul Robeson Blasted by Press in India

      Crucifixion of Paul Robeson Blasted by Press in India
      –05/24/1947–

      A newspaper in New Delhi expressed outrage over Paul Robeson's ban in Peoria

    • Peoria Legion Post Charter Revoked

      Peoria Legion Post Charter Revoked
      –08/14/1947–

      After the Robeson incident, the hammer came down on Peoria's black American Legion post

  • 4. Snapshots of the Black Community (1952-1957)

    • John Clark Discovers Negroes Now Talking

      John Clark Discovers Negroes Now Talking
      –10/11/1952–

      A reporter dropped into Bris Collins's tavern to take black America's pulse — and met Richard's “Uncle Dickie”

    • The Story Of The Negro In Peoria — Chapter 1

      The Story Of The Negro In Peoria — Chapter 1
      –04/05/1957–

      Sparked by the postwar surge in Peoria's black population, the Journal Star surveyed the state of black Peoria

    • Right To Vote Their Problem, Leaders Say

      Right To Vote Their Problem, Leaders Say
      –04/09/1957–

      Low black voter turnout was behind black underrepresentation in Peoria politics

    • Types of Work Vary — Reach to Professions

      Types of Work Vary — Reach to Professions
      –4/11/1957–

      Juliette Whittaker was among the professionals spotlighted in “What Negroes do for a living in Peoria”

    • Some of Most Persistent Myths Explode

      Some of Most Persistent Myths Explode
      –04/15/1957–

      With liberal conviction, the Peoria Journal Star debunked the myth of scientific racial superiority

    • Housing Effort By Tenants Succeeds, Fails

      Housing Effort By Tenants Succeeds, Fails
      –04/16/1957–

      A case study in white resistance to desegregated housing in Peoria

    • Harper Known Nationally For His Work

      Harper Known Nationally For His Work
      –4/17/1957–

      Carver Center director Henry Harper was a gentle man with bulldog tenacity

  • 5. Leaders In Search of Followers (1958–1962)

    • Human Relations Report Cites Negro Gains Here

      Human Relations Report Cites Negro Gains Here
      –01/26/1959–

      Despite recent accomplishments, overcrowding in the “black belt” of Peoria remained a problem

    • “The Negro Situation in Peoria”

      “The Negro Situation in Peoria”
      –10/12/1960–

      The PJ Star argued everyone was "somewhat to blame" for the high black drop-out rate

    • Story Of A Failure…Why Didn’t Our Negroes Answer?

      Story Of A Failure…Why Didn’t Our Negroes Answer?
      –11/9/1960 –

      Why did so few blacks in Peoria respond to a newspaperman's basic question?

    • Teacher Gives Wisdom, Challenge To Negroes

      Teacher Gives Wisdom, Challenge To Negroes
      –11/10/1960–

      A Peorian teacher emphasized education in the fight for desegregation

    • How Much of Racial Inequity Can Negroes Overcome?

      How Much of Racial Inequity Can Negroes Overcome?
      –11/11/1960–

      Who was to blame for low black social mobility — Peoria or blacks themselves?

    • Churches, Businessmen, Aid Negro Cause Here

      Churches, Businessmen, Aid Negro Cause Here
      –11/17/1960–

      Local churches and businessmen organized the first Trade Fair for black high school and college students

    • The Friendship Tea

      The Friendship Tea
      –06/13/1962–

      Juliette Whittaker was among the ladylike faces of this Peorian Civil Rights initiative

  • 6. The Civil Rights Movement Winds Up (1963–1964)

    • March Until Bus Company Capitulates

      March Until Bus Company Capitulates
      –06/20/1963–

      Racist hiring practices were targeted in a NAACP-organized bus boycott

    • ‘No Racial Tension Here,’ Says Mayor

      ‘No Racial Tension Here,’ Says Mayor
      –06/21/1963–

      Black Peorians were staging a bus boycott, but Peoria's Mayor claimed there was “no racial tension here”

    • Gwynn Says There IS Racial Tension in Peoria

      Gwynn Says There IS Racial Tension in Peoria
      –06/22/1963–

      Peoria's NAACP president argued that racial tension suffused “almost every phase of life in Peoria”

    • Mayor Day Admits Discrimination in Peoria

      Mayor Day Admits Discrimination in Peoria
      –07/03/1963–

      Unemployment and poor housing were problems that couldn't be solved by demonstrations, said Peoria's Mayor

    • Negro Effect on Property Put To Test

      Negro Effect on Property Put To Test
      –08/07/1963–

      A newspaper investigation found property values rarely dropped when a “colored family” moved in

    • Call Inter-Racial Visits Big Success

      Call Inter-Racial Visits Big Success
      –10/28/1963–

      Over 200 people hosted integrated parties for Peoria's Inter-racial Home Visitation Day

    • Landlords Profit While South Sides Goes To Pot

      Landlords Profit While South Sides Goes To Pot
      –12/05/1963–

      For lack of a better option, Peoria's blacks were forced to rent overpriced and poorly maintained housing

    • Carver Variety Show Satire Provides ‘Touch’

      Carver Variety Show Satire Provides ‘Touch’
      –12/06/1963–

      From the imagination of Juliette Whittaker, a Dixiecrat senator's tour of Hell

    • Black Peorians Dropout in Alarming Numbers

      Black Peorians Dropout in Alarming Numbers
      –11/2/1964–

      By November 1964, a 77% high school dropout rate beset black Peoria - higher than Chicago and Springfield.

    • Negro Heroes In Peoria

      Negro Heroes In Peoria
      –11/17/1964–

      The Peoria Journal Star saluted those black Peorians who had entered the middle class

  • 7. The Movement Turns Up the Heat (1964–1968)

    • Fire Bomb Tossed Through Window Of Rehm Barber Shop

      Fire Bomb Tossed Through Window Of Rehm Barber Shop
      –11/23/1964–

      A barbershop where blacks had been refused service was struck with a Molotov cocktail

    • I, Too, Sing America

      I, Too, Sing America
      –02/1966–

      A glimpse of a musical number from Whittaker's Civil Rights inspired pageant, “I, Too, Sing America”

    • School Board Agrees To Meet After Singing Sit-In

      School Board Agrees To Meet After Singing Sit-In
      –07/19/1966–

      The NAACP staged a singing sit-in to press for changes in school curriculum and employment practices

    • 6 Jailed For Disorderly Conduct

      6 Jailed For Disorderly Conduct
      –07/21/1966–

      The NAACP pressured for school reform with another sit-in — and six were arrested

    • 200 Students Walk Out in Protest March

      200 Students Walk Out in Protest March
      –11/09/1967–

      Teens in the NAACP staged a walk-out to protest inadequate conditions at their school

    • 120 Negro Students, Suspended Yesterday, Barred

      120 Negro Students, Suspended Yesterday, Barred
      –11/10/1967–

      120 Manual High School students were barred from returning to class the day after the mass walk-out

    • School Protests Suspended For Week

      School Protests Suspended For Week
      –11/15/1967–

      After approximately 6,200 total student absences, student demonstrators paused to regroup

    • Black Muslim Group Opens South Side Temple

      Black Muslim Group Opens South Side Temple
      –2/5/1968–

      The Nation of Islam made inroads among Peoria's black population

    • School Desegregation in Peoria, Illinois

      School Desegregation in Peoria, Illinois
      –06/1977–

      The US Commission on Civil Rights examined why a busing program hadn't alleviated segregation in Peoria's schools

  • 8. A Movement Everywhere on the Move: Richard Visits Peoria, March 1969

    • The Black Guards

      The Black Guards
      –12/11/1968–

      Twelve black men took up arms to patrol their community — with the sanction of city hall

    • ‘Together In Peoria’

      ‘Together In Peoria’
      –02/29/1969–

      Businessmen in Peoria showed a growing concern for race relations with an $85,000 pledge to Project TIP

    • Meeting Dates Set For Police-Community Talks

      Meeting Dates Set For Police-Community Talks
      –03/05/1969–

      To allay black mistrust of Peoria's police, city leaders planned three-day retreats with blacks, police, and businessmen

    • BU Establishes Black Culture House, Sets Afro Degree Plan

      BU Establishes Black Culture House, Sets Afro Degree Plan
      –03/07/1969–

      Protests by Bradley University's Black Student Alliance resulted in two new academic institutions

    • No Union Men Attend Rights Group Meeting

      No Union Men Attend Rights Group Meeting
      –03/08/1969–

      White-dominated construction unions were no-shows at a meeting to integrate building trades

    • Campbell Pledges Blacks in Building Trades Soon

      Campbell Pledges Blacks in Building Trades Soon
      –03/09/1969–

      An “open society” in Peoria was the goal of the Tri-County Urban League's annual seven-part statement

    • Richard Pryor Returns To Peoria Stage

      Richard Pryor Returns To Peoria Stage
      –03/09/1969–

      A benefit for the local Afro-American Black Peoples Federation brought Richard Pryor back to the Carver Center stage

    • B.U. Statement Sound

      B.U. Statement Sound
      –03/10/1969–

      Three days later an editorial praised Bradley's “Statement of Principles” for enforcing the civil rights of all races

  • 9. The Movement Radicalizes and Splinters (1969–1977)

    • The Enchanted Cage

      The Enchanted Cage
      –11/27/1962–

      Carver Center teens, including later Black Panther Mark Clark, rehearsed a scene from “The Enchanted Cage”

    • Malcolm X Asks: “Who Will Help Mend America?”

      Malcolm X Asks: “Who Will Help Mend America?”
      –1969–

      Juliette Whittaker's Civil Rights fresco

    • Panther Clark Expected Death, Sister Reveals

      Panther Clark Expected Death, Sister Reveals
      –12/29/1969–

      An obituary for Mark Clark — a Peorian Black Panther killed alongside Fred Hampton in a pre-dawn raid by Chicago police in 1969

    • Gunman Slain As Pupil Held Hostage In School

      Gunman Slain As Pupil Held Hostage In School
      –05/02/1973–

      In a high-stakes hostage standoff, the gunmen refused negotiations with anyone but Juliette Whittaker

    • Whittaker: Young Man of Great Potential

      Whittaker: Young Man of Great Potential
      –05/02/1973–

      Juliette Whittaker remembered gunman (and Black Panther) Melvin Burch as “a very gentle man”

    • Civil Rights Movement: Where Has Peoria Been?

      Civil Rights Movement: Where Has Peoria Been?
      –05/12/1974–

      Twenty years after Brown v. Board of Education, the Journal Star examined the arc of the city's Civil Rights Movement

    • The View From Peoria: It’s Not Playing Well

      The View From Peoria: It’s Not Playing Well
      –6/30/1974–

      The Washington Post traveled to Peoria to take the pulse of the nation during the Watergate crisis

    • School Desegregation in Peoria, Illinois

      School Desegregation in Peoria, Illinois
      –06/1977–

      The US Commission on Civil Rights examined why a busing program hadn't alleviated segregation in Peoria's schools

Archive created under the supervision of Scott Saul,
in collaboration with The Spatial History Project at Stanford University
and the D-Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.
— click here for site credits —
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