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Woodlawn tilling its future
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Volunteer Barbara Suelter wears clothing of the 1800s as she sits in the parlor at Woodlawn Farm. Suelter is excited that limited tours of the historic farm are set to begin June 1. The farm has been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Darren Iozia | Journal-Courier
The foundation that oversees Woodlawn Farm is looking to the future to preserve the past.
The farm at 1453 Gierke Lane, which is believed to have had ties to the Underground Railroad, closed its doors in March 2020. The small spaces and small rooms common to an 1800s home and the cost of cleaning them proved to be big problems amid a pandemic.
Audio for the story.
Grace Hou is the secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
She explained that she and Deputy Governor Sol Flores came up with the idea for the grant during a conversation. Both have done community-based work and have experienced racial healing activities.
Then came the events of the past year.
“And so, you know, we re in the middle of the pandemic, and we continue to be in the summer. And then the images and the reports of the police brutality,” she recalled. “There was so much anguish, and hurt in Illinois, you know, protests, civil unrest.”
West Side Show Room receives grants
Rockford Register Star
ROCKFORD The West Side Show Room was recently awarded grants to offset class fees and ensure its Equity Diversity Inclusion Workshops are accessible to everyone in the Rockford area arts community.
The Show Room has used the COVID-19 downtime to develop an educational program to benefit the community. EDI Workshops For The Arts gives local arts leaders and participants a common language to help address racial and social inequities in the arts.
Locally, the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois and Rockford Area Arts Council have both awarded grant money for the workshops. A statewide Healing Illinois Grant, developed through a partnership between the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Chicago Community Trust, was also received. The Show Room is one of only a few from the stateline area to receive a Healing Illinois Grant.