This month, we are exploring the topic “What it Takes to Run a Successful Business in Rural America.” The following blog post features key takeaways from our recent interview with the owners of Forgottonia Brewing in Macomb.
Author: Canton Church of the Brethren
The Canton Church of the Brethren (CCOB) is a community of faith that values dignity, putting it into practice by fostering wholeness, balance, and peace through respect of God’s creation .
S2 – Blog 05: Sundown Towns and the history of segregation in the North
We are beyond excited to share this blog post from our new contributing author, Alyssa (Hall) Anderson. Alyssa not only teaches sociology at Western Illinois University, but she is an alumni of Cuba High School and currently resides there as well (read her full bio below). In this blog, she discusses the history of housing discrimination and racial segregation in the North.
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S2 – Episode 03: Forgottonia Brewing – What Does it Take to Run a Successful Business in Rural America?
On this episode were fortunate to speak with some local entrepreneurs who not only started a new business in Macomb, IL, but they are kindred spirits because they named it “Forgottonia!” Sean West and his partners Scott and Susan Park of Forgottonia Brewing in Macomb, share their story on starting a business and how they are incorporating Forgottonia history. The essential question we asked is “What Does it Take to Run a Successful Business in Forgottonia?” We hope you enjoy this conversation and if you have any questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you. Continue reading “S2 – Episode 03: Forgottonia Brewing – What Does it Take to Run a Successful Business in Rural America?”
S2 – Blog 04: Sundown Towns: How to Research Your Town’s Sundown History
One of the things we enjoyed most about Dr. James Loewen book Sundown Towns, is how he encourages readers to do their own research. This is also an outstanding opportunity to put into practice that history is something you do, not simply something you remember. Gather what evidence you can and determine for yourself if your town was a sundown town. The following blog post is advice from James Loewen about how to conduct your very own research.
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S2 – Blog 03: Sundown Towns: What We Learned About Our Own Town
These past few weeks, we’ve been learning about sundown towns and the impact they’ve had on rural America today (Check out the links below). We were stunned to learn that our informed expert Dr. James Loewen (author of Sundown Towns & Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong”) spent many hours conducting research for his book right here in Forgottonia. Although Dr. Loewen lives on the east coast and conducted research throughout the country, a large portion of his work focused on his home state of Illinois; including the communities of western Illinois, collectively known as Forgottonia. Dr. Loewen poured over census records, studied maps, and visited with local historians, librarians, and anyone else willing to speak to him. We recommend you get a hold of the book to read for yourself. We’d also encourage you to check out the sundown town database on Loewen’s own website linked here – Loewen’s website – Sundown Towns Database.
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S2 – Episode 02: Sundown Towns – What is the Legacy of Sundown Towns in Rural America?
On this episode, we conclude our interview with Dr. James Loewen about his book “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism.” We asked 2 essential questions: What is the legacy of Sundown Towns? Plus, how do you conduct research in your own town?
Dr. Loewen is a talented author, historian, and sociologist. He is best known for his 1995 book, “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong” (Reprinted in 2009). In 2005, Loewen published “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism” which focuses on communities throughout American where African Americans, Jews, and other minorities were forced or strongly encouraged to leave town prior to the sun setting. An Illinois native hailing from Decatur, Dr. Loewen earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University. He has taught at Tougaloo Colle in Mississippi, the University of Vermont, and the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.
S2 – Blog 02: Sundown Towns: Why Studying Sundown Towns Matters
As mentioned in our podcast interview, Dr. James Loewen didn’t just write a book about sundown towns, he wrote THE book. He did a lot of research in small towns–especially in Illinois–which has enabled us to learn a lot about our own communities. (By the way, if you haven’t already, Loewen has a massive database on his website you should check out by following this link – Loewen’s website – Sundown Towns Database). But of all the questions we’ve asked, one stands out as most important; why does all this matter? As we lean into this question, three overall themes come to mind that address why this research matters.
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