Canton Church of the Brethren

S2 – Episode 03: Forgottonia Brewing – What Does it Take to Run a Successful Business in Rural America?

Published on October 12, 2019October 13, 2019 by Canton Church of the BrethrenLeave a comment

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

Published on October 7, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren4 Comments

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

Published on September 28, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren5 Comments

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?

Published on September 16, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren4 Comments

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.

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S2 – Blog 02: Sundown Towns: Why Studying Sundown Towns Matters

Published on September 3, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren5 Comments

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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S2 – Blog 01: Sundown Towns: What are Sundown Towns?

Published on August 26, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren5 Comments

When Dr. James Loewen decided he was going to research sundown towns, he figured he might find about 50 or so of these communities spread across the country. To his surprise, he claimed to uncover more than 500, and that was just in his home state of Illinois! He estimates that at its peak in 1970 there were approximately 10,000 sundown towns throughout the country. So what exactly are sundown towns?

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S2 – Episode 01: What Are Sundown Towns?

Published on August 19, 2019October 12, 2019 by Canton Church of the Brethren5 Comments

On the first episode of our second season, we were extremely fortunate to interview Dr. James Loewen about his book “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism.” We asked the essential question: What are Sundown Towns?

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 College in Mississippi, the University of Vermont, and the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.

Continue reading “S2 – Episode 01: What Are Sundown Towns?” →