The Dirksen Congressional Center is offering up multiple opportunities over the next two months to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the signature achievement of Pekin’s U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen.

Art and Achievement Together
Through Aug. 12, visitors to the Peoria Riverfront Museum will be able to view several rarely seen artifacts from the Dirksen Center collections as part of a temporary exhibit celebrating an icon of the civil rights movement.

The “Good Trouble Quilts” exhibit pays tribute to the late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis. It features quilts designed by artists offering homage to Lewis’ decades of activism for civil rights and voting rights. 

Lewis, who spoke in central Illinois for the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, had a well-known love of quilts, and often called for activists to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.”

Expressing the central Illinois connection to Lewis’ activism, artifacts from Dirksen on display include his typewriter with a portion of his speech calling for passage of the Civil Rights Act, as well as Dirksen’s copy of the bill signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

“Unknown Hero” of Civil Rights
Non-violent protest is remembered as a hallmark of the Civil Rights Movement that helped bring equal rights to Americans regardless of race, religion or national origin. But who helped nurture those values in the movement’s key leaders?

The Dirksen Center is hosting a reception and a viewing of the award-winning documentary “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” on Aug. 23 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. 

It was Rustin who worked to mentor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1950s in the tenets of nonviolence that helped the movement achieve national awareness and success. But many of Rustin’s contributions didn’t make it into the history books, including his role setting the stage for King’s famous “I have a dream” speech by planning the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Time magazine has called Rustin the “unknown hero of the civil rights movement.”

The evening will feature a reception with hors d’oeuvres, a private screening of the documentary, and a panel featuring Rustin’s longtime life partner Walter Naegle and documentary producers Bennett Singer and Mridu Chandra.

The event runs from 5 to 7:30pm on Friday, Aug. 23, with tickets available at www.dirksencenter.org.

A Community Display
A series of Dirksen artifacts related to civil rights, including thank-you proclamations signed by civil rights leaders and correspondence with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will also be on display at Mineral Springs Pavilion during the Pekin Marigold Festival.

The “marigold museum” exhibit will also include items related to the life of Dirksen and his family in Pekin, including those connected to the city’s celebration of its centennial 100 years ago. Pekin is celebrating its bicentennial this year.

It will be open from noon to 3pm on Saturday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8. Admission is free.