Lewis Lemon
Carl Towns as Lewis Lemon: Can a black man who was enslaved become a city founder? Discover how Lewis Lemon gained his freedom and became one of the founders of the city of Rockford, IL in 1834. His story begins in Wake County, North Carolina on the Lemon Plantation, through Galena, Illinois, Kent Creek and the Rockford Settlement. In 1977, on the 100th anniversary of Lemon’s death, students from Wilson Middle School in Rockford rediscovered his story. They raised money and placed a gravestone where he was buried in Greenwood Cemetery so future generations would know the name of Lewis Lemon and his story. That gravestone pays tribute to this important man, saying “Born Slave- Died Free” - “A Founder of Rockford”. This is his story as written by Dorothy Paige-Turner.
Thanks to: WTVO
Introduced by Eric Wilson of WTVO
Filmed by Brent Jepsen and Joel Svendsen of WTVO
Epilogue by Illinois State Representative, Maurice West
Supplemental Musical Performances for Lewis Lemon:
“Down by the Riverside” – Playing for Change
Why does Lewis Lemon sing this song in the presentation – what does it mean to you?
“Wade in the Water” by Kim and Reggie Harris
This song was used to guide slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Our friends Kim and Reggie Harris visited Peace Day in Rockford several years ago. They explained that the hand motions could be used to relay the directions without using words – a kind of sign language.