Once known as a 'sundown town' and KKK stronghold, Pekin tries to move past racist history

In the past, Pekin was Ku Klux Klan headquarters for an area encompassing more than 40 Illinois counties. The old Pekin Bridge warned Black people they risked attack if they remained in Pekin after dark. River communities were a haven for bounty hunters to kidnap free Black people and sell into slavery. In his...

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Black James W. Loewen KKK Pekin Pekin Bridge Sundown Towns