Booker T. Washington Home

Booker T. Washington Home. . , Located on this site until 1969, the Booker T. Washington Home was a refuge for orphaned African American children. Its roots go back to 1918 as the McLean County Home for Colored Children. At that time, Bloomington-Normal chose to segregate and house its most vulnerable children by the color of their skin. By 1920, there were 30 children ages 2 to 16-cared for by Alexander and Cedonia Barker. Renamed in 1942 for national Black leader Booker T. Washington, the home welcomed children from a variety of circumstances – including broken and abusive homes. Many children were also biracial, and for much of the 20th century they were ostracized by white society. From 1927 to 1957, Napoleon and Louise Calimese were the home's managers. The children under their care attended local schools and churches, with some earning college degrees and others enjoying successful careers. The most notable alumna was Elizabeth Louise Ebo, who converted to Catholicism and graduated from Trinity High School. She applied to a nursing school program in Bloomington but was denied admission because she was Black. Undaunted, she entered a religious order in St. Louis. As Sister Mary Antona Ebo, she was one of six nuns known as the “Sisters of Selma” – who marched in Alabama with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for voting rights in 1965. Following Selma, Ebo would remain active in seeking social justice for African Americans and in integrating Catholic institutions.