The Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian grew up in Macomb before going on to be one of the leaders of the American Rights movements of the 1950s and 60s.
The western Illinois community will celebrate the centennial of his birth with events in the downtown area on Tuesday, July 30.
“You’re talking about somebody that had an impact on a movement that changed the country – some of its laws, some of its rights and privileges, more equity, opportunity, and inclusion,” said city council member Byron Oden-Shabazz, who’s involved with planning the celebration.
He said Vivian brought about change not through the use of force, but by emphasizing peace and love.
The celebration
Oden-Shabazz said July 30 will be declared Alpha Phi Alpha Day in Macomb. Vivian was a member of that fraternity. The proclamation will be read during a ceremony at noon at the C.T. Vivian mural site in the 200 block of East Carroll St. A plaque will also be installed at the site.
Select works from Vivian’s art collection will be displayed at the Macomb Arts Center starting at 5 p.m. It’s the first time they’ve been shown publicly. The public reception will also feature music by Chris Vallillo and remembrances of Vivian by several of his children.
The artwork will remain on display at the MAC through Sept. 14.
The celebration will return to the site of the Vivian mural at 7 p.m. for a program including speakers and music. Afterward, cake and ice cream will be served across the street at Chandler Park.
Oden-Shabazz said there will also be a golf tournament held in Vivian’s honor that will raise money for scholarships. The event will be held at the Harry Mussatto Golf Course in Macomb on Aug. 30.
‘A large impact’
Cordy Tindell Vivian was born in Missouri on July 30, 1924. His family moved to Macomb when he was still quite young.
Vivian graduated from Macomb High School and attended Western Illinois University before moving on to Peoria, where he participated in his first demonstration, helping to integrate a diner in 1947.
He later worked alongside the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and participated in Freedom Rides.
In 2008, Vivian founded the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute in Atlanta to train and educate the next generation of grassroots activists.
“He had such a large impact not only in America but other places in the world that knew of his work,” said Oden-Shabazz. “He was willing to defy a system that had failed a people, and to say these people deserve an opportunity.”
President Barack Obama awarded Vivian the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. It’s the nation’s highest civilian award.
In 2015, Vivian returned to Macomb, where the high school library was named in his honor, the stretch of North Lafayette St. from University Dr. to the intersection with Route 136 was given the honorary designation of Dr C T Vivian Way,” and he served as Grand Marshal for WIU’s homecoming.
A plaque marking the site of Vivian’s boyhood home in Macomb was installed in 2018. Oden-Shabazz’s goal is to build a center for civic and social engagement at the now-empty lot.
Vivian passed away in Atlanta on July 17, 2020, just a couple weeks before his 96th birthday.
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