Students and the Champaign-Urbana African American Community

Picture: Salem Baptist Church in Champaign (1950s)

While African American students were excluded from most campus activities, they became involved in the local African American community in Champaign and Urbana. Some students lived with families and many participated in churches, such as Salem Baptist, and other community groups. This helped to create a close relationship between the African American community of Champaign-Urbana and the African American students in the era before Project 500 and the diversification of Illinois.