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Illinois' First Black Lieutenant Governor Reflects on Family History and Lincoln's Legacy
Illinois' first Black lieutenant governor reflected on the state's history and her family's journey during an emotional address, connecting the legacy of Abraham Lincoln to her own path in public service.
She recalled that the U.S. Senate seat Senator Dick Durbin represented was once the subject of the famous debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Those debates centered on slavery and helped shape the political events that led to Lincoln's presidency.
The speaker is Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who made history when she became the first Black person to serve in the position in 2019.
Stratton described how the Emancipation Proclamation changed her family's future. She said her great-great-grandfather, William Stevens, was freed from slavery, eventually allowing him and his brother to establish a town in Mississippi.
Stratton connected that family history to her own achievement, saying the freedom secured generations earlier helped make it possible for her to become Illinois' first Black lieutenant governor.
Her remarks invoked the legacy of Lincoln and the state's place in the national struggle over slavery, drawing a direct line between a defining chapter in American history and her family's journey.
By: NBC Palm Springs
November 3, 2026
IllinoisBlack historyIllinois lieutenant governorAbraham LincolnStephen DouglasEmancipation ProclamationWilliam StevensIllinois politicshistoric speech
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