Evanston History Center Launches Free Public Lecture Program

Evanston, Illinois. The Evanston History Center (EHC) announced that beginning in January 2024, all events in its public lecture series will be free to all. Formerly, EHC’s popular “Under the Buffalo” series was free only to EHC members and general admission was $10 for each event.

In November 2023, under the direction of Deborah Kasindorf, EHC’s new executive director, staff decided to retire the “Under the Buffalo” lecture series title and create a new, inclusive program which would be offered free of charge. The program is called “Talks@EHC.”

The move comes at a time when EHC is working to expand its outreach and make its programming more accessible. It also follows EHC’s recent announcement that all District 65 and 202 educators could visit the Dawes House, headquarters of the Evanston History Center, and use the research room free of charge.

“Talks@EHC is one of our efforts to expand our content to resonate with more members of our community,” said Kasindorf. “Our goal is to tell complete American stories based in Evanston and to share perspectives that may lead to solutions to today’s issues. We are especially grateful to our members and donors for making it possible to make these programs free to the public.”

The upcoming season runs from January through May 2024 and includes seven programs ranging in topics from the Underground Railroad in Illinois to Evanston’s first “passive house.”

“The Evanston History Center is a community-centered place,” said Dr. Jenny Thompson, EHC’s director of education. “We work to bring in speakers and design programs that will appeal to a broad range of people and we want everyone to be able to enjoy these programs.”

Last summer, Thompson explained, EHC launched a highly successful free “pop up” daytime lecture series. Now, EHC wants to build on that momentum and expand the free programming concept to apply to all of its lecture programs.

The first program in the series, “Realizing MLK’s Dream on the North Shore: The Past, Present and Future of Fair Housing,” is co-sponsored by Open Communities, an Evanston-based civil rights organization that works to eradicate housing discrimination and unjust practices that perpetuate segregation and inequity. The event, which will include a presentation and panel discussion, takes place on January 11, 2024, just before the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

To learn more about the series and to RSVP for free, visit:

https://evanstonhistorycenter.org/series/upcoming-event

Evanston History Center, housed in the National Landmark Charles Gates Dawes house, 225 Greenwood St., Evanston, IL. 847-475-3410

www.evanstonhistorycenter.org