La Grange Village Trustee Rev. Shawana McGee stood outside the La Grange Community Center Sunday and made her feelings perfectly clear.
“This is the best community there ever was,” she told the crowd of several hundred people. “We took care of each other.”
The occasion was the dedication of CommUNITY Mosaic Mural, celebrating the completion of a testament to the Eastside Community’s history as a longtime African American neighborhood.
The completed mural represents several hundred work hours by community volunteers laying tiles to finish the project and financial contributions by community members, some as living in other states.
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The mosaic was sponsored by the CommUNITY Diversity Group (CDG) and presented to the Park District of La Grange.
“This started years ago to bring a community together through art,” Marian Honel-Wilson, CDG president, said before the dedication. “A community made this happen.”
The mural, gracing the East side of the Community Center at 200 S. Washington Street, depicted significant stories of the Eastside community’s history, including, as the promotional material pointed out, the past, the present, and the future.
One panel, described as a tree with roots, represented the generations of families with roots in La Grange, stretching all the way back to the 1800s.
Another, had the image of a train and represented the migration of African Americans that came from the South to work in factories such as Reynolds Aluminum and GM Electro-Motive. Still another depicted athletes playing softball, basketball and other activities.
While seven panel/stories had been in place for several weeks, the final was unveiled Sunday and represented the future. It showed a fruit tree — like the ones common in the yards of Eastside residents — expressing the theme that the community would continue to grow and change while focusing on sharing and celebrating the connection with family, faith, and love.
The dedication ceremony included the Marjays, a rhythm and blues trio, and scheduled performances by the LT Steppers, a break dancing demonstration by Motion Disorderz Crew and music by DJ OD. The Interfaith Choir sang “We are The World,” the song made famous in the 1980s by U.S.A. for Africa.
After the unveiling of the final panel, food and refreshments were served, much of it courtesy of local eateries.
Park District of La Grange Commissioner Lynn Lacey spoke to the crowd and noted the history of the neighborhood.
“Hello,” she shouted to the crowd, “I want to hear some noise. This is a celebration.”
Lacey noted the trust shared by neighbors.
“This is my treasure on the Eastside,” she said. “We don’t lock our doors. This is La Grange.”
Several village officials were on hand, including Village President Mark Kuchler and trustees Beth Augustine and Peggy Peterson.
“This is a gorgeous reflection of a community coming together,’ Augustine said.
Park Board President Brian Opyd, said that he hoped the future would hold more events, saying “don’t stop the celebration today.”
Ren Herr said that he was a member of the same church as Shawana McGee, and had become friends with her family.
“My wife and I served meals there and found that to be a rewarding experience,” he said.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.