Political Moses: John J. Bird, A Long-Forgotten Civil Rights Leader in Illinois

John J. Bird (1844-1912), though long forgotten, was one of the most important civil rights leaders of Post-Civil War Illinois. As head of the state's second largest Black community, located in the city of Cairo, during the 1860s-80s, Bird oversaw the establishment of the city's Black Republican wing that provided the community with unprecedented political influence within this hostile, majority-white town. Bird rose to prominence across Illinois in 1873 when he became the first African American to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, a position he held for nine years. Also in 1873 he became the first elected Black judge in Illinois history. He worked tirelessly in support of public education for African American children in the state, became a prominent leader in the Black convention movement and an influential newspaper editor in both Cairo and Springfield during the 1880s and 90s. Bird was also…