Cornerstones represent heritages and legacies. At least nine out of more than thirty African American churches in Champaign-Urbana have cornerstones that are living testimonies of our past. This article highlights four of these nine churches in words and pictures.

The dates on cornerstones help us place them in historical context. This helps us recognize the sacrifices and accomplishments of African Americans as they established congregations and church buildings, and sought respectful positions in society. For example, it is important to know slavery reigned from 1619 to the end of the Civil War in 1865, that Reconstruction took place from 1867 to 1877, that Jim Crow laws and the rise of segregation lasted from 1877 to 1954, and the Civil Rights era was from 1954 to 1980. When we consider Salem Baptist's cornerstone, which reads 1866, we begin to see how eager and determined African Americans were as they built churches just after the abolition of slavery, but before Reconstruction. This is even more significant considering Illinois was not the most hospitable place for African Americans, even after the end of slavery.

However, sometimes cornerstones do not tell the whole story. Churches were burned, destroyed, torn down and rebuilt. Therefore dates on some cornerstones are not always accurate. For example, the Bethel Church cornerstone shows the date 1892. The inception of the church can actually be traced to 1863, two years before the Civil War ended - and in a state that almost became a slave state! Another example is St. Luke, which began in 1909, but its cornerstone reads 1914.

The photographs are of four churches from different denominations: African Methodist Episcopal (AME), Black Baptist, Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME, where the "C" used to stand for "Colored"), and Black Freewill Baptist. The denominations originated outside of Champaign-Urbana (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Silver Bluff, South Carolina; Jackson, Tennessee; Cairo, Illinois respectively), demonstrating their rapid growth in trying times. These churches were started by a small group of people who met to pray at someone's home.

Cornerstones begin to tell the story of our communities and churches. They show how far we have come and help us to renew our commitment to the legacy we share. Whether you visit or regularly attend a church, take some time to consider the significance of its cornerstone.