EAST PEORIA, Ill. — The Legacy Wall, a 400-square-foot traveling exhibit, will come to Illinois Central College to share the lives of famous LGBTQ+ people from Oct. 9 to 20.
The exhibit features digital interactive mini-biographies on LGBTQ+ people who've contributed to more than 20 fields of history and culture. Historical figures like the father of modern computing Alan Turing, astronaut Sally Ride, Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo will be among the 125 biographies featured in the exhibit.
The Legacy Wall was created by the Legacy Project, a Chicago-based cultural and educational organization dedicated to researching and promoting LGBTQ+ people who've made an impact on history and culture. The organization is also behind the Legacy Walk, a series of 25-foot "rainbow pylons" with biographical plaques that tell the stories of notable LGBTQ+ figures, found in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
A reception will be held Monday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. to unveil the exhibit, along with words from guest speaker Victor Salvo, co-founder and executive director of the Legacy Project. Salvo was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1998 and has been an activist for over 40 years. He's worked with charities, election campaigns, and advocacy groups to educate the public on the contributions of LGBTQ+ people and to eliminate bullying of LGBTQ+ youth.
The exhibit showing lines up with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, an awareness day for LGBTQ+ people meant to support anyone "coming out of the closet," or sharing their LGBTQ+ identity.
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