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Rock Island leaders in limbo after returning federal Black history grant

From the start, members of the Rock Island Coalition of African American Stakeholders spoke out against the plans due to a lack of input from the Black community.

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Plans surrounding a project that would promote Black history in the Rock Island are up in the air after the city voted to return a $33,500 grant back to the federal government.

"It really was a difficult decision," Rock Island 5th Ward Alderman Dylan Parker said.

The Rock Island City Council on Monday, Feb. 14 voted 6-1 to return the funds.

RELATED: Rock Island group calls for federal grant return due to lack of Black community input

"I wish we could have been able to execute it correctly by bringing people to the table from the beginning," Rock Island 1st Ward Alderman Moses Robinson said.

The federal grant would have boosted efforts to highlight Black history throughout the city. 

"I heard repeatedly how it felt like a no-win situation," Parker said.

The project would have included a trail of 10 historical markers in town.

"I really did not see this as a victory," Rock Island Coalition of African American Stakeholders member Gaye Burnett said.

The group was formed in response to the project and argued the local Black community was left out of discussions and those stories should be told by the people of color that live there.

"It was a battle we should not have had to fight," Burnett said. "We have qualified professionals here … Why are we overlooking them?"

Burnett said stakeholders' next steps will be to make sure this kind of project moves forward.

"When it came to the Rock Island Black community, the information needed to be documented," Burnett said.

The council said this was a lesson the city must learn about inviting key stakeholders to the table for important discussions.

"There is an imaginary line between city hall and the residents of the city of Rock Island," Robinson said. "That communication has to improve."

It could take up to a year to receive federal funding for the project if the city chooses to reapply for the grant, the council said. 

The council said that Rock Island already had roughly $100,000 set aside for similar projects. However, a federal grant would have allowed the sites to be classified under the national registry.

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