Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Slaves moved north via a secret network of abolitionists – the Underground Railroad.

State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) co-chaired a task force to study Illinois’ place in it. He says history is complicated.

“There are some very good parts of history, and there are some very disturbing parts of history,” said Koehler. “History is history. The race riots in Springfield were the impetus of what created the NAACP, and that’s now going to be recognized as a national historic recognition.”

The commission spent about a month putting together a report, and its members want the Illinois General Assembly to pay attention to it.

Underground Railroad Task Force Findings