Illinois Students Help Turn Abandoned Barbershop into Museum Honoring the First Black Man to Vote in the State

David Strother, the barbershop’s original owner, became the first Black voter in Illinois after the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870

NEED TO KNOW

• A group of Illinois high school students helped transform a neglected former barbershop into a museum dedicated to Black voting rights
• The barbershop was owned by David Strother, who became the first Black person to vote in Illinois following the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870
• The Project XV Museum is located in El Paso, Ill.

A group of students in a small Illinois town helped transform a long-neglected building into a museum honoring a groundbreaking moment in American history.

The Project XV Museum in El Paso, Ill., about 90 miles southwest of Chicago, celebrates the life of David Strother, a former barber who became the first Black person to vote in Illinois following the ratification of the 15th Amendment…