3/6/2024 | Marina Montez-Ellis, Garden Program Specialist

Doris Wylie Hoskins was born in Champaign in 1911 and dedicated her life serving Champaign County as an UIUC employee, community volunteer and African American historian and archivist. Ms. Wylie Hoskins worked with African American families, religious institutions, businesses and local communities amassing a diverse collection of historical material. Her hard work led to a collection of photos, verbal histories, interviews and ephemera spanning from 1831 to 2010. Stories of early African American settlers, segregated housing protests and anti job discrimination rallies are included in her collection.

Hoskins’ tremendous effort to document African American history in central Illinois was the focus of This Legacy is Yours exhibit at the Museum in 2001. The exhibit was a collaboration between the National Council of Negro Women, Champaign County Chapter and the Museum of the Grand Prairie.

The Museum of the Grand Prairie received the Doris Hoskins collection in 2010 as a donation from the Hoskins’ family.

The Doris Hoskins and John Lee Community Linkage Award was established at the University of Illinois to honor Doris Hoskins and to recognize the outstanding service, leadership and innovation of a student with respect to racial equity and social justice on campus and the broader community.

We proudly celebrate Doris K. Wylie Hoskins during Women’s History Month.