The Missouri State University Libraries, located on the main Springfield campus, is collaborating with Missouri Humanities and other cultural memory organizations on a cluster of “Roots & Routes” Signature Series events in Springfield on Friday and Saturday April 28-29, 2023. These events are free and open to the public. 

The Sixth annual symposium will focus on the theme “Roots & Routes of the Ozarks: People & Pathways.” Conversations will center around the movement of people into, out of, and within the Ozarks—examining how both chosen and forced migration and how historical changes in transportation continue to inhabit and shape the region.

A keynote address by Candacy Taylor, author of the book The Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, will be held on Friday evening beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Fox Theater on the Square, followed by a day of panel discussions and presentations on Saturday at various venues around Springfield. For instance, at 1:00 on Saturday there will be a free screening of Missouri Humanities’ “Si Otsedoha (We Are Still Here): Remembering Cherokee Removal,” a short film that follows the Remember the Removal Bike Ride and highlights the endurance, emotions, and bonds of Cherokee people over nearly 1,000 miles along the Trail of Tears. Missouri is the longest and one of the toughest sections of the ride

MO Humanities, headquartered in St. Charles, is a statewide nonprofit organization, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Support for MO Humanities is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Missouri, and generous individuals across Missouri.