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Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine & 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic

with Dr. Lindsey Stewart
2026-02-12 13:00:00 2026-02-12 14:00:00 America/Chicago Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine & 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women with award-winning Author and Professor of Philosophy Dr. Lindsey Stewart. Please register. Virtual -

Thursday, February 12
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Add to Calendar 2026-02-12 13:00:00 2026-02-12 14:00:00 America/Chicago Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine & 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women with award-winning Author and Professor of Philosophy Dr. Lindsey Stewart. Please register. Virtual -

Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women with award-winning Author and Professor of Philosophy Dr. Lindsey Stewart. Please register.

Feminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart’s book, The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic, tells the stories of Negro Mammies of slavery; the Voodoo Queens and Blues Women of Reconstruction; and the Granny Midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era. These women, in secrecy and subterfuge, courageously and devotedly continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions.

Conjure informs our lives in ways remarkable and ordinary—from traditional medicines that informed the creation of Vicks VapoRub and the rise of Aunt Jemima’s Pancake Mix, to the original magic of Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), and the true origins of the all-American classic blue jean.

From the moment enslaved Africans first arrived on these shores, conjure was heavily regulated and even outlawed. Now, Stewart uncovers new contours of American history, sourcing letters from the enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun and other African mystics. The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the real magic Black women used, their herbs, food, textiles, song, and dance, used to sow rebellion, freedom, and hope.

Join us to take part in the magic and celebrate the legacy of America’s founding Black women. Register for free today!


About the Author: Lindsey Stewart is a Black feminist philosopher and an Associate Professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis. She is the author of The Politics of Black Joy. Her work has been featured in Blavity, Signs, Hypatia, and the British Journal for the History of Philosophy, and she holds a 2021 Michael Beaney Prize. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

Please Register for link to program.

Live Virtual Author Talks - This new series through Library Speakers Consortium offers live online talks by bestselling authors of books in a variety of genres. Participants receive a link to the program when they register. Please see https://libraryc.org/gailborden to register and also view recorded videos of past speakers.

AGE GROUP: | Virtual Live | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | Adult Programs |

TAGS: | |

Virtual
Phone: 847-742-2411
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Upcoming Events

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Exhibición de Fiestas de Primavera - Spring Fiestas Exhibit
Sun, Apr 12, All day
Main Library
Ven, celebra y apoya el arte latino.
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 1:00pm - 1:15pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 1:15pm - 1:30pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 1:30pm - 1:45pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 1:45pm - 2:00pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 2:00pm - 2:15pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Sunday Afternoon Concert - Hollis Prize Winner's Recital
Sun, Apr 12, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Rooms ABC
Millikin University’s School of Music is pleased to present soprano Morgan Reckamp in the 2026 Hollis Prize Winner's Recital made possible through the generosity of MU's alumnus, Dr. Kimm Hollis. R
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 2:15pm - 2:30pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 2:30pm - 2:45pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Read to Rover for K - 8: South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Sun, Apr 12, 2:45pm - 3:00pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Corridor
Practice your reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Registration required. For grades K through 8.
Registration is now closed
Exhibición de Fiestas de Primavera - Spring Fiestas Exhibit
Mon, Apr 13, All day
Main Library
Ven, celebra y apoya el arte latino.
Preschool Storytime - For ages 3-6
Mon, Apr 13, 9:15am - 9:45am
Main Library - Story Room - North
Calling all preschoolers! This storytime features stories, songs, and rhymes for ages 3-6.
This event is full
Elgin Genealogical Society Writers' Group
Mon, Apr 13, 10:00am - 11:00am
Main Library - Conference Room
A special interest group that encourages and assists with writing family stories and histories. Participants share their stories for help with ideas, clarification, and resources.
Story Mix for Birth-6
Mon, Apr 13, 10:00am - 10:30am
Main Library - Meadows Community Rooms ABC
Join us for an interactive storytime! Best for kids birth-6 years with an adult caregiver. All ages are welcome. Drop-in!
Monday Movies - No Shushing Event
Mon, Apr 13, 10:00am - 12:00pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Hoffer Meeting Room
Everyone is welcome to come watch and listen.
Tech Mobile Stop: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church - EPEL Playgroup
Mon, Apr 13, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Mobile Services
330 Griswold St, Elgin, IL 60123
Armchair Generals - "Becoming Frederick Douglass"
Mon, Apr 13, 11:45am - 1:15pm
Main Library - Grove Room
Civil War-era discussion group. Meets 2nd week of the month. No registration.
Spanish Café / Conversation Group - Café en Español / Grupo de Conversación
Mon, Apr 13, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Room B
Come, learn and practice Spanish! Intermediate level participants will practice conversations in Spanish by doing activities in the library or visiting places in the community.
This event is full
Bookmobile Stop: Old Oaks Estates
Mon, Apr 13, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Mobile Services
Near Joyce Ln & Nancy Ann Ln, Elgin
STEAM: Earth Day - (In Person) Grades K-5
Mon, Apr 13, 4:00pm - 4:45pm
Main Library - Sally Lee Fox & Eagle Rooms
Earth Day is on April 22nd. Let's do some STEAM projects designed to celebrate our incredible planet!
Registration is now closed
Puppet Pals - Grades: Pre-K & K - South Elgin Branch - South Elgin Branch
Mon, Apr 13, 4:45pm - 5:15pm
South Elgin Branch - South Elgin - Shales Children's Activity Room
Come join in to hear a story and create a puppet. Register to join.
Bookmobile Stop: Huff Elementary
Mon, Apr 13, 4:45pm - 5:45pm
Mobile Services
801 Hastings St. Elgin
Lost Treasures of the Titanic
Mon, Apr 13, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Virtual
James Cameron’s Titanic imagined the Heart of the Ocean, but what real treasures were lost? This lecture explores fascinating, valuable goods that sank with the ship on April 14, 1912.
Register
Bookmobile Stop: St. Francis Park
Mon, Apr 13, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Mobile Services
Jefferson Ave. Elgin
Crochet Club
Mon, Apr 13, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Main Library - Grove Room
Get hooked on crocheting! Bring a project to work on. All skill levels welcome. Please Register
ASL Practice Club - American Sign Language
Mon, Apr 13, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Main Library - Meadows Community Room C
Opportunity to practice & build your signing skills in a fun, supportive environment! NOTE THIS IS NOT A CLASS, but a group of people with varying degrees of proficiency helping each other practice!
MS Excel Series
Mon, Apr 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Computer Training Room
In this series, learn how to use Microsoft Excel to manipulate, format, and organize numbers and other types of data. Sponsored by Comcast Internet Essentials.
This event is full
Great Books Discussion Group - HYBRID - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Mon, Apr 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Main Library - Conference Room,Info Serv - Zoom
Co-sponsored by the American Association of University Women Elgin Area Branch. Click on the event title for a list of assigned books. Facilitated by Barbara Njus and Gail Cohen. Please Register.
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