Restoring Dignity to the Forgotten: A Call to Honor the Lives Buried at Kankakee State Hospital Cemetery. (Formerly Eastern Illinois Hospital for the Insane 1877- now Shapiro Developmental Center). 

My great-great-grandmother, Clara, was a patient at Kankakee State Hospital- a victim of her time, abandoned by family and forgotten by society. She lived for over 26 years and died within its walls- though she was not laid to rest in its cemetery. Still, I can’t stop thinking about the thousands who are. Their stories remain untold. Their memories deserve to be honored.

For decades, individuals who lived and died under the care of Kankakee State Hospital (Eastern Illinois Hospital for the Insane) were buried in its cemeteries, the majority of the graves, marked with numbers. These numbered markers are a haunting symbol of how society once treated those with mental health struggles- with neglect, anonymity, and shame. This petition is a call to action: to restore dignity, visibility, and respect to those buried at the Kankakee State Hospital Cemetery.

We propose:

-Reasonable public access to the cemetery grounds, so families, descendants, and researchers can reconnect with their history.


-Signage that honors the site’s history, acknowledging those buried and restoring public awareness of its institutional legacy.


-Ongoing preservation and maintenance, ensuring the cemetery remains a sacred, dignified space for generations to come.

These individuals were more than patients, and many were simply misunderstood for the times they lived. They were sons, daughters, siblings, and friends. Their lives mattered. Their stories deserve to be told-not buried beneath neglect. By supporting this petition, you help ensure that the voices of the forgotten are finally heard. You help build a future rooted in compassion, transparency, and respect for those who lived in institutional care. Please join us. Sign the petition. Help restore dignity to those who were denied it in life- and again in death.

Update: The Right to be Remembered

What’s happening in Kankakee is part of a much bigger issue across Illinois. Forgotten cemeteries, whether on private land or state-managed property, remain locked away and neglected, hidden from the families and communities who deserve to remember them.

 We’re building support for the Kankakee Institutional History and Burial Access Act, which would guarantee public access and dignity for these historic burial sites. Please continue to share this campaign with anyone who values history, mental health advocacy, or human dignity. Every signature helps show Illinois lawmakers that those forgotten in life must not be erased in death.