Dr. Brian Mitchell is an accomplished historian and author. Two years ago, the Springfield community and the state of Illinois were incredibly lucky to have him join the staff of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as Director of Research and Interpretation. 

Over the last two years, Dr. Mitchell has been active at the local and state level with work highlighting race relations in historic Springfield, organizing conferences on Illinois history, serving on the advisory board of the Illinois State Historical Society, as well as speaking at and supporting many of the historic and cultural endeavors throughout the state of Illinois.

A Reconstruction-era expert, Dr. Mitchell brings a unique insight to the Lincoln scholarship centered in Springfield and at the ALPLM as well. 

On December 12, Dr. Mitchell was fired from his job at the ALPLM, under a "scathing performance review". At issue, it is believed, was his reluctance to sign off on a flag that had provenance, or origin, issues, that he couldn't in good faith support the purchase. 

Provenance issues have led to previous historians being fired twice in the ALPLM's past when the origin of an item was questioned by historians after the purchase was made. 

How many well educated, highly respected historians are going to have their jobs jeopardized for DOING THE JOB? When is enough, enough?

Please help us petition Gov. J.B. Pritzker to get Dr. Brian Mitchell his job back. Historians should not be in fear of job loss for speaking up on issues of provenance and history in historic settings and museums in the state of Illinois.