As the first African-American engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad, Milton McDaniel remembers the extra miles he traveled to make the rough road a memory.

Although McDaniel was employed by the company in 1967, he still was not considered equal to his white co-workers. On occasional stops, McDaniel was walking 12 miles up the road to find a place to lay his head while the rest of his crew were tucked into warm motel beds.

I’ve learned that if you’re determined to be somebody, then you can overcome the obstacles, McDaniel said. It had its ups and downs, but I had the determination to continue on.

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McDaniel’s determination to continue working for the company signifies the purpose of the Southern Illinois Achievers, an organization of which he is the chairman. The Southern Illinois Achievers are African-American contributors in Southern Illinois.

An honorary exhibit opened at the Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Ave., Sunday with a program that included the singing of a youth choir and a prayer.

Covering the west walls of the Civic Center are photographs of African-American SIUC alumni, including actor Richard Roundtree and gubernatorial candidate Roland Burris. To the east are many pictures of the first African-American city council members, preachers and local teachers, including Superintendent of Carbondale Grade Schools Elizabeth Lewin.

The Southern Illinois Achievers are ice breakers, great achievers, neighborhood heroes and heroines and most importantly role models.

McDaniel said growing up he had nearly six role models. It is important for today’s youth to be exposed to positive people such as the Southern Illinois Achievers and not always celebrities.

Role models are so badly needed, McDaniel said. Today [role models] are basketball players and rappers, Tupac Shakur that’s

what our future is looking towards. We must give them more to look forward to.

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We should tell them, Look in the mirror. You have to start with you because you are somebody,’ he said. If no one else can be a role model for you then you can be a role model.

The exhibit attracted members of the community and SIUC students such as Tammy Holmes, a junior in English from Marion. She recalls the theory of Martin Luther King Jr., which has been one of the motivating forces in her life.

King he has been my role model because of his philosophy on the content of one’s character, Holmes said. And it’s nice to see that we as a community can come together and celebrate the African-Americans who have been dedicated to the community.

The Southern Illinois Achievers is an example of Nija Harvey’s definition of the perfect role model. She is now more inclined to become a role model herself.

Harvey, who sang with the Voices of Rockhill Youth Choir during the program, said the exhibit made her understand how important it is to be a role model. Once she graduates from Carbondale Community High School and attends college, she wants to work with foster children.

I love children, and I want to make sure they achieve their goals, she said. I know I will among other people who are helping the community.

It feels good knowing there are black people who have contributed to the community. [The exhibit] is to show everyone that the people in the history books are not the only ones who have made contributions.

Jim Scales of Career Services said that after 17 years the Carbondale community makes him feel more at home than his hometown of St. Louis. He is not surprised of all the achievements people have made.

People do so many good things and we never hear about them, Scales said. There’s a tremendous environment out there, and this shows what the common people do. They have made a mark on society.

Nancy Dawson, chairwoman of the Black History Month Committee and professor in Black American Studies, said the exhibit stimulated community interest in what African-Americans have done for Southern Illinois. People should look at the contributions those around them have made and learn from them.

It’s fantastic because this is one of the first major exhibits held here in the Civic Center, she said. And it’s crucial because young people have to have a sense of the past to have the strength for the future.

Factoid:Spotlight on Southern Illinois Achievers exhibit will be on display throughout Black History Month. Elizabeth Lewin, the superintendent of Carbondale Grade Schools and a Southern Illinois Achiever, will give the Black History Month Keynote Address at 8 tonight in the Student Center Auditorium.