The Great Migration transformed Chicago and other northern cities between 1916 and 1970. More than 500,000 of the approximately 7 million African Americans who left the South settled in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Author and historian Bernard Turner leads this walking tour that highlights Chicago’s most influential African Americans and their contributions to the city.

Bronzeville became the city’s center of African American culture from the 1920s through the 1950s. Stops on this tour include the Walk of Fame, landmarks, and public art reflecting the histories of this South Side neighborhood. Learn how a largely southern and rural African American culture became a culture deeply infused with urban sensibility in the twentieth century and what had been a marginalized population in Chicago emerged by the mid-twentieth century as a powerful force in the city’s political, economic, and cultural life.

Tour runs 1.5 to 2 hours. Meet at the SE corner of 35th Street and Martin Luther King Drive.

Masks are optional for our outdoor walking tours. Learn more about our COVID-19 safety policies and procedures.