Stay Home. Save Lives.
On this day in 2019, Lori Lightfoot was elected mayor of Chicago, becoming the first openly gay person and first African American woman to hold that position. In her first year, she has created an affordable housing task force, navigated a Chicago Teachers Union strike, and is currently battling to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
Mayor Lightfoot, we’re sharing Chicago History from Home and following your direction to stay home and save lives. Learn more about Chicago’s Mayors.

The Encyclopedia of Chicago covers Chicago and the metropolitan area and is the result of a ten-year collaboration between the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum and was published in 2004 by the University of Chicago Press. Explore the encyclopedia.