The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
To mark Labor Day and Chicago’s long history of labor activism, CHM assistant curator Brittany Hutchinson recounts how the Pullman Company’s porters formed the first all-Black labor union in the … Learn More
Author: chm_admin
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
“1963 is not an end, but a beginning.” On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 protesters gathered in Washington, DC, for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. At … Learn More
Chicago’s Silent Sentinels
In this blog post, CHM curatorial intern Divya Pai recounts the work of Lucy Hyde Ewing and Madeline Upton Watson as part of a series in which we share the … Learn More
The Bud Billiken Day Parade: Chicago’s Parade of Stars
For the past ninety-one years, one of Chicago’s back-to-school traditions has been the Bud Billiken Day Parade, which passes through the historic South Side neighborhood of Bronzeville and concludes with … Learn More
The Ginza Holiday Festival in Chicago
Performers in procession on a street in the Old Town neighborhood, Chicago, c. 1963. CHM, ICHi-132982; Raeburn Flerlage, photographer The wafting aroma of chicken teriyaki, the rhythmic pulsing of taiko … Learn More
Nathan Wright Jr.: A Black Power Scholar and Advocate
In this post, we commemorate the birthday of Dr. Nathan Wright Jr. A prolific writer of eighteen books, Wright was an internationally renowned scholar whose research focused on the rise … Learn More
A Sweet Celebration of Eid al-Adha
Muslims observe Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, at McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Dr., Chicago, January 4, 1974. ST-10104873-0006, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM. Eid al-Adha, or the Festival … Learn More
The Black Nurses of Provident Hospital
CHM assistant curator Brittany Hutchinson recounts how Provident Hospital, the first African American–owned and operated hospital in the US, created opportunities for Black nurses in Chicago. This blog post is part of … Learn More
The Murder of Eugene Williams and a Racial Reckoning
One hundred and one years ago today, the Chicago Race Riot began with the murder of Eugene Williams and the failure of law enforcement to hold those responsible for his … Learn More
The Legacy of Emmett Till, a Black Teenager from Chicago
On July 25, 1941, Mamie and Louis Till celebrated the birth of their only son Emmett at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital. Like many African Americans of the era, Emmett’s parents … Learn More