Fannie Barrier Williams
On February 12, 1855, Fannie Barrier was born in Brockport, New York. She was the first African American to graduate from Brockport State Normal School (now SUNY-College at Brockport) in … Learn More
Tag: Black history
Bessie Coleman, Aviation Pioneer
From left: Portrait of Bessie Coleman, pilot, c. 1921. CHM, ICHi-026774. Bessie Coleman on the wheel of a Curtiss JN-4 “Jennie” in her custom-designed flying suit, c. 1924. NASM 92-13721, … Learn More
Walter T. Bailey’s Bronzeville Building
The Knights of Pythias Temple at 3737 S. State St., Chicago, 1928. CHM, ICHi-019351. A terra-cotta tile depicting a griffin from the Knight of Pythias Temple in Chicago, 1927. CHM, … Learn More
Dr. Mae Jemison: A Dancer Among the Stars
“Many people do not see a connection between science and dance, but I consider them both to be expressions of the boundless creativity that people have to share with one … Learn More
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
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
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
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
A Revolutionary by Any Other Name
The architect of the Black Power movement who coined the term “Black power,” Stokely Carmichael was born on June 29, 1941. He was a leading voice during the Civil Rights … Learn More
Irene McCoy Gaines: An Organizer and Advocate for Black Women
In this blog post, CHM curatorial intern Brigid Kennedy recounts the life of Irene McCoy Gaines as part of a series in which we share the stories of local women … Learn More