Black Chicago History Forum

04/04/2026

From local poets like Gwendolyn Brooks (pictured here at Hall Branch in 1949) to poetry from across the globe, we invite you to celebrate all types of poets and poetry with CPL’s Poetry Month celebrations! Enjoy bilingual poetry workshops, explore Korean Sijo and Japanese Waka poems, share your writing with other local authors at our Open Mic Night with PO Box Collective and more. Plus, don’t miss this year’s Poetry Fest, where we’ll host a special keynote featuring Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda Alexandra del Valle. Start planning your month with us: chi.gov/poetrymonth2026

Image source: George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives, photo 048

03/13/2026

State Representative Sonya Harper recently joined Marvin Slaughter Jr. to discuss the first report released by the Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission, “Taking Account: A History of Racial Harm & Injustice Against Black Illinoisans.”

The report examines the historical harms of slavery and systemic injustice and how those impacts continue to affect Black communities across Illinois today.

As both a commissioner and the State Representative for Illinois’ 6th District, Rep. Harper encourages residents across the state to read the report and share their voices in this important process. Public input will play a key role in shaping the path forward.

Illinois residents are invited to attend the upcoming public hearing on April 25 at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago to learn more and contribute to the conversation about repair, justice, and the future of Illinois. Please click link to listen to full interview.

https://www.wsiu.org/state-of-illinois/2026-03-09/illinois-commission-releases-report-on-harms-to-black-illinoisans

03/11/2026

Fantastic Chicago Black History!!!

💥How cool that former BMRC research fellow, Dr. Robert E. Weems Jr, and his book on Black businessman Anthony Overton was recently featured on the PBS show "Inside the Cover" !

Weems Jr. was one of the first to be awarded a BMRC research fellowship when the program began in 2009.

🎧Listen to him discuss his research for his book, "The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago" and the Black Metropolis in this clip: https://www.pbs.org/video/dr-robert-e-weems-jr-the-merchant-prince-of-black-chicago-x5xdmj/

Want more of BMRC reaserch fellows and their books on Black Chicago?
Check out our talk TONIGHT with Dr. Dave Stovall. https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/events/bmrc-fellow-new-book-talk-with-david-stovall/

02/13/2026

BLACK CHICAGO HISTORY — In the mid 1800s, John and Mary Jane Richardson Jones used their influence to fight against the Illinois Black Codes that prohibited Black people from voting, required them to carry a “certificate of freedom,” pay a $1,000 bond to stay in the state, and even denied them the right to gather in groups of three or more without the risk of being jailed or beaten.

Even in the city’s earliest days, Black people in Chicago helped create the city we know today. From abolition to the fight for political office, their work helped to establish and sustain Black political power.

But during the time of slavery, this political power looked different — it took on the form of abolition and protection.

“I think the thing that often gets overlooked with communities who are on the margins of political power is that it’s not that they don’t have any political power. They have influence,” said John Russick, former senior vice president of the Chicago History Museum. “When you see someone like John Jones have influence, [it’s] because in part he’s a successful businessman, he does hold elected office in Chicago and he is part of a movement to change America’s relationship with enslaved people.”

Read the full story: https://thetriibe.com/2021/06/the-rise-of-black-political-power-in-early-chicago/

02/09/2026

The Bronzeville neighborhood was a hub for African American culture and creativity, and although segregation was still an issue back then, it provided opportunities for better living conditions and economic growth for the Black community.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3raspxzh

10/11/2025

Such a marvellous speech...I had to share it.Enjoy !P.S : Have a look to Finney's poetry. It's delightful...http://nikkyfinney.net/

06/16/2025

Freedom Journey: Honoring the Underground Railroad from Chicago to Detroit

June 23 | 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Pick-up at 59th and Woodlawn
In partnership with the Midwest Underground Railroad Network, UChicago WISE will host an event centered on the historic Chicago to Detroit Freedom Trail, an essential route on the Underground Railroad that passed through Chicago’s Far South Side at the Little Calumet River. This event will spotlight the Riverdale Crossing and its pivotal role in helping freedom seekers escape slavery between the 1830s and the Civil War. This event includes a keynote discussion and a Freedom Trail bus tour to key South Side sites. RSVP

06/16/2025

From Slave Markets to Stock Markets: The Economic Legacy of Incarceration in America

June 25 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Experimental Station (6100 S. Blackstone Ave.)
Come hear from Michelle Mbekeani, Eric Blackmon, and Professor Adam Davidson on this important topic that amplifies the work of Douglas A. Blackmon’s “Slavery By Another Name.”

06/07/2025

Join OOFD for a quick jaunt via the Lakefront Path to the DuSable Black History Museum, the nation’s oldest independent African American History museum. Participants will take a guided tour with one of the museum educators.

Join OOFD for a ride to the DuSable Black History Museum and a guided tour of the exhibits by a local historian!

05/22/2025

🎶🎶🎶✊🏽✊🏽🎧🎧

05/09/2025

This exhibit is amazing!!! African history and Fashion!!!