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
Tag: Black history
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
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
Elizabeth Lindsay Davis: “Lifting As We Climb”
CHM curatorial intern Brigid Kennedy recounts the extraordinary life of Elizabeth Lindsay Davis. This blog post is part of a series in which we share the stories of local women … Learn More
The Assassination of Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Chapter of Black Panther Party, November 5, 1969. ST-17101234-0002 On the fiftieth anniversary of Fred Hampton’s murder, the Chicago History Museum remembers his life, … Learn More
Paul King: Affirmative Action and Black Achievement
CHM Collections Department volunteer Robert Blythe writes about Chicagoan Paul King Jr., a building contractor and social justice advocate, fifty years after the Coalition of United Community Action led a … Learn More