Posted by Join Dr. Chris Stacey for our "Topics in Chicago History" virtual lecture and discussion series on Zoom.
Topic #1: Wednesday, May 27th, 6:30pm - The First Great Migrations: African Americans, Mexicans, and the Origins of Segregation in Chicago, 1916-1930
This lecture is open to all members of the Chicago Columbia alumni community. All participants will be unmuted throughout the evening's presentation so we can engage in maximum participation on the topic. All registrants are sent a study guide and a selected set of materials to prepare for the topic. The format is 50 minutes of lecture with Q & A followed by 50 minutes of discussion.
Topic Preview: The history of Chicago’s segregated neighborhoods, ghettoization, and racial tension, legacies we still live with today, began during the First Great Migration of African Americans to the city starting in 1916. The origins of neighborhood segregation appeared by 1910 and solidified over the course of the Great Migration. By 1920, a distinctly segregated African American “Black Metropolis” existed on Chicago’s South Side. Discriminatory practices along with civilian racial warfare in 1919 created a foundation for Chicago becoming the most segregated city in the nation by 1957 filled with acrimonious interracial hostility. The Great Steel Strike of 1919 heightened what became longstanding racial tensions between the white and African American working class and served to catalyze the first Mexican migration to the city, particularly in South Chicago. Events covered for this evening include the First Great Migration, the 1919 Race Riot, Workplace Racial Tensions, and Origins of Mexican Migration.
Date: Wednesday, May 27
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Zoom: Link for Zoom and topic materials sent to all registrants