Key Dates

February is Black History Month celebrated in the United States and around the world. It was started in Chicago as Black History Week in 1926. Although officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, its origin was the result of the establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH) at the Wabash YMCA in Bronzeville in 1915.

Carter G. Woodson, known as the father of Black History, was born in a poor family in Virginia. He helped his family by working in coal mines after they moved to West Virginia. Young Carter was finally able to go to high school when he was twenty years old. He graduated from Berea College in Kentucky and then studied at the University of Chicago for his undergraduate, and then, masters degree. Like W.E.B DuBois, Woodson earned a PhD at Harvard in 1912. 

Location: Zolla Lieberman Gallery 325 W. Huron St. Chicago

Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1146358772949?aff=oddtdtcreator

Purvis Young, Raymond Thomas Exhibition and Program

 

Please join us for a special evening at the Zolla Lieberman Gallery to view the exhibition of the work of Purvis Young, the internationally known artist from Miami whose work was inspired by the Wall of Respect in Bronzeville. The gallery will also feature works from Bronzeville’s own Raymond Thomas. In addition to the gallery viewing there will be a panel discussion on the artist Purvis Young, as well as the book The Wall of Respect, Public Art and Black Liberation in 1960s Chicago by one of the authors. 

Springfield, IL April 12 and Chicago, April 15 or 16. 

Check back for more information. www.blackmetropolis.org

Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area is hosting the Fourth Annual Ida B. Wells Festival in Bronzeville on June 28. The event honors the legacy and achievements of journalist, suffragette, and Civil Rights leader, Ida B. Wells. The event is an all-day family and community event featuring reflective activities and meditation and Zumba classes at the Ida B. Wells National Monument located at 37th and Langley. This year there will be walking tours in the community and optional bus tours that focus on different events and topics including the Great Migration, the Walk of Fame, and preservation work that continues in Bronzeville. The afternoon events include a community forum featuring businesses and services as well as current and future places to visit in Bronzeville such as the Bronzeville Trail and the National Museum of Gospel Music.

Our New Offices

Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area, Bronzeville Partners, LLC, and Bronzeville Community Development Partnership have new office space located in historic Motor Row. There will be a welcome center and store where visitors can purchase NHA merchandise and get a National Park Service passport stamp. There will also be event and gathering space for community meetings and informational sessions. 

2416-18 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60616