Bronzeville

The day following our Civil War Presentation, we had the privelege of touring Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood with a group of fellow Illinois HOUSE homeschoolers! Following up a civil war presentation with a trip to the (arguably) most important African-American neighborhood in our city was a fantastic experience. We also had a yummy lunch at Munchie's Free WiFi , friendly service & sandwiches under $5 with new and old friends...Check out Munchie's if you're ever in the neighborhood.

This statue is dedicated to WW1's 8th regiment -
"The Fighting 8th"










Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Bronzeville:

In the early 20th century, Bronzeville was known as the "Black Metropolis," one of the nation's most significant landmarks of African-American urban history. Between 1910 and 1920, during the peak of the "Great Migration," the population of the area increased dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of the south and emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs. Many famous people were associated with the development of the area including: Andrew "Rube" Foster, founder of the Negro National Baseball League; Ida B. Wells, a civil rights activist, journalist and organizer of the NAACP; Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman pilot; Gwendolyn Brooks, famous author and first African-American recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, actress Marla Gibbs, the legendary singers, Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls, and Louis Armstrong, the legendary trumpet player and bandleader who performed at many of the area's night clubs.


















Above, our group shot at the WW1 Statue

Below is the little girl in front of a portion of
"Bronzeville to Harlem" by sculptor
Preston Jackson, inside the Heritage Center.

And a cool little video from the Heritage Center...