Blog Entry #3 - Field Trip to Bronzeville

1) Map of Bronzeville

 I went to Bronzeville to the second field trip. Bronzeville, also known as the "Black Metropolis,” is the center of the African-American history at Chicago’s South Side, just 10 minutes away from downtown. While the boundaries of Bronzeville are debatable, there is general agreement that the heart of Bronzeville is from 31st Street south to Pershing Road and east from today's Dan Ryan Expressway to Lake Michigan. Many consider Bronzeville to stretch from 18th Street south all the way to 67th Street [1]. Bronzeville is also close to the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). In the past, the area was called the 'Black Belt', 'Black Ghetto' or 'Darkie Town' instead of Bronzeville. Residents of the neighbors did not like these name because they were derogatory names. James Gentry, a theater editor for the Chicago Bee made the new name, “Bronzeville.” He said that African-Americans’ skin color was closer to bronze than black. The name “Bronzeville” has been in common use since the 1930’s. The name was popularized by the Chicago Defender, a black newspaper with nationwide circulation.[2]

2) A negro family just arrived in Chicago from the rural south (1922)

 From 1850 to 1870, the African-American population in Chicago grew from 320 to almost 3,700. At this time, most African-Americans lived on the south side. By 1900, the population near the South Side grew up to 30,000 people and it was nicknamed "a city within a city." Between 1910 and 1920, Chicago's African-American population increased 150 percent, reaching 110,000 people by 1920 [3]. The biggest trigger for increasing African-American population was the Great Migration. The Great Migration was the relocation of more than 6 million African-Americans from the rural South to the cities of the North, Midwest, and West from about 1916 to 1970 [4]. Chicago's railroad made easier for African-Americans to come to the city. 

 In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, however, the discrimination and violence against African-Americans were still really serious. In the south side, African-Americans were poorly paid and they were not allowed to have electricity. In contrast, on the north side people earned more money, they had more opportunities for better education and welfare. They also could own their own houses and business, and they had the right to vote. In the other hand, African Americans were restricted to live in the Black Belt in white-owned houses [1]. For this reason, Bronzeville was formed. 

 Bronzeville, which consists of African-American culture, now has a variety of landmarks. I traveled here from north to south in two days. One day, I went with my classmates, and another day, I went with my friend.

1. Quinn Chapel A.M.E Church (2401 S. Wabash)

3) Quinn Chapel A.M.E Church

4) Stained glass window of Quinn Chapel A.M.E Church

 When I visited Quinn Chapel A.M.E Church with my classmates, the people in the church kindly introduced us to the church. This church is famous because houses the oldest black congregation in Chicago, tracing its origins back to 1844. Members of the congregation have played a significant role in the development of the city since that time. Quinn, a very important person of the Chapel's history, prior to the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation played an important part in the abolition movement in Chicago and served as a station for the Underground Railroad. [5] 

2. Great Migration Statue (26th PI. and King Dr.)

5) Great Migration Statue

6) Back of Great Migration Statue

 The Great Migration Statue was made by Alison Saar in 1994. The statue honors the six million-odd African-Americans who traveled from the South to Chicago from 1910 to 1970. The sculpture depicts a man oriented and pointing northward, suitcase in hand, his entire outfit made of the worn soles of his shoes. It's situated at the historic entrance of Bronzeville. [6]

3. Paul Dunbar Statue (31st between Indiana and Prairie)

7) Paul Dunbar Statue

8) QR code next to Paul Dunbar Statue

9) A QR code, the setting in which Dunbar is calling

 When I entered the Dunbar Park, I found the Paul Dunbar Statue. Next to the statue, there was a QR code that when you connect it to your phone, you could get a call from Dunbar. In the call, He said something about colored races but I was not able to completely understand. I'm still not good at English and Dunbar's accent was too strong and I couldn't understand it properly. I don't know exactly what he said, but I was impressed when I heard the rhymes in his poem. The setting up of Dunbar calling himself is also interesting. Paul Laurence Dunbar was the son of freed slaves. He was born and raised in Ohio. His widowed mother was determined to give him a good education and under her guidance, he flourished. Unable to afford college tuition, Dunbar attempted to find work as a journalist. Despite his literary talent, he met with rejection due to racial discrimination. He self-published his first book of poems, Oak and Ivy, while working as an elevator operator in Chicago, regaling ‘passengers’ with poetry readings and offering to sell them copies of the book. He soon became known as the ‘elevator boy poet.’ Dunbar got his big break when invited to read his poetry at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Soon after, Dunbar’s poems were published in major newspapers across America. Dunbar died aged 33, having published over a dozen books. He was among the nation’s first African-American poets to gain international attention. [8]

4. Unity Hall (3140 S. Indiana Ave.)

10) Unity Hall

 
 According to plaque, originally built as the Lakeside Club, a Jewish social organization, the structure was renamed in 1917 when it became the headquarters of the Peoples Movement Club, a political organization headed by Oscar Stanton DePriest, the first African-American elected to the City Council and the first northern black elected to the U.S House of Representatives. This rare surviving example of a 19th-century clubhouse building is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District. Unity Hall is very close to my dormitory. It is really amazing that the place where I live is near to a historical landmark.

5. Pilgrim Baptist Church (3301 S. Indiana)

11) Pilgrim Baptist Church under construction

12) Pilgrim Baptist Church currently in use

  Pilgrim Baptist Church was founded because of the result of the work and dreams of the Union Grove Prayer Meeting Club which consisted of a small band of dedicated prayer warriors.  The group held “Prayer Meetings” in a small house. However, the growth of the club was so steady and constant, they had to secure larger quarters and began meeting at 4910 South Wentworth Avenue. Pilgrim’s membership keep was increased in numbers, and the church moved to Wright’s Hall at 44th and State Street. The congregation moved again to 20 East 45th Street and later to 37th and Indiana Avenue [15]. Pilgrim Baptist Church was constructed by Adler & Sullivan, world renown architects. Nowadays, however, just the facade remains because the church burned down on January 6, 2006 [9]. This church is famous for the birth of gospel music. In 1932, Thomas Andrew Dorsey, known today as “The Father of Gospel Music”, became a member of Pilgrim Baptist Church and organized the “Pilgrim Baptist Church Gospel Chorus” at the request of Reverend Austin, Sr. Under Dr. Dorsey’s direction, some of gospel music’s most legendary singers were developed, including Mahalia Jackson, Sally Martin (Queen of Gospel), Roberta Martin and Clara Ward. [15]

6. Bronzeville Walk of Fame (King Dr. between 25th and 35th Streets)

13) ARTHUR MITCHELL, 1st black Democrat elected to U.S. Congress

14) DR. J. B. MARTIN, President, American negro baseball league

15) SAM COOKE, Gospel and pop vocalist

16) WALTER T. BAILEY GILES, Illinois' first black registered architect

17) CARTER G. WOODSON, Scholar, historian, the originator of "Negro History Week"

 On the road from King Dr. 25th to 35th, the boulevard of Bronzeville, there is many bronze plaque about great people. Total ninety-one bronze plaques on medians, sidewalks, and crosswalks stretch ten blocks so I couldn't take all photos. I realized that all famous people on plaques honorees have made extraordinary contributions to the African American community and revival those of the Harlem Renaissance by watching plaques. [16]

7. Bronze map of Bronzeville (35th and S. King Dr. on the median)

18) Boulevard system of Bronzeville

19) Map of Bronzeville

 Here I saw a boulevard system of Bronzeville and a map of Bronzeville made with bronze. The map depicts African-American's historic landmarks and cultures such as jazz.

8. Victory Monument (35th and King Dr.)

20) Victory Monument

 At the close of the World War l, movements began within Chicago's African-American community to honor the valorous achievements of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, which served in France under the 370th U.S. Infantry. The Victory Monument is for commemorating the Eighth Regiment. [3]

9.  Ida B. Wells-Barnett House, (3624 S. King Dr.)

21) Ida B. Wells-Barnett House

 Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a journalist, civil rights advocate, and suffragist. Ida Bell Wells-Barnett lived in Chicago in this late-19th-century Romanesque Revival style stone residence while fighting to end lynching, segregation and the economic oppression of African Americans. She and her husband bought the building in 1919 and lived there until 1929. [10]

10. Supreme Life Building (3501 S. King Dr.)

22) Supreme Life Building

 This was the longtime headquarters of the Supreme Life Insurance Co., the first African-American owned and operated insurance company in the northern United States. The firm was founded in 1919 by Frank L. Gillespie, and moved into this building in 1921. To highlight its success, the company modernized the building in 1950, covering the original classical-style facade within porcelain-metal panels. 

11. Sunset Cafe (E 35th St)

23) Sunset cafe

 The Sunset cafe was not on the list recommended by the professor, but it is marked with a landmark plaque. This building is the premier remaining structure associated with the nightclubs that established Chicago's reputation as a jazz center in the 1920s and 30s. The Sunset Cafe was home to such legendary figures as Louis Armstrong and Johnny Dodds. [3]

12. Eighth Regiment Armory (3533 S.Giles)

24) Eighth Regiment Armory

25)  Eighth Regiment Armory

 The Eighth Regiment Armory was the only armory in the United States built for an African-American regiment. This is why the Eighth Regiment Armory on the National Register of Historic Places. The "Fighting 8th," which was commanded entirely by African-Americans, was organized in 1898 as a volunteer regiment drawn from the African-American community during the Spanish-American War. It later was established as an infantry division of the Illinois National Guard. [3]

13. Stephen  A. Douglas Tomb (636. E 35st.)

26) Stephen A. Douglas Tomb

 Stephen A. Douglas was one of the most distinguished statesmen of his day: Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, United States Representative, then Senator. He devoted his entire career to achieving peaceful preservation of the Federal Union from disintegration along sectional lines; but when he and other moderates on both sides had failed in their efforts and the War Between the States became reality, he supported the Union over the right of the States to secede [11]. I wanted to take a close look at the Stephen  A. Douglas Tomb, but I couldn't see it because the door was locked.

27) The bridge to the river

 There is a bridge to the river next to the Stephen  A. Douglas Tomb. When the weather gets better, I will ride my bike to the river through this bridge.

14. 35th and State St. "L" station mural

28) 35th and State St. ''L' station mural

 There is a mural at the entrance to CTA 35th and State St. Station (Green Line) near IIT. The mural depicts famous African Americans such as Chante Savage, Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, Etta Moten Barnette, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, and R Kelly.

15. 35th and State St. Welcome Stele 

29) 35th and State St. Welcome Stele

30) 35th and State St. Welcome Stele

31) 35th and State St. Welcome Stele

 The stele contains a brief description of Bronzeville. The achievements of Chicago's celebrities are also written.

16. Overton Hygienic Building, (3619-27 S. State St.)

32) Overton Hygienic Building

 Anthony Overton was born into slavery. He managed an African-American cosmetic company. He established a newspaper, the Chicago Bee, to take on the Chicago Defender. He broke into the fledgling African-American insurance market through this establishment of the Victory Life Insurance Company. [3]

17. Chicago Bee Building (3647-55 S. State St.)

33) Chicago Bee Building

 As mentioned earlier, the Chicago Bee Building was a newspaper office made by Overton. Currently, this building is used as a library.

18. Wabash YMCA (3763 S. Wabash)

34) Wabash YMCA

 The Wabash Avenue YMCA was an important part of community life in Black Metropolis. The YMCA facility provided housing and job training for new arrivals from the South during the Great Migration of African-Americans in the first decades of the 20th century. The large assembly hall was used for a wide variety of civic meetings and community functions, and the gymnasium and pool offered a pleasant diversion for young and old alike. Its educational and social programs became a staple of neighborhood activities, making the Wabash YMCA one of the most heavily utilized public facilities of Chicago's African-American community [3]. It closed as a YMCA in the late 1970s.

19. First Church of Deliverance (4315 S. Wabash)

35) First Church of Deliverance

 Illinois’ first licensed African American architect designed this rare Streamline Modern church, undoubtedly one of the most unique in Chicago. [12] 

20. The Forum, (324 E. 43rd)

36) The Forum

37) The Forum in 1890

38) The Forum in 1920

39) The Forum in 1950

40) The Forum in 1970

41) The Forum in 2015

 The Forum was built in 1897. The structure contains one of the most important assembly, performance halls in the city and possibly the oldest hardwood ballroom dance floor in Chicago. This imposing red brick building played a significant role in Chicago’s cultural scene by hosting performances of music luminaries—including Nat King Cole—and by providing space for civic groups and political meetings. After the closure of “Forum Hall”, the second-floor performance space, in the 1970s, the building fell into disrepair.  In 2011, Urban Juncture Inc. stepped in to rescue The Forum from city-ordered emergency demolition. Over the last few years, Urban Juncture has made important structural repairs to the building and has hosted several events (on the wide sidewalk and street just east of the building) Urban Juncture Inc. has begun the design process for the complete restoration of The Forum, beginning with redevelopment of the first floor spaces into hospitality and performance gallery venues.[13]

21. Chicago Defender Building, (4445 S. King)

42) Chicago Defender Building

43) Chicago Defender Building

 The Chicago Defender is one of the most influential African-American publications of the 20th century. Robert S. Abbott founded the Chicago Defender. The Defender was one of the country's premier forums of African-American journalism. The Chicago Defender played an important role during the Great Migration because Abbott's editorials in the Defender, newspaper, urging African-Americans to leave the oppression and poverty of the South for new opportunities in the North. [3]

44) The Defender

 The Defender is still being issued these days. When I visited here, they gave me the Chicago Defender the newspaper published this week.

22. Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church(4501 S. Vincennes)

45) Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church

 The Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church was originally Isaiah Temple. Isaiah is one of the great prophets in the Old Testament. The Church is a Classical Revival building built as one of Chicago's early Reform Judaism synagogues. The church was designed by famed architect Dankmar Adler. Dankmar Adler is the same person as Adler, the architect of the Pilgrim Baptist Church. This is the last building designed by him.

23. Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church (4600-4622 S. King Dr.)

46) Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church

 Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church was founded by German Jewish immigrants  [14]. Before the Great Migration, Bronzeville was primarily a German Jewish neighborhood. This church is one of the indications.

47) Picture of Dayoung Lee in front of the boulevard system of Bronzeville

48) Picture of Dayoung Lee near Stephen A. Douglas Tomb

 Before I came to Chicago, I heard a lot of stories about the south side was very dangerous. When I arrived in the U.S., I also heard not to go south alone so I had the stereotype that southern part of Chicago was not safe. However, After going to the field trip I changed my mind, I was not afraid when I was there with my friends and when the people in the landmarks introduced them to me very kindly. This field trip was really meaningful because I get to know the neighborhood where I live.

Written by Dayoung Lee.

References
[1] https://web.iit.edu/community-affairs/history-bronzeville
[2] https://www.chicagodetours.com/bronzeville-neighborhood/
[3] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YfCpunxjNmAWMS2_ODN_YRRpVWf4Imdg/view
[4] https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/great-migration
[5] https://quinnchicago.org/our-history
[6] https://www.timeout.com/chicago/art/monument-to-the-great-northern-migration
[7] http://www.publicartinchicago.com/chicago-south-bronzeville-monument-to-the-great-northern-migration-by-alison-saar/
[8] http://www.statuestorieschicago.com/statues/statue-dunbar/
[9] https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/us/fire-destroys-a-landmark-chicago-church-famed-for-gospel-music.html
[10] https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/il2.htm
[11] http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Illinois/Cook/Chicago/Douglas_Memorial/introduction.html
[12] https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/first-church-of-deliverance/
[13] http://www.theforumbronzeville.com/
[14] https://openhousechicago.org/sites/site/mt-pisgah-missionary-baptist-church/
[15] http://pilgrimbaptistchurchchicago.net/history/
[16] https://www.enjoyillinois.com/explore/listing/bronzeville-walk-of-fame

Images
1) https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bronzeville,+Chicago,+IL/@41.8193576,-87.6301113,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x880e2bf824a02f89:0xcefdff19c5833998!8m2!3d41.8166444!4d-87.6167744?authuser=1
2) https://www.chicagodetours.com/bronzeville-neighborhood/
21) https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/il2.htm
3) through 20) and 22) through 46) taken by Dayoung Lee
47) taken by Sujin Cho
48) taken by Carlos Vidaurre