Chicago South Side community organization helps uncover forgotten African-American enclave
A few months ago, my mom and I were at Chicago History Museum to see an exhibit. Looking at one of the old Chicago demographic maps, I noticed something that shouldn't have been there - a concentration of African-American population near 95th and State streets. In the time period this map depicted, African-Americans were restricted to a few sections of Chicago, and the area was populated by immigrants from European countries who didn't take kindly to any black person trying to move in.
I decided to investigate further... and promptly forgot about it. Other priorities took precedence.
And now, I don't have to. Last week, The Sixth Ward blog did a post about a piece West Chesterfield Community Association did for the Chicago Independent Bulletin, an African-American newspaper covering a decent chunk of Chicago's South Side. The association represents West Chesterfield - a working-class, now African-American neighborhood bordered by 87th Street, Dan Ryan Expressway, 95th Street and Martin Luther King Jr Drive. And according to the article, the section of the neighborhood where the 91st street meets the freight railroad tacks had black residents since the early 20th century.
The Sixth Ward scanned the article, and you can read the whole thing by clicking on the image below
It is honestly pretty fascinating to realize that there are many chunks of Chicago history that lay there, waiting to be rediscovered. And it makes me realize that, in all of my trips to the South Side, I've never explored West Chesterfield. Even though writer behind the Sixth Ward suggested it to me two years ago.
I should remedy that.
I decided to investigate further... and promptly forgot about it. Other priorities took precedence.
And now, I don't have to. Last week, The Sixth Ward blog did a post about a piece West Chesterfield Community Association did for the Chicago Independent Bulletin, an African-American newspaper covering a decent chunk of Chicago's South Side. The association represents West Chesterfield - a working-class, now African-American neighborhood bordered by 87th Street, Dan Ryan Expressway, 95th Street and Martin Luther King Jr Drive. And according to the article, the section of the neighborhood where the 91st street meets the freight railroad tacks had black residents since the early 20th century.
The Sixth Ward scanned the article, and you can read the whole thing by clicking on the image below
It is honestly pretty fascinating to realize that there are many chunks of Chicago history that lay there, waiting to be rediscovered. And it makes me realize that, in all of my trips to the South Side, I've never explored West Chesterfield. Even though writer behind the Sixth Ward suggested it to me two years ago.
I should remedy that.