Bronzeville

Located on Chicago’s South Side, Bronzeville is one of the most historically significant Black communities in the United States. Often called the "Black Metropolis," Bronzeville thrived in the early to mid-20th century as a vibrant center of Black American culture, business, and political life. Following the Great Migration, thousands of Black families moved north from the Jim Crow South, settling in Bronzeville and building a self-sustaining community rich with jazz clubs, newspapers, churches, and entrepreneurs. Landmarks like the Supreme Life Insurance Company and the Chicago Defender newspaper played key roles in shaping national Black identity. The neighborhood also fostered the talents of icons like poet Gwendolyn Brooks, musician Louis Armstrong, and civil rights activist Ida B. Wells. Though urban renewal and disinvestment led to periods of decline, recent revitalization efforts have aimed to honor and preserve Bronzeville’s legacy as a cornerstone of Black cultural and historical achievement in America.

The Bronzeville National Historic Site was established by the United States Congress in 2023 as unit of the National Park Service. The bronze statue in this post Monument to the Great Northern Migration was sculpted by Alison Saar and dedicated in 1994. This depiction of a traveler is a testament to the thousands of Black Americans who migrated to Chicago in the early 20th century. In search of greater freedom and opportunity, the traveler’s hand is raised in salutation to his new home. In his other hand he carries a worn suitcase symbolic of his journey, dreams and talents. The bollards surrounding the monument are also suitcases that are textured with a pattern derived from the pressed tin ceilings of the era. The figure is oriented to the north, symbolizing the traveler’s destination. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicart-alisonsaarsmonumenttothegreatnorthernmigrati.html

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History.

The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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