“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” - Edmund Burke
We spoke with the head historian of the DuSable Foundation to learn more about how Chicago has dealt with the historical reality of racism and systemic oppression in our great city.
Overview
- Jean Baptiste Point DuSable was the first non-Native settler and named the Founder of Chicago in 1779.
- Fred Hampton was murdered in his sleep during a police raid at 21-years-old for being an active pioneer and leader of organizing youth and community interracial efforts that were necessary for change.
- The 1919 Race Riots – Dr. J thinks we should call this event what it actually is: a Race Massacre. This event led to white mobs all around the nation that unleashed aggression onto Black people.
- The War on Drugs was the beginning of criminalizing activism and drug usage started by Nixon in 1970 and had a profound impact on Chicago.
The timeline below created by Chicago artist, J. Sath provides a visual explanation on Chicago’s Black history over time:
Dr. J explains why Chicago is such a multicultural space for starting a new life. Although the #BlackLivesMatter movement is a much bigger narrative that incorporates national racial reconciliation, let’s recognize our city’s history so that we can step back and question what is really going on.
Black Lives Matter is a marathon. Not a sprint.
