WELCOME TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Like most great cities, this one began with a plan and the
luck of geography. Landscape architect Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan
to dedicate 90% of the lake front to enrich quality of life ... More
Blues, Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop, Comedy, Barbeque and even vintage
Negro Leagues Baseball highlight the options here ... More
SHOPS and GALLERIES
Known as a town for shoppers, distinctive art galleries in Chitown range from
low cost (not cheap) to if you have to ask ... More
CULTURAL SITES
Du Sable Museum of African American History, Harpo Studios, Little Black Pearl,
Martin Luther King Drive, Blues Heaven, Harold Washington Cultural Center,
Jazz Institute of Chicago and Muntu Dance Theatre anchor ... More
FAMILY ATTRACTIONS
With Navy Pier, Chicago Children's Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium,
Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry,
Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo leading the way ... More
GENERAL ATTRACTIONS
Millennium Park has quickly become like a magnet in a bucket of nails -
everyone is attracted. But that does not diminish the rewards of shopping on
North Michigan Avenue, Sears Tower Skydeck, John Hancock Observatory
and visiting the Near North art galleries ... More
ART and HISTORY MUSEUMS
Art Institute of Chicago , Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art,
Chicago Cultural Center, Spertus Museum, and Chicago History Museum have
expanded the city's access to the arts and its rich history ... More
PERFORMING ART VENUES
A large, well-defined bustling area centered around Randolph Street
in the Loop has quietly become the 2nd largest Theatre District in America and
home the most pre- and post-Broadway plays ... More
President-Elect Barack Obama speaks in Chicago
BLACK GENESIS
In the area they called “Chicakgou”, the nomadic
Pottawattomie Indians who passed through the region,
recorded the first settler as Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable,
an African-French trader who came to the region in 1790 ... More
BRONZEVILLE
The jewel of the Southside known as Bronzeville, was second only to
Harlem in providing a legacy of cultural gifts to America and the world.
Oscar Micheaux perfected ... More
BLACK NATIONALISM and CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
A number of Black America’s most influential leaders have made their
mark here. Beginning in 1930, Elijah Muhammad was sent from
Detroit to Chicago to expand the Nation of Islam (NOI) ... More
CHICAGO BLUES
Though Memphis gave the Blues its earliest commercial launching pad,
Chicago ascended to the title of “Blues Capital of America.” The long line of
Blues artists who made their recording mark here begins with ... More
CHICAGO GOSPEL MUSIC
Founded in 1929, the First Church of Deliverance and the great
Thomas A. Dorsey put Chicago on the map for Gospel music ... More
CHICAGO SOUL MUSIC
Given Soul Music formed in the merger of Gospel, Blues and R&B traditions,
Chicago makes the strongest claim as the “Birthplace of Soul Music.”
Its artistic roots and commercialization began here ... More
BLACK PUBLISHERS
Segregation and racism in Chicago had its upside. Several Black
entrepreneurs leveraged the systemic exclusion from opportunity and media
recognition to found publishing businesses. John H. Johnson ... More
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE
Must-see skyscrapers and grand buildings for their size, design and location.
Chicago has the second largest collection of skyscrapers in America ... More
TRIVIA and FAMOUS RESIDENTS
In the 2003-2004 sports seasons, Chicago became the first city with Black managers/head coaches for Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox baseball teams, Chicago Bulls basketball team and Chicago Bears football team ... More
EMAIL ARTICLE
RESEARCH CREDITS:
Thomas Dorsey
Sheila Umolu
Lenny Dorsey
Allison Williams
Calvin Young
Philemon Najieb
BLACK CULTURAL TRAVEL MADE EASY