An archivist from the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection shares three letters created by pen pals. Read the letters and learn more about their historically important authors.
Toni Bond: the Fight for Women’s Reproductive Rights
Chicago's history of reproductive activism is documented in CPL's archives, especially in the Toni Bond Leonard Collection.
Beyond Borders in the Archives: Marjorie Stewart Joyner
Beyond Borders in the Archives is a series that explores the Chicago Public Library archives and special collections and uncovers treasures! This series was produced as part of the 2020 One Book, One Chicago season. Marjorie Stewart Joyner Joyner founded several professional beautician organizations and planned trips to Haiti in 1952, Western Europe in 1954 and 1956…
Chicago Black Women’s Activism: Celebrating the Legacy
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which was ratified August 18, 1920, and guaranteed the right to vote for women. The amendment passed due to the determination and hard work of a group of women activists known as suffragists. In celebration of women's activism, let's explore Chicago's strong legacy of Black…
Bud Billiken Parade Celebrates 90 Years
On August 10, the Bud Billiken Parade celebrates its 90th anniversary. The iconic parade has marched down Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive since 1929. It's a celebration of students going back to school and highlights the significance of education. The parade starts at 35th Street and stretches approximately 2 miles down Dr. Martin Luther King…
Hazel M. Johnson, ‘Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement’
Want to learn more about a Chicago hero? Explore the People for Community Recovery Archives and the inspiring story of Hazel M. Johnson in the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Affectionately known as the “mother of the environmental justice movement,” Hazel Johnson was one of Chicago’s own environmental justice warriors…
Celebrate American Archives Month
October is American Archives Month! Have you ever visited one of Chicago Public Library's special collections to see our archives? Researched black history at the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at Woodson Regional Library? Gotten chills from discovering a historical document in Special Collections at Harold Washington Library Center? Or…
Mural Honors 20 Iconic Chicago Women
Have you walked by the Chicago Cultural Center and noticed a colorful mural by artist and MacArthur Fellow Kerry James Marshall? The large 132 foot by 100 foot mural can be viewed on the Garland Court facade, between Washington and Randolph streets. Marshall describes the vision behind his mural, "My idea was to make of…
#TBT: Dizzy Gillespie’s 100th Birthday
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was born a century ago on October 21 in Cheraw, S.C. Let's celebrate the life and music of this talented jazz trumpeter and composer this Throwback Thursday. Dizzy Gillespie, known for his "swollen" trumpeter cheeks, got his start in the mid-1930s by working in prominent swing bands, including those of Benny…
October Is American Archives Month
October is American Archives Month, celebrating the work of archivists and raising awareness on the value of archives to our community. An archive is a collection of historical records and/or the physical place such records are located. Archives are important because they provide long-term preservation and access to records of enduring cultural and historical value…
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