For the last year the Newberry has led a year-long NEH-funded initiative to heighten the 1919 Chicago Race Riots in the city’s collective memory, engaging Chicagoans in public conversations about the legacy of the most violent week in Chicago history. In partnership with 13 other Chicago cultural institutions, we have produced a variety of “Community Conversations” events, from panel discussions to a poetry slam to a bike tour through the South Side.
Come hear what we have learned about the lessons of 1919, about the challenges of difficult history, and about new ways to engage audiences in public programming.