The Black Presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893

Name: The Black Presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893
Start: 2019-02-13T00:00:00-06:00
End: 2019-02-13T01:00:00-06:00
Location: The Black Presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893

Feb 13, 2019

The famed Columbian-era pamphlet Why the Colored American Is Not in The World’s Columbian Exposition established a perception of African American exclusion from the 1893 World’s Fair...

Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (January 8 at 9 am** – January 25 at 4 pm): $220
Regular Registration Price (January 25 at 4 pm – first day of class): $242

** Registration opens online at 9 am. Phone registration will be accepted starting at 10 am.

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

Seminar Description

The famed Columbian-era pamphlet Why the Colored American Is Not in The World’s Columbian Exposition established a perception of African American exclusion from the 1893 World’s Fair. Printed in time for the fair’s opening in 1893, it purported to offer a comprehensive history and analysis of the dynamics of racial rejection institutionalized by white America in the years leading up to the 1890s. Yet it failed to reflect the realities of the fair, as it omitted instances of successful participation by African Americans. This seminar will examine the role of African Americans in the World’s Fair with the aim of questioning the narrative established by the pamphlet.
Six sessions. E - $220, L - $242

Christopher Robert Reed is a native Chicagoan who has spent decades researching and writing on various aspects of African American involvement in the city’s growth and development. He has published six books to date on the subject.

Materials List

Required:

Christopher Robert Reed, "All the World Is Here!": The Black Presence at White City,Indiana University Press; Reprint edition (February 1, 2002). ISBN:978-0253215352
A course packet of additional material, compiled by the instructor and distributed during the first class, for which there will be a nominal fee due at that time. *Please note that you can obtain the electronic copy of the course packet for no additional cost.

First Reading:

For the first class, please read:

Part One, pp 1-53 of "All the World Is Here!": The Black Presence at White City
The file that will be sent upon registration, in the confirmation email.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.