In the summer of 1919, the South Side of Chicago erupted in racial violence following the death of Eugene Williams, an African-American youth who had mistakenly drifted into the “white” section of Lake Michigan’s 29th Street Beach. By the time the fires were extinguished a week later, thirty-eight people had been killed and thousands more had seen their homes destroyed. It would be the worst of over twenty race riots that plagued the United States during what came to be known as “Red Summer.” Dr. Eric Allen hall Associate Professor of History at Norther Illinois University will examine the causes, events, and legacy of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot through the experiences of those who witnessed the violence.
