![]() ![]() In the 1950s and 1960s, 7,000 units of public housing were built to accommodate the neighborhood’s growing population. ![]() In 1962, the Dan Ryan Expressway opened on Bronzeville’s western border, physically and economically isolating the community from other neighborhoods and perpetuating a cycle of disinvestment, decline, and urban renewal efforts to combat those trends that in many ways continue to this day. ![]() Easing segregation policies in the 1950s and 1960s also allowed middle and upper-class black residents to move from the overpopulated area, leaving behind a disproportionately low-income community with high unemployment and high crime rates. Large swathes of Bronzeville’s housing stock were demolished, replaced with dense clusters of public housing. Post-World War II housing policies further weakened its economic base. The Great Depression brought wide-scale unemployment to the neighborhood and the closure of many black-run businesses and financial institutions. However, Bronzeville’s status as a thriving economically diverse community was dealt a blow beginning in the 1930s. Many of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century lived in Bronzeville or frequented its storied venues and community spaces, including Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Nat King Cole, Richard Wright, Ida B. Bronzeville was also an epicenter of entertainment and intellectualism. The Chicago Defender and Chicago Bee were Bronzeville-based daily newspapers that had widespread influence and distribution, helping to establish the neighborhood as a national center for black journalism. The nation’s first black-owned bank, the Binga State Bank, opened there in 1921. These residents, confined to the area by restrictive covenants that aimed to prevent African-Americans from purchasing homes in other parts of the city, created a flourishing city within a city. Most of these newcomers settled in and around Bronzeville and it came to be known as one of America’s great black metropolises. During the early to mid-20th century, the Great Migration brought hundreds of thousands of African-Americans north to Chicago in search of economic opportunity and relief from racial violence and oppression. History and contextīronzeville has been the heart of Chicago’s black community for over a century. This profile looks at Chicago’s Bronzeville area, a dynamic and culturally rich community well positioned for growth, which continues to be challenged by the lasting effects of disinvestment, population loss, and policies that stymie economic opportunity. ![]() Northwestern Medicine has generously sponsored this program.Director of Outreach and Engagement - National Main Street Center TO BRING: Water/Water Bottle, Mat, Small Towel (mats available if you forget to bring one) Take less than 12 classes this season? No worries, you still win! Becoming stronger in mind, body and spirit is its own reward. Take the #BoxvilleBod圜hallenge and take at least 12 classes during the season to earn a special Boxville prize.
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