Bronzeville in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Chicago Race Riot of 1919

Commemoration Project

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

1. Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Marker

Inscription. The 1919 Chicago Race Riot, part of what is known as the Red Summer, erupted on July 27th after a Black youth, Eugene Williams, was killed by a white man for swimming in a part of Lake Michigan unofficially reserved for white people. That killing led to further racial violence that left 38 dead, 537 injured, and over 1,000 homeless. The aftermath exposed urgent social justice needs, prompting officials to form the Chicago Commission on Race Relations that began the long and thorny road toward justice. The Chicago 1919 project, which launched on the centennial anniversary, is installing 38 markers across the city, at every location a killing occurred. The artistic glass markers, created by Black youth affected by gun violence, have been part of a larger community-building process that seeks to remember the past, heal the present, and build a more unified future in Chicago and beyond.

Erected 2024 by Firebird Community Arts; Organic Oneness; City of Chicago; Illinois Institute of Technology.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music

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• Civil Rights • Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project, Illinois series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 27, 1919.

Location. 41° 49.868′ N, 87° 37.565′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Bronzeville. It is on East 35th Street east of South State Street, on the right. The marker is in front of the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT train station on the CTA Green Line. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hymes Taylor (here, next to this marker); Edward Lee (here, next to this marker); Joseph Sanford (here, next to this marker); John Walter Humphrey (here,

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

2. Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Marker

The intersection of 35th and State Streets is in the rear.

next to this marker); William J. Otterson (here, next to this marker); Welcome to Bronzeville (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Welcome to Bronzeville (within shouting distance of this marker); State Street (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. The artwork related to this project is embedded into the sidewalk going from the street to the CTA station.

Regarding Chicago Race Riot of 1919. The “imaginary line” that Eugene Williams crossed in 1919 while in Lake Michigan was near 29th Street, about 1¼ miles northeast of here (as the crow flies).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. The Eugene Williams Memorial commemorates the spot where Eugene Williams was killed after crossing an invisible racial line along the beach of Lake Michigan.

Also see . . .
1. Chicago History Museum: The Red Summer of 1919. (Submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. 1919 Project official site. (Submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

3. Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Marker

The 35th-Bronzeville-IIT station is in the rear.

Chicago Race Riot of 1919 paver in front of the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT train station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

4. Chicago Race Riot of 1919 paver in front of the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT train station

This paver is about Eugene Williams, who was killed in 1919 after swimming in a part of Lake Michigan that was "reserved" for whites only. The text around that rectangular part says: Swimming on a hot summer day
On Lake Michigan
I am Eugene The rectangular element says "Joseph Sanford, 1885-1919." Sanford was a Pullman porter who was shot to death during the riots that followed Eugene Williams's death.

The Beginning of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 image. Click for full size.

Chicago Commission on Race Relations; Courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-030315), July 27, 1919

5. The Beginning of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919

A large crowd of people assembled at 29th Street Beach after Eugene Williams was stoned to death on July 27, 1919.

"RIOT SWEEPS CHICAGO" image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum, August 2, 1919

6. "RIOT SWEEPS CHICAGO"

The riots take the front page of the Chicago Defender, an African-American newspaper, on August 2, 1919.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 515 times since then and 184 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on April 21, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on February 8, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 6. submitted on November 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.