Great Migration and What They Brought With Them

PHOTO: METROPOLIS/LEILA KHALED

The Bronzeville Historical Society and the celebrated Hotel Florence in the Pullman community of Roseland is exhibiting Great Migration and What They Brought With Them.

The exhibit contains artifacts and photographs of Pullman Porters who smuggled the Chicago Defender newspaper to cities in the South urging them to move North. Southern states banned the Chicago Defender and it is reported that Whites in the South did not want sharecropping Blacks leaving places like Mississippi because they were a good source of income and cheap labor.

Thanks to these porters and the Chicago Defender, Blacks continued to migrate to Chicago and the Illinois Central Railroad’s 12th Street Station was where they got off. Bronzeville, for them, was indeed the Promised Land and this migration would continue for decades.

PHOTO: METROPOLIS/LEILA KHALED

Part of the mission of the Bronzeville Historical Society is to “preserve, protect, collect, and perpetuate the records of African Americans who live or lived in Chicago” and the Great Migration exhibit does just that. This intimate collection is chock full of history and is right at home in an elaborate hotel built in 1881. Upon entering the hotel, you immediately take a step back in time and it is easy to imagine life at the turn of the century.

In the Smoking Parlor and in front of the fireplace, is a small collection of furniture from the early 1900’s. In the Billiards Room you‘ll find workman’s tools and old legal documents marking the journey of Black migrants. The Great Quilt contains photographs of former slaves who made their way to Chicago and proudly hangs on the wall between windows.

PHOTO: METROPOLIS/LEILA KHALED

The Great Migration exhibit is free and runs until December 22nd. Hotel Florence is located at 11111 S. Forrestville Avenue and the exhibit hours are 11am - 3pm.

The Great Migration and What They Brought With Them exhibit is a wonderful lesson for young people and it captures the essence of the human spirit - the will cannot be contained, no matter how wretched the circumstances. Metropolis

If you would like to join the Bronzeville Historical Society, attend their 8th Anniversary on December 20th at the Hotel Florence. Tickets are $20. For more information on the exhibit and the Bronzeville Historical Society, visit www.bronzevillehistoricalsociety.com or call 773-291-9115.

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