{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Black Metropolis National Heritage Area","home_page_url":"https://blackmetropolis.org","description":"Black Metropolis National Heritage Area","author":{"name":"Black Metropolis National Heritage Area"},"items":[{"id":"bbmnha-april-2026-newsletter","html_content":"

Welcome to the April 2026 Newsletter for the Bronzeville Black Metropolis National Heritage Area.

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bbmnha-april-2026-newsletter","title":"BBMNHA April 2026 Newsletter","date_modified":"2026-03-29T08:27:28Z"},{"id":"upcoming-events-for-2026","html_content":"

Bronzeville continues to stand as a cornerstone of culture, history, and innovation—where legacy meets the present and shapes the future. As we look ahead to 2026, a powerful lineup of events is being prepared to celebra...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/upcoming-events-for-2026","title":"Events for Spring & Summer 2026","date_modified":"2026-03-24T01:49:20Z"},{"id":"black-history-month-program","html_content":"

HISTORIC CHICAGO WABASH AVENUE YMCA

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/black-history-month-program","title":"BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM","date_modified":"2026-02-10T09:34:44Z"},{"id":"january-2026-%E2%80%94-first-quarter","html_content":"

First Quarter - 2026

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/january-2026-%E2%80%94-first-quarter","title":"The Black Metropolis in Motion","date_modified":"2026-02-01T19:48:24Z"},{"id":"october-in-bronzeville-honors-heritage-and-community","html_content":"

THE HISTORIC LEGACY OF BRONZEVILLE: CHICAGO'S BLACK METROPOLIS

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/october-in-bronzeville-honors-heritage-and-community","title":"October in Bronzeville: Honors, Heritage, and Community","date_modified":"2025-10-13T22:15:14Z"},{"id":"the-victory-monument","html_content":"

Rising from the corner of 35th Street and King Drive, the Victory Monument stands as one of the earliest and most powerful public tributes to African American military service in the United States. Erected in 1927, it ho...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/the-victory-monument","title":"The Victory Monument","date_modified":"2025-07-28T19:07:59Z"},{"id":"supreme-life-insurance-company","html_content":"

At a time when Black Americans were denied access to financial security and basic coverage, the Supreme Life Insurance Company emerged as a beacon of self-reliance and dignity. Headquartered in the heart of Bronzeville a...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/supreme-life-insurance-company","title":"Supreme Life Insurance Company","date_modified":"2025-07-28T19:04:18Z"},{"id":"overton-hygienic-building","html_content":"

A Monument to Black Entrepreneurship Standing proudly at 3619 S. State Street in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, the Overton Hygienic Building is one of the most enduring symbols of Black economic empowerment in the ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/overton-hygienic-building","title":"Overton Hygienic Building","date_modified":"2025-07-28T19:01:08Z"},{"id":"ida-b-wells","html_content":"

Ida B. Wells was a pioneering journalist and fearless civil rights activist who made Bronzeville her home and base for national impact.

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/ida-b-wells","title":"Ida B. Wells","date_modified":"2025-07-28T13:48:40Z"},{"id":"the-black-history-month-fundraiser-was-a-huge-success","html_content":"

On February 27th, Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area hosted its first-ever fundraiser at the Zolla / Lieberman Gallery. The fundraiser celebrated the Black Arts Movement by focusing on the works of Purvi...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/the-black-history-month-fundraiser-was-a-huge-success","title":"The Black History Month Fundraiser was a Huge Success!","date_modified":"2025-04-24T14:06:27Z"},{"id":"south-side-art-center-grows","html_content":"

In keeping with its mission to develop and showcase Black artists throughout all periods of their careers, the South Side Community Art Center recently announced a $15 million restoration and expansion. The project will ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/south-side-art-center-grows","title":"South Side Art Center Grows","date_modified":"2025-03-27T14:17:51Z"},{"id":"explore-chicago%E2%80%99s-black-murals","html_content":"

Just north of the South Side Community Art Center is the ComEd-commissioned mural by Rahmann Statik and Shawn Michael Warren called The Renaissance Mural. This and many other murals will be part of the upcoming Black Mur...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/explore-chicago%E2%80%99s-black-murals","title":"Explore Chicago’s Black Murals","date_modified":"2025-03-25T13:29:30Z"},{"id":"bronzeville%E2%80%99s-cultural-uprising","html_content":"

The Chicago Black Renaissance, although not a new term, has often been viewed as an extension or widening of the Harlem Renaissance. Both movements were crucial in shaping African American cultural identity—and American ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville%E2%80%99s-cultural-uprising","title":"Bronzeville’s Cultural Uprising","date_modified":"2025-03-25T13:22:37Z"},{"id":"bronzeville%E2%80%99s-first-black-priest","html_content":"

Whenever I give a tour of Bronzeville, I always make sure our bus passes by many significant places of interest, including the Baptist churches where gospel music has its roots and St. Elizabeth, a Black Catholic church ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville%E2%80%99s-first-black-priest","title":"Bronzeville’s First Black Priest","date_modified":"2025-03-25T13:14:01Z"},{"id":"why-february-for-black-history-month","html_content":"

Did you ever wonder why February was chosen for Black History Month? Any ideas?

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/why-february-for-black-history-month","title":"Why February for Black History Month?","date_modified":"2025-01-28T13:19:14Z"},{"id":"coalition-of-house-museums-update","html_content":"

Phillis Wheatley House

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/coalition-of-house-museums-update","title":"Coalition of House Museums Update","date_modified":"2024-11-11T15:40:17Z"},{"id":"open-house-chicago-2024","html_content":"

Working with Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), organizer of the ever popular Open House Chicago, Bronzeville-Black Metropolis NHA offered a walking tour called “Tour of Duty” focusing on our important military history i...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/open-house-chicago-2024","title":"Open House Chicago 2024","date_modified":"2024-11-11T15:38:46Z"},{"id":"mecca-flats-railing-donated-to-art-institute-of-chicago","html_content":"

Bronzeville developed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century as a neighborhood with many elegant, architecturally significant residences. The people who lived there could afford to build them and also t...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/mecca-flats-railing-donated-to-art-institute-of-chicago","title":"Mecca Flats Railing Donated to Art Institute of Chicago","date_modified":"2024-11-11T15:37:02Z"},{"id":"aldine-square%E2%80%93another-lost-bronzeville-community","html_content":"

I recently learned about another elegant area of Bronzeville that existed until it was demolished. In this case, the demolition was to build the Ida B. Wells public housing project. You could argue that this was also Urb...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/aldine-square%E2%80%93another-lost-bronzeville-community","title":"Aldine Square–Another Lost Bronzeville Community ","date_modified":"2024-11-11T15:35:04Z"},{"id":"a-visit-to-silos-and-smokestacks-national-heritage-area","html_content":"

ANHA’s (Alliance of National Heritage Areas) Fall meeting was held in Waterloo, IA. I knew that the story of Silos and Smokestacks was the story of American agriculture, but to discover the depths to which it could be de...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/a-visit-to-silos-and-smokestacks-national-heritage-area","title":"A Visit to Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area","date_modified":"2024-11-11T15:29:32Z"},{"id":"so-who-was-ida%E2%80%99s-husband","html_content":"

Chicago and Bronzeville pay homage to Ida B. Wells for her work in journalism and Civil Rights, and rightly so, but some of us are not as familiar with her husband, Ferdinand Lee Barnett, (10 Feb. 1852-11 Mar. 1936), Ame...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/so-who-was-ida%E2%80%99s-husband","title":"So Who was Ida’s Husband?","date_modified":"2024-07-24T16:19:19Z"},{"id":"who-was-ida-b-wells","html_content":"

Ida B. Wells was a civil rights activist, journalist, suffragist who was born enslaved in Holly Springs, MS in 1862. She s

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/who-was-ida-b-wells","title":"Who was Ida B. Wells?","date_modified":"2024-07-24T16:15:27Z"},{"id":"coalition-of-house-museums","html_content":"

One of the pillars of the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage is preservation. History has shown that an extreme amount of work has been put into the preservation and repurposing of buildings throughout Bronze...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/coalition-of-house-museums","title":"Coalition of House Museums","date_modified":"2024-07-24T16:09:41Z"},{"id":"a-visit-to-northern-plains-national-heritage-area","html_content":"

One of the things we National Heritage Area folks love to do is visit national park sites and learn about the amazing history and culture of America. This year the midwest region NHAs gathered in Bismarck, ND at Northern...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/a-visit-to-northern-plains-national-heritage-area","title":"A Visit to Northern Plains National Heritage Area","date_modified":"2024-07-24T16:06:11Z"},{"id":"3rd-annual-ida-b-wells-festival-celebrates-history","html_content":"

What a great day for the 3rd Annual Ida B. Wells Festival it was! The variety of events on June 29 attracted a few hundred participants to Bronzeville.

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/3rd-annual-ida-b-wells-festival-celebrates-history","title":"3rd Annual Ida B. Wells Festival Celebrates History","date_modified":"2024-07-24T15:32:00Z"},{"id":"the-great-migration-a-transformative-journey-of-african-american","html_content":"

From the early 20th century, African-Americans embarked on an unprecedented movement known as the Great Migration. It was a monumental shift that transformed the social, cultural, and political landscape of America. We w...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/the-great-migration-a-transformative-journey-of-african-american","title":"The Great Migration: A Transformative Journey of African-American","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:53:31Z"},{"id":"up-coming-events","html_content":"

Stay tuned for an exciting lineup of upcoming events! From engaging workshops to captivating performances, there's something for everyone. Join us as we embark on a journey filled with inspiration, education, and enterta...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/up-coming-events","title":"Up Coming Events","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:42:35Z"},{"id":"bronzeville-black-metropolis-nha-new-leadership-unveiled","html_content":"

Bronzeville-Black Metropolis NHA Excitedly Welcomes Leslie A. Williams to Executive Board!

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville-black-metropolis-nha-new-leadership-unveiled","title":"Bronzeville-Black Metropolis NHA: New Leadership Unveiled!","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:38:45Z"},{"id":"did-you-know","html_content":"

Robert Abbott founded the Chicago Defender in the beginning of the 20th Century and because of Abbott and his newspaper that was distributed in the South by the Pullman Porters, hundreds of thousands of Black people migr...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/did-you-know","title":"Did You Know?","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:28:50Z"},{"id":"let%E2%80%99s-upgrade-the-bronzeville-%E2%80%9Cwalk-of-fame%E2%80%9D","html_content":"

As a tour guide and Bronzeville enthusiast, I love to take guests to the corner of 35th and King Drive to visit the Walk of Fame. Stretching ten city blocks on the Boulevard we call King Drive are 91 bronze plaques imbed...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/let%E2%80%99s-upgrade-the-bronzeville-%E2%80%9Cwalk-of-fame%E2%80%9D","title":"Let’s Upgrade the Bronzeville “Walk of Fame”","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:27:23Z"},{"id":"bronzeville%E2%80%99s-trailblazers-honored-for-women%E2%80%99s-history-month","html_content":"

“For the Love of You” event honored Bronzeville Trailblazers on March 23 at the Creative Incubator on 51st Street. Our own Steering Committee chairperson for preservation, Sherry Williams, was one of the honorees, along ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville%E2%80%99s-trailblazers-honored-for-women%E2%80%99s-history-month","title":"Bronzeville’s Trailblazers Honored for Women’s History Month","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:26:07Z"},{"id":"bronzeville-honored-as-illinois-state-cultural-district","html_content":"

On February 26, 2024, Governor Pritzker announced the ten Illinois-State Cultural Districts to a packed house at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park. According to the statute, five were ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville-honored-as-illinois-state-cultural-district","title":"Bronzeville Honored as Illinois-State Cultural District","date_modified":"2024-04-17T13:24:52Z"},{"id":"empowering-heritage-friedman-family-grant-fuels","html_content":"

In a remarkable turn of events, the Bronzeville Black Metropolis National Heritage Area has recently been awarded a significant boost in the form of a $5,000 grant from the esteemed Friedman Family Grant. This generous c...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/empowering-heritage-friedman-family-grant-fuels","title":"Empowering Heritage: Friedman Family Grant Fuels","date_modified":"2024-02-12T10:55:50Z"},{"id":"chicago-black-arts-hall-of-fame","html_content":"

Celebrates the Cultural Contributions of Extraordinary Artists

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/chicago-black-arts-hall-of-fame","title":"Chicago Black Arts Hall of Fame ","date_modified":"2024-01-21T00:49:19Z"},{"id":"writers-tradition-in-bronzeville","html_content":"

Bronzeville has such a stellar tradition of writing, including novelists, dramatists, poets, scholarly writers, and more. Gwendolyn Brooks was acclaimed for writing her first book of poems in 1945 called “A Street in Bro...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/writers-tradition-in-bronzeville","title":"Writers Tradition in Bronzeville","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:01:53Z"},{"id":"obsidian-collection-house","html_content":"

It was a great pleasure to meet with Angela Ford, the owner of the house that belonged to a Chicago journalistic legend, Lu Palmer. Angela explained to me why she purchased the house and what she wants to do with it. Thi...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/obsidian-collection-house","title":"Obsidian Collection House","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:01:46Z"},{"id":"bronzeville-black-metropolis-awarded-25000","html_content":"

We are pleased to announce that Bronzeville-Black Metropolis NHA has been awarded a grant from the National Parks Foundation Open OutDoors for Kids (nationalparks.org).

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/bronzeville-black-metropolis-awarded-25000","title":"Bronzeville-Black Metropolis Awarded $25,000","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:01:37Z"},{"id":"ida-b-wells-festival-2023","html_content":"

The 2023 Ida B. Wells Festival had a great turnout and was enjoyed by all who gave feedback. The four-event festival attracted a combined 300 or so attendees. On the beautiful day, which had comfortable temperatures and ...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/ida-b-wells-festival-2023","title":"Ida B. Wells Festival 2023","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:01:28Z"},{"id":"ida-b-wells-who-am-i","html_content":"

Ida B. Wells was an influential African American journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist. She was born on July 16, 1862, in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and passed away on March 25, 1931. Wells fought against ra...

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/ida-b-wells-who-am-i","title":"Ida B. Wells: Who am I?","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:01:11Z"},{"id":"biden-declares-emmett-till-mamie-till-mobley-national-monument","html_content":"

Unveiling the monument leads to a new chapter in American history.

","url":"https://blackmetropolis.org/events-1/f/biden-declares-emmett-till-mamie-till-mobley-national-monument","title":"Biden Declares Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument","date_modified":"2023-10-02T19:00:53Z"}]}