Black History Month - Facts - Grand Victoria Foundation

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (1745–1818)

FACTS

Considered the “Founder of Chicago,” du Sable was of African descent (born in present-day Haiti or Saint-Domingue) and established a trading post at the mouth of the Chicago River.

SIGNIFICANCE

His settlement predated formal recognition of Chicago as a town, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the nation’s largest cities.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000)

FACTS

Brooks, a Chicago native, became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize (1950) for her book of poetry, Annie Allen.

SIGNIFICANCE

She later served as the Illinois Poet Laureate and was known for writing about the lives, struggles, and celebrations of Black communities in Chicago.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931)

FACTS

In 1893, Dr. Williams performed one of the world’s first successful open-heart surgeries at Provident Hospital in Chicago, which he founded as the first Black-owned and operated hospital in the United States.

SIGNIFICANCE

His work pioneered advancements in cardiac surgery and provided crucial medical access to Black patients who faced discrimination elsewhere.

The Chicago Defender

FACTS

Established in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott, The Chicago Defender became one of the most influential Black newspapers in the nation, encouraging Southern Blacks to migrate north for better opportunities.

SIGNIFICANCE

It helped shape the Great Migration, providing news, job listings, and a vision of possibility for Black families considering a move to Chicago and other Northern cities.

Bronzeville Neighborhood

FACTS

Located on Chicago’s South Side, Bronzeville became a major cultural and economic hub for African Americans who migrated from the South during the early to mid-20th century.

SIGNIFICANCE

The neighborhood fostered influential artists, jazz musicians, writers, and activists, making it known as the “Black Metropolis” and a cradle of the city’s cultural life.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931)

FACTS

Although born in Mississippi, Wells made Chicago her home in the latter part of her life. In 1895, she published The Red Record, one of the earliest documented reports of lynchings in the U.S.

SIGNIFICANCE

As a journalist, educator, and civil rights leader, her work in Chicago included co-founding the National Association of Colored Women and helping lay the groundwork for future civil rights movements.