University News

WIU Professor Leads Eighth Annual Chicago Race Riot Tour on July 25

July 24, 2026

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MACOMB, IL - - The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19) will mark a historic milestone with its eighth annual eight-mile historic bike and bus tour from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saturday, July 25, in Chicago.

Western Illinois University history professor Peter Cole is co-director of CRR19, along with Franklin N. Cosey-Gay, Executive Director of Community and External Affairs for the Urban Health Initiative with the University of Chicago Medicine. CRR19 is an award-winning public history, public art and education initiative dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Chicago's deadliest episode of racial violence.

This year's event coincides with the 107th anniversary of the Chicago Race Riots and will be highlighted by the recently completed installation of 38 handcrafted glass memorial markers embedded in sidewalks around Chicago where each victim lost their life–across 30 square miles of the city. All the markers were created by youth artists, also survivors of violence, from the Firebird Community Arts' Project FIRE. The markers were commissioned and financed by the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Chicago Monuments Project and Mellon Foundation. The markers now are part of the Public Art Collection of the City of Chicago.

The free bike and bus tour will take participants through Bronzeville, Bridgeport and the lakefront by bicycle or trolley while learning about how the events of 1919 shaped Chicago's residential segregation through restrictive covenants and laid the foundation for decades of redlining and disinvestment that continue to influence the city today.

Professor Cole has long incorporated the history of 1919 and the CRR19 project into the classroom. Multiple WIU students, both undergraduates and graduates, have conducted research and written papers that pertain to the history and the public history project.

Registration for the free event is still available. Coupons for Divvy bikes will be available and a free trolley provided for elders and those with mobility issues. For more information, or to register, visit bit.ly/4vHkbEE.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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