Quiz: How Well Do You Know Chicago’s African American History?

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hall branch summer reading group
Arna Bontemps with summer reading group at Chicago Public Library, George Cleveland Hall Branch, 1941 (Source: George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives, Box 10, Photo 053, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection, Chicago Public Library)

It’s February and that means we’re celebrating African American History Month. Our quiz doesn’t even begin to cover every aspect or era of African American life and history in Chicago, but we hope you enjoy it and learn a few new things!

To help you warm up, we'll give you the answer to this question: What's the largest African American history and literature collection in the Midwest? Answer: Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at Woodson Regional Library! Visit us to learn more about many of the people and topics covered in this quiz.

Who is considered to be the founder of Chicago?
During what period did Chicago see the greatest rise in its African American population?
Author Richard Wright spent a decade living in Chicago after arriving in 1927. Which of his books takes place primarily on the South Side?
Which newspaper was founded in 1905 at a landlady’s kitchen table, before moving to a more permanent home at 3435 S. Indiana Avenue in 1920?
Which Chicago neighborhood has a Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial district?
Thomas Dorsey is often called the "father of gospel music" and the creator of "blues gospel." Before moving on to Pilgrim Baptist Church, Dorsey was the choir director for which Chicago church?
Who served as a Chicago alderman as well as the lead attorney in Hansberry v. Lee, a landmark case challenging restrictive covenants in Chicago?
Which famous author was also a columnist for the Chicago Defender newspaper?
This entrepreneur not only ran her own business, she also patented a permanent wave machine for hair styling, founded the United Beauty School Owners and Teacher’s Association and chaired the Chicago Defender Charities for numerous years.
In 1945, St. Clair Drake and Horace Cayton published their seminal sociological and anthropological study of the black community in Chicago. What’s the title of this book?
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