Black Wall Street Journey

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Black Wall Street Journey

A citywide project that pays tribute to the building of Black wealth using public art to tell the journeys of Black communities in Chicago and beyond

10/25/2022

Rick Lowe: Notes on the Great Migration

Tuesday night, Oct 25th from 5p-7p, the Neubauer Collegium will celebrate the opening weekend of Rick Lowe’s new exhibition paintings which reference the ongoing Black Wall Street Journey project based in Bronzeville.

Link in bio to register.

10/20/2022

Artists and MacArthur Fellows, Rick Lowe and Amanda Williams , will be in conversation this Saturday, October 22nd, at Northwestern University - Norris Center. As part of the Festival, Lowe will discuss community-based creative practices and the power of seeing art all around our communities.

Visit to register for attendance to the event Saturday, Oct 22nd at 12pm.

07/25/2022

WBEZ published a great article about the life and legacy of Florence B. Price, accomplished classical musician who lived and created in Bronzeville during the Chicago Black Renaissance. She was the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

"Like its more well-known predecessor in Harlem, Chicago’s Black Renaissance became one of the most culturally significant periods in American history. And Florence Price, along with her classical music counterparts are a huge part of this legacy.

Karen Walwyn is a concert pianist, composer, and a scholar of Florence Price’s music. She said the music is intentional: It pays homage to her experience as a Black American, often leaning into music of Black dance and celebratory traditions.

Douglas Shadle, associate professor of musicology at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, said people are drawn to both Price’s music and her story. Each time her music is performed anywhere in the world, it gets an instant standing ovation, he said."

written by: for WBEZ
photo credit: Arkansas Libraries Special Collections

06/17/2022

Meet the people working behind the scenes on Black Wall Street Journey

Bernard serves as president and project leader of Urban Juncture in Bronzeville. He received a doctorate in computational fluid dynamics and masters of science in business from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before founding Urban Juncture, Bernard was a partner at the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company. Bernard connects Black Wall Street Journey with the commercial and cultural work happening in Bronzeville that is revitalizing the neighborhood. He and his family reside in Bronzeville.

06/16/2022

As Father’s Day approaches, we want to shine a light on a few businesses owned by Black fathers in Chicago! We admire their tenacity, creativity, and how they love their communities.

First is Bobby Morelli of ! He opened the popular hot-dog stand at with his daughter, Brooklyn, in August 2020. Since then, they expanded to a second location in Portage Park. Now, even more people in the city get to enjoy their amazing, gourmet hot dogs.

Visit our website to view more stories about Black entrepreneurship in Chicago on the Black Wall Street Journey ticker.

05/20/2022

If it felt harder to get through this week, we see you. If you found yourself feeling disconnected at times, we see you. Racial trauma is real and yet, we still find ways to create community, safe spaces for healing, and moments of joy with one another. We mourn the lives stolen this past weekend in the racist mass shooting in Buffalo. As a creative community, may we continue to honor Black life by telling our untold histories and imagining new futures.

photo credit: Libby March for Washington Post

04/20/2022

Ayooooo this is of and today OTV is taking over the instagram !
👋 For those that haven't heard of us, hello ! OTV is short for Open Television, we are an Emmy-nominated nonprofit platform for intersectional television, with artists and their creative visions at the center.

In addition to providing a network of care to support a creative project from start to release, OTV also offers connectivity, financing and consultation throughout. This is all to bring the stories of our time that are often underrepresented or missing from TV, to the public.

Today we have a co-working day in the office and will share some more about what we do here at OTV and show some of our teammates. Peep the IG story for updates.

04/12/2022

Word on 51st street is that Black Wall Street Journey is re-opening at Urban Juncture very soon …👀

Stay tuned for some upcoming announcements!

Rick Lowe, Black Wall Street Journey #5, 2021
Photo: Thomas Dubrock

04/08/2022

We asked visitors what gives them hope about the Black economy in Chicago and here's what a few folks had to say. What about you - what gives you hope about the Black economy in Chicago? What are some of the ways you see the Black economy in Chicago countering inequality?

03/19/2022

Hey Black Wall Street Family! I’m Verlean from located right in the amazing community! We specialize in providing black literature to the south side of ! We support black authors wholeheartedly, so be prepared to discover an array of titles that feature people that look like both you and me! We have a specialized focus on providing literature to underfunded schools with our non-profit . Swipe to see some amazing titles we have in store and what I like to call “good ole book store art”!

03/18/2022

Since 2012, businesses started by Black women reportedly increased 67%, outpacing Black men and women of other racial groups. Between 2014 and 2019, Black women-owned businesses grew 50%. Today, the majority of Black-owned businesses are now owned by Black women.

Although growing businesses at a fast speed, securing business funding and building revenue are among the biggest challenges Black women entrepreneurs face. In a survey of Black women business owners across 7 regional states, a business loan rejection led most to fund their business with their own personal funds.

research credit: Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank

03/03/2022

Marjorie Stewart Joyner was a hair care entrepreneur, educator, and activist. After becoming the first Black graduate of A.B. Molar Beauty School in 1916, Joyner opened her own salon. She later met and worked for Madame C.J. Walker, eventually overseeing 200 of Walker’s beauty schools. In 1939, Joyner became the first Black woman to receive a patent for her permanent hair wave machine and scalp protector. She wrote Illinois’ first cosmetology laws and advised government agencies in their outreach to Black women under The New Deal.

There are so many Black beauty specialists and entrepreneurs in Chicago carrying on this special legacy of Marjorie Stewart Joyner. It is only one of the areas of commerce where Black women in Chicago make history. Who are some of the Black women making waves in this space that you admire?

Photo Credit: Robert Sengstacke Abbot/Getty Images

Address

314 East 51st Street
Chicago, IL
60615

Website

http://www.blackwallstreetjourney.com/

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