The 1919 Race Riot Plaque, nestled amidst the trees and expanse of lawn near 29th Street along the lakefront on Chicago’s South Side, is a stark reminder of a dark chapter in the city’s history. It commemorates the tragic event that sparked one of the worst race riots in American history, a riot that lasted for a week and left 38 dead and over 500 injured. It was the worst of the scores of riots and civil disturbances across the United States during the “Red Summer” of 1919. The plaque, paid for by students of Elmhurst High School, a predominantly white suburb, was installed in 2009. It stands as a monument to Eugene Williams, a 17-year-old African American teenager, whose accidental death on the lakefront ignited the inferno of hate.
The placard reads “A Riot Is The Language Of The Unheard”. It reads this as a tribute to the victims of the race riot that began near this place on Sunday, July 27, 1919. The plaque reminds us that a group of boys rafting on Lake Michigan drifted over an invisible racial barrier. Rocks were thrown at the boys and Eugene Williams was struck in the head and drowned. He died because of racial tensions, racial tensions fueled by the “Red Summer” where there were riots in 30 American cities between May and October of that year.
The plaque is a reminder that racial tensions and segregation that plagued the city of Chicago in the early 20th century were far from subtle. The city was a hub of rapid industrial expansion, and with that came the Great Migration. Thousands of African Americans from the South, fleeing Jim Crow and violence, flocked to Chicago seeking opportunity. But they arrived in a city rife with prejudice, where white residents defended their neighborhoods and political power, often with violence. The Irish, who had established a strong presence in the city, were particularly resistant to newcomers, their “athletic clubs” often wielding power as enforcers for local politicians. The police, overwhelmingly white and Irish American, seemed indifferent to the rise of white-ethnic gangs and often failed to protect African Americans.
The plaque is a somber reminder of a city that was wrestling with its history, its changing demographics and the deep-rooted challenges of racial equality. It serves as a poignant testament to the human cost of racial violence and the urgent need for continued work to prevent racial tension and prejudice.