The summer of 1919 in Chicago was a crucible, forging a brutal chapter in the city's history. The Red Summer, as it came to be known, was a period of intense racial violence that erupted across the United States, and Chicago became a terrifying focal point.
The specific incident that ignited the conflagration was the drowning of Eugene Williams, a young African American boy, in Lake Michigan on July 27th.
The Spark
Williams, along with his friends, had crossed an invisible, yet strictly enforced, racial boundary in the water, drifting from the Black section of the 29th Street beach into the White section. White beachgoers responded with a barrage of stones, one of which struck Williams, causing him to drown. The police, when called, refused to arrest the white man identified as responsible, exacerbating the already tense atmosphere.
This act of violence, a stark manifestation of the deep-seated racial animosity prevalent in the city, served as the catalyst for days of unrest. The Great Migration, which had brought thousands of African Americans to Chicago seeking economic opportunity, had also fueled racial tensions. White residents, feeling their neighborhoods and resources threatened, reacted with hostility and violence.
Fear Grips the City
In Silver Echoes, Silver Dollar lives on the south side of Chicago and describes the events: “The air hung thick and heavy, not just with the usual Chicago summer grime, but with a tension you could taste. A raw, metallic tang that settled on my tongue, like the blood I'd seen staining the streets.”
The ensuing riots were characterized by brutal street fighting, arson, and widespread destruction. Mobs, both black and white, clashed throughout the South Side, the primary residential area for the city's African American population. Homes and businesses were looted and burned, and the streets became battlegrounds.
Silver Dollar recalls the fear that gripped her neighborhood. “I remember the fear, the sheer, paralyzing fear that gripped our street. The shouts, the screams, the shattering of glass. The smell of smoke, thick and acrid, burning my eyes and throat.” She describes her father grabbing his shotgun to protect them. She looked out the window and “saw men running, faces contorted with fury, their shadows dancing in the flickering flames of burning buildings.”
A Fragile Social Structure
The Chicago Police Department's response was widely criticized for its bias. Reports indicated that officers often stood by while white mobs attacked African Americans, and in some cases, actively participated in the violence. The lack of impartial law enforcement further fueled the cycle of retaliation and escalation.
The unrest continued for several days, only subsiding with the intervention of the Illinois National Guard. Even then, the scars left by the riots were deep and enduring. The official death toll was thirty-eight, with many more injured, and hundreds of homes destroyed. The riots exposed the stark racial inequalities that permeated Chicago society and the fragility of the city's social fabric.
As Silver Dollar says, “Days bled into nights, the city a battleground. We huddled in the dark, hungry and terrified, listening to the distant gunshots and the wail of sirens.”
The 1919 Chicago race riot became a pivotal moment in the city's history, a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of racial hatred and systemic injustice. The events of that summer cast a long shadow, influencing race relations and urban development in Chicago for decades to come. The riot also highlighted the nation's desperate need for social justice and the ongoing struggle for equality that continued to plague the country.
Read more about the history of Chicago in Silver Echoes, available now.
GOLD DIGGER and SILVER ECHOES by historical novelist Rebecca Rosenberg are available now at Amazon
