A Road Scholar Program by Erik Gellman

Erik Gellman will present five myths of late 1960s Chicago history. These myths show how popular memory (and the lack of memory altogether) have prevented students and citizens of Illinois from better understanding our contemporary urban problems around issues like access to jobs, the pipeline from failing schools to prisons, and the use of urban space. By using film footage and images, along with Gellman’s extensive research on Chicago civil rights activities during this period, Erik Gellman illustrates a much more relevant urban history of the late 1960s. This talk addresses touchstones like the campaign of Martin Luther King, the Democratic Convention of 1968, and the assassination of Fred Hampton as points of departure to understand the context of social change and its repression during this tumultuous era.

This event is Free and Open to the public. For more information, please contact Claire Steiner, 708.758.0090.