The Chicago Defender Aug. 2, 1919 edition that chronicles the Chicago Race Riot.

As we embark on another Chicago summer, we revisit one of the most infamous incidents to unfold during this season 106 years ago—the Chicago Race Riot of 1919. The weeklong outbreak of violence left 38 people dead and more than 500 injured. Entire neighborhoods were shaken. The city’s racial fault lines, some still visible today, were carved deeper into the urban landscape.

Even then, The Chicago Defender was front and center—bearing witness, naming names, and telling the truth on behalf of Black Chicago. For our ongoing CD120 series commemorating 120 years of the Defender’s history, we bring you a conversation with Dr. Peter Cole, a historian who has made it his mission to study and elevate the legacy of th

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