Artists highlight lasting impact of Chicago's 1919 race riot with glass markers in the Loop

For many, the corner of Adams Street and Wabash Avenue is just a busy stop on their way to see a show at the Chicago Theatre, attend a festival at Grant Park or take in the sights at the Art Institute.

For Paul Hardwick, it was where he took his last breath.

More than 100 years ago, the African American man was on his way to work at the Palmer House hotel when he was chased by a mob of about 30 white aggressors. He was shot in the chest, beaten and robbed. He was long forgotten as one of 38 killed in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, which historians say is not often taught or discussed.

But now Hardwick is immortalized with a marker at the site of his death, thanks to The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project . For years, a team of volunteers has been installing brick-shaped gla