All Stories

DuSable Museum Students who are fortunate enough to participate in the Carthage in Chicago program have the opportunity to live, work, and study in downtown Chicago for a semester, interning at an organization and gaining professional experience as well as college credit. In addition, Carthage offers weekend seminars in Chicago. The seminar, “The African American Experience in Chicago,” held on Saturday, Oct. 22, was particularly memorable.

Led by Professor Michele Hancock, director of Equity and Inclusion at Carthage, the all-day seminar and field trip was attended by students in the Carthage in Chicago program, as well as faculty and students from the Kenosha campus.

The day began at DuSable Museum in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, once known as Chicago’s “Black metropolis,” home to jazz clubs, cabarets, and such literary luminaries as Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks. At the museum, participants saw exhibits dating back to the era of slavery, through the era of Mayor Harold Washington in the early 1980s and to the career of President Barack Obama.

DuSable Museum Special Education Professor Karen Davis said, “The museum was memorable in the heartbreak and brutality of the story preserved in its exhibits. What struck me over and over was the feeling that while some things have changed for Black Americans, many inequities and prejudices remain, and are even emphasized and celebrated in new and ugly ways. I also learned more than I knew about the Harold Washington era. That is a time I witnessed from a distance, and knew little about. I would have liked more time to see some of the other exhibits in more detail, and plan to return on my own for a longer visit.”

Lunch in Bronzeville at Ain’t that Sweet, next door to the Sip and Savor Coffee House, introduced students to African American-owned businesses and entrepreneurship. The heart of the day was an afternoon in the Ashburn-Marycrest neighborhood on the far south side, at the home of Prof. Hancock’s sister and brother in law, Pam and Fred Layne, at which family and friends shared personal narratives of growing up, going to school, and working in Chicago. Students learned from a real estate agent, police officer, military officer, teachers, and school administrators about their experiences as African Americans in Chicago over the past 60 years.

Carthage in Chicago students Communication major Jonah Solheim ’17, who is interning at Rough Cut Films, said, “Engaging in meaningful dialogue with Michele Hancock’s family and friends, who represented many different walks of life, careers, and experiences was by far my favorite part of the day. It changed the tone of the trip from ‘look at the differences in our cultures’ to ‘just see someone else’s perspective and respect that their voice is valid.’”

The day concluded with dinner at Pearl’s Place, a soul food restaurant in Bronzeville, where the conversation continued over fried chicken, smothered pork chops, macaroni and cheese, greens, and peach cobbler. Cat Johnson ’16 described the day’s events as “very moving for anyone who believes the south side is a ‘scary dangerous place’ as portrayed by the media, and any white person, especially those under the age of 30, who isn’t educated as much on the history of African American people and the struggles they face even today. Our generation can continue to make a difference. This change is not going to happen overnight, but we have the power to change the next generation and hopefully make a difference in time.”