The Legacy of the Chicago Defender
About the Event:
Important Update 10/28:
Myiti Sengstacke-Rice is no longer a part of this program. However, we are still hosting a conversation, at the same time and location, on the history of the Chicago Defender and the power of the Black press.
Panelists will include former Managing Editor of the Chicago Defender Mary Datcher and Chicago Tonight correspondent Brandis Friedman.
Your existing tickets for this program will give you access to this modified conversation. We are also happy to exchange, donate, or refund tickets – if this is your preference, please email tickets@chicagohumanities.org (include your name and phone number).
Pre-ordered and on site purchases of Sengstacke-Rice’s book The Chicago Defender will continue. The book signing has been cancelled.
All ticket holders will receive an email with details about these changes. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
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July 17th, 2019, marked the first week without a print edition of the Chicago Defender in more than 114 years. Though the legendary Black newspaper continues to publish online, the end of its print run has prompted a reckoning with the crucial role the paper has played in the lives of many Black Americans. Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, a fifth-generation member of the family that began publishing the Defender in 1905, is one of those reflecting. Her book on the Defender covers the impact the paper had, from providing a platform for writers like Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, to assisting the Great Migration. Join Rice and Chicago Tonight correspondent Brandis Friedman for a discussion on the power of the Black press, and the future of her family's legacy.
Preorder your copy of Chicago Defender through the CHF box office and save 20%.
This program is presented in partnership with Blanc Gallery, the Chicago Reader, and WTTW/Chicago Tonight.
