Black Owned Chicago Businesses
While many wealthy, white Chicagoans were shopping at the large department stores, those with less money and from marganilized communities were creating small and successful businesses.
Between 1915 and 1970, large masses of African American migrants from the south moved north, settling in Chicago. This movement, later called the Great Migration, had mixed effects on the lives of blacks in Chicagoland. While many people found success, Chicago was not the most welcoming city; racism, limited education opportunities, and segregation pushed blacks from the areas of the department stores and fasion to the outskirts of the city. Unexpectedly, these segregated communities became centers for arts, politics, and successful small businesses.
From June to October 1973, photographer John H. White photographed these communities for the federal government, as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's DOCUMERICA project. His photographs portray both the difficulties and successes residents of these neighborhoods lived through. This picture is an example of one of these successful black-owned businesses.
As the title of the photo explains, in 1973 Chicago was home to 14 of the U.S.'s 100 top black-owned businesses. This number has grown exponentially throughout the years, and Chicago continues to have more black-owned businesses than many U. S. cities.