Download the 1919 ebook on Hoopla!
Moraine Valley's students, faculty and staff can download Eve Ewing's book, 1919, on our Hoopla app through this link. (Ask a librarian if you need help.)
Spring 2021 Events
Live Event: Poetry Reading & Contest Winner Announcements
- Thursday, April 15, 2021, 3pm-4:30pm (REGISTER HERE)
- Join us as we highlight our student poets in celebration of National Poetry Month. Our One Book program on Eve Ewing's 1919 is our first to focus on a book of poetry, so we want to celebrate! We will also announce the winners of our student poetry contest.
Sidewalk Poetry: Take Your Chalk to the Streets!
- After spring break, help us share poetry with the world. Write your poetry in chalk, take a picture, and share it as the hashtag #MVCCchalkpoems. Visit our Sidewalk Poetry page for more details.
Recorded Event: Revisiting the Past and Looking Toward the Future: How society has dealt with diversity, equity, and inclusion 1919 - 2021.
- Special guest Dr. Tracy Crump, Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at St. Xavier University. Dr. Crump's talk will consider how to build inclusive spaces in our society by exploring the root causes of social unrest in Chicago over the last century. She will start with the Red Summer of 1919 and move forward.
- Tracy Crump holds the Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a juris doctorate from from the John Marshall Law School, and earned the LL.M. (post-JD studies) at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Recorded Event: An Interview with Haki R. Madhubuti: Taught by Women & other Writers
- Haki R. Madhubuti is a poet, publisher, and public intellectual. He is the found of Third World Press which is the largest, independent, African-American owned press in the United States. In this interview, MVCC's Dewitt Scott interviews Mr. Madhubuti on his new book Taught By Women: Poems as Resistance Language New and Selected as well as discussing his life and work.
Recorded Event: Civil unrest in the U.S. Is the worst behind us or ahead of us?
- The United States has experienced significant civil unrest in the past year. Please join our panel as we examine the landscape of the past year, potential domestic threats in the future, and police and community relations. Panel members will include: Dr. John Roman: Senior Fellow of Economics, Justice and Society at NORC at the University of Chicago, Merri-Fefles Dunkle: History, Political Science and Sociology Professor, and Matthew Harland: Oak Lawn Police Officer, Criminal Justice Professor, and Marine veteran.
Recorded Event: Uncover 1919: A Discussion of Eve Ewing's 1919
- The MVCC Black Student Association holds an in-depth discussion of “1919” by Eve L. Ewing. Her award-winning collection of poems explores the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 through poetry. This discussion is moderated by Dr. Amani Wazwaz and it part of the Black History Month celebration and the One Book, One College program.
Recorded Event: Eve Ewing's 1919: A Critical Conversation with Dr. Janice Tuck Lively
- A discussion on Eve Ewing's poetry in her book "1919." In this interview, MVCC Counselor Shanya Gray interviews Dr. Janice Tuck Lively of Professor of English at Elmhurst College and author of fiction and non-fiction. This talk is part of our One Book, One College program on Ewing's 1919.
Recorded Event: Are Confederate Monuments History? Assessing the Lost Cause, Monuments, and Race in 21st century America
- In recent years, a vigorous debate has occurred online and in the streets over the meaning of monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders during the American Civil War. In this presentation, Associate Professor of History Josh Fulton explores the Lost Cause movement and its efforts to reshape historical memory of the Confederacy and the Civil War through monuments and more.
Recorded Event: Was it really a year like no other? 2020 in Historical Context
The year 2020 was a year to remember, but how unique was it? How does it compare to other historic moments? MVCC history faculty consider these questions. This event is part of the Moraine Valley One Book, One College program.
Recorded Event: The Bubonic Plague: The Ultimate Pandemic
- History faculty member Jim McIntyre provides an overview of the history of one of the most deadly pandemics in history, the bubonic plague or the black death. This discussion reviews key outbreaks and the impacts they had in history. This is set in light of the current, Covid-19 pandemic.
Fall 2020 Event Videos
- The 1919 Chicago Race Riot: A talk by Dr. Eric Allen Hall
- Racial Health Disparities: Equity in Light of COVID
Discussion of access to healthcare, culturally appropriate healthcare and the legacies of the past that still impact community health today. - Poetry as the Voice of Experience: A Discussion of Eve Ewing's 1919
Literature faculty discuss poems in Eve Ewing’s book 1919. - Race, Protest, and the History of Street Violence in Chicago: A Faculty Panel
History faculty explore the historic context of Eve Ewing’s book 1919. - Radically Unchanged: Reading Eve Ewing's 1919
Faculty and staff were invited to record their reactions to Eve Ewing's book 1919.
Ironheart, Champions, and Ms. Marvel: Eve Ewing's Comics
In addition to being a sociologist and poet, Eve Ewing also writes for Marvel comics. - Pre-Election panel
Political Science professors discuss the 2020 Presidential, House, Senate, and Graduated Income Tax Amendment. - Post-Election Panel
Discussion of the implications of the 2020 results on domestic and foreign policy.
1919 Virtual Book Displays
- Racial Health Disparities: Equity in Light of Covid-19
Resources on healthcare inequalities. This includes YouTube videos, ebooks, books, and other items. - The 1919 Chicago Race Riot: A Talk by Dr. Eric Allen Hall
Historic sources on the 1919 riots. This includes YouTube videos, ebooks, books, and other items. - Poetry as the Voice of Experience: A Discussion of Eve Ewing's 1919
Collections of poems connected to 1919. - Ironheart, Champions, Ms. Marvel: Eve Ewing's Comics
Graphic novels and other sources related to Ewing's comics. - Race, Protest, and the History of Street Violence in Chicago
Sources on the history of Chicago.
"Radically different and radically unchanged..."
In July of 1919, Eugene Williams, an African-American boy, accidentally floated into the “whites-only” section of the 29th Street beach on Lake Michigan. White sunbathers started throwing rocks. After being struck by a rock, Williams drowns. The South Side of Chicago exploded. Racism, neighborhood segregation, and economic instability became a tinder box that when lit, raged out of control. Once the fires were extinguished, 38 people were dead and 1000s were homeless. The 1919 Chicago riot was the worst out of over twenty riots across the United States that became known as the “Red Summer.”
Eve Ewing’s book 1919 asks us to remember this often forgotten event. As she notes in the introduction, “This collection of poems is meant as a small offering, an entry point into a conversation about a part of our history that I think is worth talking about much more than we do” (p. 4) .
In 1919, Ewing presents us with poetry that is accessible, yet deftly complex. Each poem connects with the official report that was published after the riots. She connects us to the history but helps us to feel the time and place in ways that that a “standard” history does not. Ewing explores the before, during, and after of the 1919 riots touching on the murder of Emmett Till, the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the murder of Laquan McDonald.