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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.)

Featured Videos

The 1919 Chicago Race Riot: A talk by Dr. Eric Allen Hall

Dr. Eric Allen Hall Associate Professor of History at Northern Illinois University examines the causes, events, and legacy of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot through the experiences of those who witnessed the violence.

Racial Health Disparities: Equity in Light of COVID

Health science, psychology, and history faculty will discuss the racial health disparities and inequities that the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed. They will discuss 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. This discussion will explore history through the lens of poetry while connecting Ewing’s works to other historic and contemporary poets and artists.This event is part of our One Book, One College Program.

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. They will look at the early 20th Century but also connect Ewing’s work to broader Chicago & US history. This event is part of our One Book, One College Program.

Radically Unchanged: Reading Eve Ewing's 1919

Faculty and staff were invited to record their reactions to Eve Ewing's book 1919. Thanks to Dewitt Scott, Amani Wazwaz, Merrie Fefles, and Shanya Gray for offering this thoughts on 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. CBR calls Ewing's Ironheart "a breath of fresh air", and The Mary Sue celebrates Ewing's development of Riri Williams: "We get to really see the psychological weight of what it means to be young, gifted, and black". This discussion will dig into Ewing's impact on the Marvel universe.

1919 Virtual Book Displays  

"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. 

Ewing has said that African American life in Chicago today is radically different from 1919 and radically unchanged.