The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 was a significant and tragic event in American history. It was part of the larger “Red Summer” of 1919, during which racial violence erupted in numerous cities across the United States. The Chicago riot began on July 27, 1919, when a Black teenager, Eugene Williams, was killed after drifting into a whites-only section of a Lake Michigan beach. White men threw rocks at him, causing him to drown. When police refused to arrest the white perpetrators, tensions escalated into days of violent clashes between Black and white communities.

Over the course of about a week, 38 people were killed (15 white and 23 Black), more than 500 were injured, and thousands of Black residents were left homeless due to arson attacks. The violence was eventually subdued by the Illinois National Guard and additional law enforcement.

The riot highlighted deep racial divisions, housing discrimination, job competition, and systemic racism in Chicago. It also underscored the growing civil rights activism of the time, as Black leaders increasingly pushed back against racial injustices in the North.