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A new self-guided walking tour in Lincoln Park explores the history of the Young Lords, a group featured in this year's One Book, One Chicago selection, Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez. The tour, titled "Stories from the Redline: Fire Fire Gentrifier," is presented by the National Public Housing Museum and Blu Rhythm Collective.
The event uses photos, oral history, music, and dance to highlight a people's history of Lincoln Park. Organizers say the tour examines the hidden and repressed history of urban renewal and looks at how the Young Lords organized to raise political awareness and resist gentrification.
"How can we build a better collective future for all of us? This tour excavates the hidden and repressed history of urban renewal and explores the struggles of the Young Lords to organize, raise political awareness, and resist gentrification. Listen and look more intentionally at the existing urban landscape, reflect on how it’s changed, and witness the exuberance of young people, who, with collective joy, are organizing and reclaiming Chicago neighborhood history today," according to organizers.
Participants can follow the route at their own pace by visiting the tour website. The .75-mile route starts at DePaul School of Music at 804 W. Belden Street and ends at Lincoln Park High School at 2001 N. Orchard Street. The tour takes about thirty minutes to complete and is wheelchair accessible. There are three main stops along with intermediary travel points between them. Transcripts for all audio content are available.
