Bus Tour of Bronzeville

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Program Type:

General Interest

Age Group:

Adults
Registration for this event will be open from March 6, 2025 @ 9:00am to April 6, 2025 @ 8:30am.

Program Description

Event Details

Board a bus at the library and drive to Bronzeville for an insider tour with Sherman "Dilla" Thomas, a modern historian renown for sharing Chicago's rich history and shining a light on the neighborhoods often skipped over by the tourism industry.

Bronzeville is a center for African-American life and culture in Chicago. The neighborhood's cultural contributions are vast — it was once home to Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, civil rights activist Ida B. Wells, and legendary musician Louis Armstrong. Today, Bronzeville embraces its legacy as a mecca for civil rights, jazz, blues, and gospel music.

Dilla has become a Chicago social media sensation by going viral on TikTok. His 60-second history videos on Chicago have been viewed over 8 million times. Dilla has been featured on Chicago media and appeared nationally on The Today Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show. 

Presented by the Mosaic Series, sponsored by the Vernon Area Library Foundation

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Bus departs at 9 a.m. sharp. Bring a brown bag lunch.

This event is free and open to all. Signup is required. Sign up online here, by telephone at 224-543-1485, or in person at the library.

Bonus: Experience another Bronzeville lecture with Dilla Thomas at the library on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m.

Disclaimer(s)

MOSAIC Cultural Program Series

This progam is part of MOSAIC, a premier series of cultural programs for adults. MOSAIC is made possible by the Foundation for the Vernon Area Public Library District with major support from the Goldstein Family Foundation.