On July 27, 1919, 17-year old Eugene Williams was stoned to death by a White man named George Stauber after unintentionally swimming over to the “Whites only” section of Lake Michigan at 31st Street.His death sparked outrage across the city, leaving 38 dead, 537 injured and 2,000 displaced after one week of riots. This public outrage marked what is now known as the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, or the Red Summer of 1919.
“We have this group of remarkable artists that will come together here at the Eugene Williams Memorial Marker at 31st Street Beach,” said J. Nicole Brooks, Mellon Playwright in Residence. “As the sun is going down, a selection of artists will pay tribute to Eugene Williams, and all of the Black lives that were affected during the 1919 race riots. So this is a chance for the community to come out and lay a flower and to breathe and to dance and to beat back the spirits.