Part of what became known as the Red Summer, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 erupted on July 27th after a Black youth, Eugene Williams, was killed by a white man for swimming in a part of Lake Michigan unofficially reserved for white people. The killing led to further racial violence that left 38 dead, 537 injured, and over 1,000 homeless. In the aftermath, urgent social justice needs were exposed, prompting officials to form the Chicago Commission on Race Relations and begin a long and thorny road toward justice.
