Thread by @chicagotribune

It’s been 100 years since the “Red Summer” of 1919. Never heard of it? You’re not alone. But it was one of the deadliest weeks in Chicago history. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

It was just after World War I. With the hint of revolution in the air around the world, black and white soldiers returned home with different ideas about equal treatment and were competing for jobs. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

It set the stage for a nasty confrontation on a 96-degree afternoon at the beach, where an informal color line extended into Lake Michigan. Then 17-year-old Eugene Williams’ raft drifted past the imaginary marker. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

A white man began throwing rocks at black swimmers. Williams drowned, and historians say a weak police response led to some of the ugliest instances of racial animus and violence the city has ever witnessed. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

107-year-old Juanita Mitchell is one of the few people alive today who witnessed the riots. She still remembers her great-Uncle Cecil’s signal that white men armed with guns had entered the neighborhood. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

“My uncle pulled out the biggest gun I’ve ever seen and stood at the window, and I heard him say ‘Here they come,’” Mitchell recalled. “It meant the white folks was coming up 35th Street and that the riot was going to begin.” bit.ly/2GgQVi7

The riots lasted for seven days before the Illinois Militia intervened. It left 38 people dead (23 black and 15 white), more than 500 injured and hundreds homeless due to arson. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

In the end, few people, if any, were convicted. But one lesson historians say was “mis-learned”: The idea that races must be separated to keep the peace. That led to segregated housing and redlining practices that still shape Chicago 100 years later. bit.ly/2GgQVi7

Read @MidnoirCowboy's full story on the "Red Summer" of 1919 in Chicago, featuring:
• Wild historical photos and fresh ones by @ejwamb
• Audio of 107-year-old Juanita Mitchell talking about the race riots
• A map of riot deaths by @ChiTribGraphics
bit.ly/2GgQVi7