National Archives at Chicago and Dayton

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These programs are held at our Chicago, Illinois facility unless otherwise indicated.

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Regional Archives Calendar of Events

Help Celebrate Black History Month

Title:  Burnside School Sit-in: First Demonstration to Desegregate Chicago Public Schools
Date:   Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Time:   10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Place:   The National Archives at Chicago
Fee:   Free!

Join nationally known Family Historian and Genealogist, Tony Burroughs, FUGA*

Fifty years ago, on January 2, 1962, seventeen mothers, and their children, staged a sit-in at Burnside School on the south side of Chicago. They protested segregated and over-crowded schools to the school board.

  • Non-violent sit-in demonstrations had been used successfully in the South in 1960 in Greensboro and Nashville to integrate lunch counters. Parents thought they could use the sit-in to integrate segregated schools in Chicago.
  • These mothers inspired ministers and later Civil Rights workers as well as some of the Freedom Riders to join their forces.
  • It also led to the 1963 city-wide boycott of the Chicago Public Schools.

Hear about these unsung heroes and see copies of some of the records that survived.

Limited Seating:   To reserve a space for this free program, please pre-register by providing your name and e-mail address:

* Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association

Gift Fund

Contributions to our Gift Fund are greatly appreciated.

The National Archives Gift Fund accepts financial contributions for purchases, not otherwise possible, of microfilm and reference materials. These tax deductible donations facilitate research for individuals visiting the Great Lakes Region.

For more information about Gift Fund donations, contact:

Director, Archival Operations
National Archives and Records Administration-Great Lakes Region
7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629-5898
Phone:   (773) 948-9001
Fax:   (773) 948-9050
E-mail:   chicago.archives@nara.gov

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