On April 24, The Legacy Project hosted an event at the Center on Halsted that took its attendees back to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The brunch celebrated the first urban queer subculture in the United States (1919-1929) and the first bronze memorial under contract for an autumn induction into Chicago’s Legacy Walk, entitled “A Tribute to the Harlem Renaissance.”
While enjoying their meal, which J&L Catering provided, attendees were treated to live performances by event emcee Lucy Stoole, Honey Brown and Tovi Kahli. Guest speaker Dr. Kevin Mumford, professor of history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an award-winning author, gave a presentation on the many historical contributions of LGBTQ African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance.
In addition, there was the debut of The Wilson Legacy Museum Collection, of which a small portion was displayed. Among the display were 66 rare artifacts of the period that included newspaper clipping, vinyl records, photos and publications.
The Wilson Legacy Museum Collection is a collaboration between Rich Wilson and Victor Salvo, the Legacy Project creator, co-founder and executive director. The collaboration between Wilson and Savlo, dubbed “The Wilson-Legacy Project,” has laid the foundation to create what will eventually be an LGBT History museum and education center in the Boystown part of North Halsted Street.
To learn more about The Legacy Project, visit LegacyProjectChicago.org.