Shorefront Legacy Center

05/30/2026

05/30/2026

In this moment at Lula B. Sherman UMC

05/29/2026

Meet Bryce Nivet! Bryce is a senior at Northwestern who works as an Archival Volunteer at Shorefront. Bryce’s deep interest and incredibly thoughtful work makes a tangible impact here, and we appreciate him.

Bryce mentions one of the things that drew him to Shorefront was his desire to bridge the gap between local Black livelihoods and Black studies at Northwestern. Bryce’s membership in Omega Psi Phi has inspired him to conduct his upcoming research project about four Black social clubs across the North Shore. Follow along at the end of the summer to see his research.

If you’re a student at Northwestern who’s interested in getting involved with local Black History, there’s always room for you at Shorefront!

05/21/2026

Happy Haitian Heritage Month!

Today we would like to highlight a pillar of the Evanston community, Judge Lionel Jean-Baptiste. Jean-Baptiste is a leader in the Black community in Evanston, and a participant of Shorefront’s ongoing mapping project. The above picture is from the day of his interview, with Shorefront intern and Northwestern Student, Orion Sledge-Ricks. Among many things, Jean-Baptiste was the first Haitian American on the Cook County Circuit Court bench. We are honored to have the papers of Judge Lionel Jean-Baptiste residing in Shorefront’s collection. 

Toussaint L’Ouverture (1743-1803) was the leader of the Haitian independence movement during the French Revolution. He was born yesterday in 1743, and joined the slave rebellion in 1791, 14 years after he was freed from slavery. He climbed the ranks of the military, and gained a significant reputation for his discipline, and guerilla tactics. 

We would also like to highlight the Haitian American Museum, a partner of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium. Yesterday, a few members of Shorefront got the chance to visit their space, and we highly recommend you do the same!

05/18/2026

🚲Happy National Bike Month🚲

Whether you’re commuting to work, riding for leisure, or helping someone take their training wheels off, we hope you have the chance to get out on a bike this month!

This photo shows a young Skip Johnson riding a tricycle with great determination.

Last year Shorefront gave a bike to a local student before he began his Freshman year as a commitment to access for all students. Bikes are important for a variety of reasons and we believe in broadening access to them to encourage autonomous mobility. See a photo of student Delano Burgess when he picked up the bike last August.

05/16/2026

It was a beautiful day to spend tabling a booth at Young Evanston Artists’s (YEA) Art Festival! We chatted with community members and put our coloring book “Colorful Legacies” illustrated by Andrew Walker () to good use.

Thanks to for putting on this vibrant event!

05/15/2026

Meet Jojo Galvan! Jojo is the Black Metropolis Graduate Assistant at Shorefront. 

Jojo plays an important role here at Shorefront. Currently, Jojo is working on the “Mapping Black Evanston” project. This project conducts oral history interviews with Black Evanstonians to learn about and record their sites of importance. The information gathered during these interviews will be compiled and uploaded to a digitally accessible map for the public. This project offers us a powerful reminder of the history that exists in spaces that we pass through every day.

In this video, Jojo talks about powerful moments at Shorefront and the act of resistance that exists in preserving history. Watch the full video on our Youtube channel this Sunday!

Jojo’s presence at Shorefront is made possible by the Black Metropolis Research Consortium and the Center for Civic Engagement at Northwestern University.

Video by Marty Vanzant
Music Credit: Purple LoFi Chill Beats - Destiny Eclipse Journey

05/13/2026

Join the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) on June 17th & 18th for the 20th Anniversary Symposium on Black Chicago!

Shorefront is lucky to work closely with the BMRC. They have supported us in the process of shifting towards a community based archive model, in addition to connecting us yearly to one of the members of their program, as a Black Metropolis Graduate Assistant (BMGA). Don’t miss the presentation by Shorefront’s Board Member Skyla Hearn during the concluding remarks at 4:35pm on June 18th!

REPOSTED FROM BMRC:
Davarian Baldwin will offer the keynote speech, “Second City No More: How Black Chicago Moved to the Center of History,” Amani Morrison will launch her new book, “A Kitchenette to Fit Your Needs: Housing Chicago’s Great Migration,” and
Skyla Hearn will close out the the Symposium with remarks entitled “In Them We Exist: The Power of Black (Chicago) Archives in Perilous Times”
AND in between we have a rich line-up of panels discussing art, politics, music and the Black Press!
As a special BONUS - the next 20 people to register and pay will receive COMPLIMENTARY head shots from the professional photographer on site! 

Register here or visit the link in our bio! 
https://bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu/events/ bmrc-20th-anniversary-symposium-on-black-chicago-june-17-18-2026/

05/10/2026

Mothers are the foundation of much of our society- they raise us, help us become ourselves, show us how to see, and so much more.

Motherhood is expansive and comes in many different forms. Often, those who step into the position of the mother are the people who notice what others need. Sometimes the people who mother us are unexpected, they might be our teachers, grandmothers, fathers, elders, and or even our mothers! Thank you to the Black mothers who have held up our community and that of so many others.

This footage from the Spencer Family Collection shows the annual tea at Community Hospital in 1961. Although it isn’t explicitly about motherhood, for us the scene evoked a certain related energy.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

05/08/2026

Today is the final day of Teacher Appreciation Week, and we want to give a shout out to all the amazing Black educators in our community!

Black teachers have long helped lead the charge in carving out space, opportunity, and belonging for Black students within our school systems. It is immeasurably important for young Black students moving through school to see themselves reflected in their educators. Black teachers enrich schools not only for students, but also for fellow faculty, staff, and the wider community.

Today we’re highlighting six wonderful local educators - Rose Johnson, Ron Whitmore, Oliver Ruff, Mabel Williams, Nicole Parker, and Denise Martin - each of whom have collections at Shorefront.

Write the name of a teacher in the comments who made an impact on you!