Description of Chicago Black Exposition |
Produced by the Illinois Writers' Project of the WPA, the
Cavalcade of the American Negro is a sweeping history of black
contributions to all phases of American life from 1865 to 1940.
The book was edited by Arna Bontemps and illustrated by Adrian
Troy, of the Illinois Writers' and Art Projects, respectively,
and was one of the more important contributions to the Diamond
Jubilee Exposition held in Chicago in 1940. The book includes a
useful description of all the exhibits at the exposition. Cavalcade of the American Negro Illinois Writers' Program, comp. Chicago: Diamond Jubilee Exposition Authority, 1940, title page General Collections (77) |
Brochure Promoting the Chicago Exposition of 1940 |
This brochure promotes the Exposition and other programs
celebrating the emancipation of the American negro and his
achievements over seventy-five years since the conclusion of the
Civil War in 1865. Illinois and Chicago invite you to the American Negro Exposition, Celebrating 75 years of Negro Achievement [Chicago], 1940, cover NAACP Collection Manuscript Division (78) |
Floor Plan of the Chicago Coliseum, Where the Diamond Jubilee Exposition was Held July 4 - September 2, 1940 |
The advantageous location and spaciousness of the Chicago
Coliseum were two of many factors allowing for a most successful
exposition. The Coliseum was filled with exhibitions from every
state in the Union, from several Caribbean islands, and from
Liberia in Africa. The large black population of Chicago and
from throughout the Mississippi region swelled the attendance at
the popular event. American Negro Exposition, Floor Plan at Chicago Coliseum Map NAACP Collection Manuscript Division (79) |
Letter of April 18, 1940 from Truman K. Gibson, Jr. to Thurgood Marshall |
Gibson and other executives of the Negro Exposition went to great
pains to write the leaders of the black community throughout the
country, especially those key people like Thurgood Marshall,
legal counsel for the NAACP (and later a Supreme Court Justice).
The presence of so many of these leaders at the Exposition made
the affair one of the most successful of our time. Typescript letter, April 18, 1940 NAACP Collection Manuscript Division (80) Letter of April 18, 1940 from Truman K. Gibson, Jr. Executive Director of the American Negro Exposition, to Thurgood Marshall, Legal Counsel of the NAACP, Looking Forward to Seeing Him at the Chicago Exposition in the Summer |
Letter of January 23, 1940 from Snow F. Grigsby to Jesse O. Thomas |
The Negro Progress Exposition about which Grigsby wrote to Jesse
Thomas was the forerunner of the Chicago Exposition in July 1940.
Included in the Exposition, which was held during a convention in
Detroit, were exhibit booths set up by many important black
organizations, such as the National Urban League. Typescript letter, January 23, 1940 National Urban League Collection Manuscript Division (82) Letter of January 23, 1940 from Snow F. Grigsby, Exposition Director, to Jesse O. Thomas, Secretary of the National Urban League, Inviting the League to Set Up a Booth at the Negro Progress Exposition to be Held in Detroit from May 10 to 19, 1940 |
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