Chicago’s importance to the history of Black America cannot be overstated. Whether the conversation is about activism or culture—which, often, are linked together—Chicago’s centrality in those histories can not be questioned. However, it can be debated as to when to start those conversations. Roots of the Black Chicago Renaissance: New Negro Writers, Artists, and Intellectuals, 1893-1930 makes a compelling case for starting any history of Black culture and arts in Chicago well before the traditional start date of the Chicago Renaissance in the 1930s. This collection of essays, edited by Richard A. Courage and Christopher Robert Reed, should be of Read more