July 15, 2005

3rd Annual Historic Bronzeville Bike Tour
was a resounding success!

By: Harold L. Lucas

On Saturday morning July 9th 2005 I took a leisure ride on my vintage bicycle from my home/office on East 48th street just off King Drive up to 51st and Martin Luther King Drive to join an energetic group of Bronzeville residents for the 3rd Annual Historic Bronzeville Bike Tour.

As I rode up Mel Monroe, President of the Bronzeville Area Residents' and Commerce Council (BARCC) was already handing out complementary tee shirts for everyone who participated in the ride. Each person who signed up to participate had to sign a disclaimer form releasing BARCC from any responsibility in case of accident. After receiving safety instructions from Keith Holt and Roland Hayes from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation the bike tour group of approximately 40 riders started out going north on King Drive promptly at 10:15 AM.

Thanks to generous sponsors like State Representative Ken Dunkin, Chicago Lakefront Excursions Charters, Sunrise Supermarket, Neleh Artistic Expressions, New Approach Health Foods, Inc., Illinois Service Federal Savings & Loan, JFG Mortgage, and the many individuals who volunteered their time, resources and talents, this 3rd Annual Bronzeville Bike Tour was a resounding success and was an extremely educational experience for even a person like me who has been studying Bronzeville for the past three decades.

The tour consisted of 50 stops throughout Bronzeville from 51st to 18th street on the North. Tony Burroughs was the first tour guide to speak and provided great insight into places like Corpus Christi Church, Robert S. Abboutt House, Harold Washington Cultural Center, The Bronzeville Market Place, Gerri Palm Tavern and an intact historic block on 48th & St. Lawrence Avenue.

It was a beautiful day fro a leisure bike ride through the neighborhood as we toured past the Parkway Ballroom, Alderman Tillman's Parade of Homes on 45th & St. Lawrence, Starlight Supper Club and the historic Forum building on 43rd Street. We also checked out the great wall mural of Black baseball players at the Negro League Cafe' and I discovered that Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong owned a home at 421 east 44th street. We stopped by the historical structure of Metropolitan church on 41st & King Drive and took a water and fruit stop at Sunrise Supermarket on 39th and Vincennes, complements of the owner.

While filling up on spring water and fruit in the Sunrise Food store I met some new friends who had just recently moved to Bronzeville and were voicing their concerns about education issues. One young man Emmanuel Jackson impressed me with his passion for educating disadvantaged youth in Bronzeville. We rode past the redevelopment project at the Ritz Hotel and made a 10 minute stop at the Bronzeville Bed & Breakfast to visit with Pamela Johnson the proprietor of the this elegant facility. We also viewed Lou Palmer's, Ida B. Wells and Etta Moten Barnett homes in the 3600 block of King Drive.

At 35th Street Tony Burroughs turned the megaphone over to me and I gave the overview and historical perspective of the Gateway to the Black Metropolis Historic District, the new Bronzeville Visitor Information Center to be opened in the Supreme/Liberty Life Center in October 2005, Steven A. Douglas Tomb and the Historic Bronzeville Plaques along King Drive. We then all parked our bikes in the Lake Meadows Shopping Center and went into Helen West's Neleh Artistic Expressions Art Gallery to personally thank her for her sponsorship and support.

I then turned the megaphone over to Beverly Washington, who then spoke about the history of the Bronzeville Military Academy, Frank Lloyd Wright Homes in 3200 block of Calumet, Olivet Baptist Church, the Monument to the Great Migration, Blues Heaven Foundation, Defender Newspaper and Quinn Chappel AME Church at 2401 South Wabash.

The highlight of the bike tour was a stop by Memories Soul Food restaurant on 23rd and Michigan, where the proprietor had set out a sumptuous buffet on the street in front of the restaurant specifically for the bike tour group. After spending time at Memories and getting recharged by good food and drink, the tour group got moving again before any of the riders decided to take a nap!

At his point we were joined by Robert Jackson, who took over the narration of the tour and highlighted in an informed manner the illustrious histrionics of the Anthony Overton Building, Chicago Bee building, Wabash YMCA. Margaret Burroughs House, South Side Community Art Center. Pearl's Place/Amber Inn Motel, Elliott Donnelley Youth Facility, Swift Mansion, Chicago Urban League, The Harlem-Bronx Policy Wheel owned by the infamous Jones Boys at 4711 South Michigan, George Cleveland Hall Library, Charles Hayes Family Investment Center and DuSable High school.

This exciting Bronzeville bike tour ended at approximately 2:10 PM as we turned east on 49th street and rode slowly towards the New Approach Health Food Restaurant located at 641 East 47th Street. We pulled our bikes into the gated rear courtyard, that was set up with tables, chairs and umbrellas to shade us from the afternoon sun. While the staff served us ice cold spring water and a light health food diner, everyone relaxed, laughed and began to tell a variety of funny stories about their experiences on the 3rd Annual Historic Bronzeville Bike Tour, I thought to myself what a great day it was to be living in the historic Bronzeville community.

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Links mentioned in the photo captions:

• IL State Representative - Kenneth Dunkin

• Bronzeville Visitor Information Center

• Chicago Bicycle Federation

• Tony Burroughs

• Bronzeville Area Residents & Commerce Council (BARCC)

• IL Department of Tourism - Soulful Illinois