Teacher Tip: Think about what students should be able to KNOW, UNDERSTAND and DO at the conclusion of this learning experience. A brief exit pass or other formative assessment may be used to assess student understandings. Setting specific learning targets for the appropriate grade level and content area will increase student success.  

Suggested Grade Levels:  Middle School (6 - 8), High School (9 - 12)

Suggested Timeframe: Five 45-minute periods (approximately one period for each section of this learning resource). 

Suggested Materials:  Internet access via laptop, tablet, or mobile device, and a copy of Eve L. Ewing’s poem, “this is a map” (Provided with permission of the author/publisher for educational use only, no public re-posting permitted.)

Engage:

How does art engage our senses to teach us about significant events in history?

In “this is a map,” poet and sociologist Eve L. Ewing takes us on a journey through the history of Chicago, using poetry to explore the lasting effects of the 1919 race riots. Through her writing, Ewing helps us understand how these events shaped the city, especially the Black community, and how its effects are still felt today. The collection connects the past to the present, showing how racism, segregation, and violence continue to affect people’s lives. Ewing’s poems are not just about remembering history—they also encourage us to think about how we can create change in our own communities.

View the Introduction to the “Red Chicago” episode of the PBS series, The Future of America’s Past, hosted by historian Dr. Ed Ayers.

Next, view the segment,  Erica Griffin: The Day that Changed Chicago – where Griffin provides context for the events of the summer of 1919.

Afterwards, take some time to view Understanding 1919 Through Poetry, a segment featuring poet Eve Ewing. Listen as she reads aloud, “this is a map,” and explains why she wrote it.

As you take time to more closely read this poem, jot down notes, annotate, and consider the images and feelings that come to mind throughout the story that the poem is trying to tell. You may make a digital copy of the poem to annotate using the “comment” feature and other tools (highlight, underline, etc), or your teacher may provide a paper copy.

Answer these questions after you’ve read through the poem.

• What do you notice about the descriptions within this poem?
• What images come to mind as you read through each line?
• What does it make you feel?

Sentence Frames:

• I notice that the descriptions show _______. 
• I think that _________. 
• I can imagine __________. 
• As I read, I picture ___________. 
• This makes me feel __________ because _________. 

Once you have finished jotting your observations, use the Give One/Get One Protocol to exchange ideas with a classmate (or two) and record their answer below using the graphic organizer provided. You may make a digital copy, or use a paper copy as directed by your teachers..

Your teacher may ask you to record your answers on an exit ticket.

Explore:

How do maps tell the story of a city’s attitude towards racial differences?

In the Red Chicago episode of The Future of America’s Past, we see that maps are more than just tools to show where things are—they can also show us how people were treated. These historic maps, from the New Deal era Home Owners' Loan Corporation, a government-sponsored program, are often called redlining maps. The maps were originally used to decide which neighborhoods were “good” or “bad” for banks to approve home loans.. These decisions were often based on the race, religion, or ethnicity of the people who lived there. That means the maps didn’t just show where people lived—they showed where people were allowed to live, and who got access to things like home ownership, good schools, and safer neighborhoods. These maps tell the story of how cities like Chicago treated people differently because of their race, religion, or ethnicity, and how this unfair treatment was built into the way neighborhoods were planned and governed.

View the segment, Jefferson Pinder: A Living Memorial to Eugene Williams. The practice of restrictive covenants is explored through the explanation of the HOLC maps.

Take some time to explore the digital mapping project, Not Even Past: Social Vulnerability & the Legacy of Redlining, from the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond. Look for patterns around the various neighborhoods of Chicago.

After you have explored Chicago, return to the homepage for the map and select a different city to explore, perhaps one near your school or another place you have lived or visited.

Rewatch the segment, The Day that Changed Chicago, with Erica Barnes, now that you know more about redlining.

Then view the segment Newspapers Reveal and Obscure the Riots. and consider how the invisible racial lines drawn throughout Chicago, as well as redlining, affected the racial tensions within the city during the summer of 1919.

Stop & Think/ Comprehension: 

• What is redlining, and how was it used in cities like Chicago?
• Why were certain neighborhoods outlined in red? Who made those decisions?
• How did redlining affect families who lived in those neighborhoods?

Sentence Frames:

• Redlining meant __________; in cities like Chicago, it was used to ____________. 
• Certain neighborhoods were outlined in red because ____________. 
• These decisions were made by _____________________. 
• Redlining affected families who lived in those neighborhoods because ___________. 

Take notes using the S-I-T Strategy of the information you are most interested in exploring. 

Your teacher may provide a paper copy, or you may make a copy of this graphic organizer using the link provided above to record your responses.

Your teacher may ask you to record your answers on an exit ticket. 

Explain: 

How do maps and historical narratives come together in this episode to tell the story of Chicago?

Use the reciprocal teaching roles below to focus on reading comprehension strategies—these include predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing—to have a discussion-based analysis of the “Red Chicago” episode.

Choose Roles in Small Groups: Each of you will choose one of the following roles:

1. Questioner – Asks thoughtful questions about how the episode uses maps or narratives (e.g., “Why do you think the map was shown at this point?” or “What message does this story tell us about race in Chicago?”)
2. Summarizer – Briefly explains the main points of a segment (e.g., “This part showed a map of redlined neighborhoods and explained how that affected Black families.”)
3. Clarifier – Helps explain terms, context, or visual elements (e.g., “Redlining meant denying loans to people based on race—this map shows that happening in Chicago.”)
4. Connector – Makes connections to other parts of the episode, other topics they’ve learned, or current events (e.g., “This reminds me of how some neighborhoods today still have fewer resources because of these past policies.”)

Rotate roles in later rounds so that you may each have the opportunity to try each one.

Segment the Episode: You may re-watch selected segments from the episode to review the content as needed, then use your time to discuss each one using the protocol. 

Suggested segments:

• Introduction segment – how the episode frames Chicago’s racial past
• Jefferson Pinder  – map analysis, visual of the Chicago HOLC redlining map with explanation

Whole-Class Reflection: After small-group discussions, come together to reflect:

• What did you learn from how maps and stories work together?
• Which role helped you understand the episode best? Why?
• How does this way of telling history affect how we see Chicago—and the people who live there?

Sentence Frames:

• I learned that ______ and _______. 
• The role that helped my understanding the best was _____ because _______. 
• This way of telling history affects the way I see Chicago and the people who live there by __________. 

Exit Ticket: Complete this sentence as a final reflection:

Your teacher may ask you to record your answers on an exit ticket. 

Elaborate:

How has redlining shaped Chicago’s neighborhoods, and how can performance art help us remember and respond to that history?

Performance Art is all about becoming living storytellers. A tableau is like a frozen picture made with your bodies– a type of performance art. It’s silent and still, but it tells a story—just like a photo or a painting. In groups, you’ll create a frozen scene that shows how redlining affected people’s lives in Chicago, or how performance art helps us remember that history. Think of it as history in motion—paused for a moment.

View this segment from Red Chicago with Peter Cole and Franklin Cosey-Gay, Public Art as Activism , to learn more about the role of public art as a form of activism. 

You will be divided into small groups to create a tableau. You will use the “Small Group Activity” handout to follow step-by-step how to create your own tableau and reflect on how this activity affects your understanding of historical events.

Your group will:

1. Choose a Moment or Message

• Pick a specific moment from the Red Chicago episode (e.g. a family being denied a loan, a protest, a performance remembering the 1919 riots).
• Or, choose a message to express (e.g. injustice, remembrance, resistance, division, unity).

2. Plan the Scene

• Decide who will represent what. You might show:

• Think about levels (standing, kneeling, sitting), facial expressions, and body language.

3. Set the Scene (Practice)

• Practice getting into your positions quickly and silently.
• Hold your tableau for about 5–10 seconds.
• Make sure everyone’s body is telling part of the story.

4. Share with the Class

• Groups present their tableau.
• Optional: One member steps out and briefly explains: “Our tableau shows _______. We wanted to highlight ______ because _______.”

5. Reflect

After all groups present, discuss:

• What emotions or ideas came through the strongest?
• How did this help us understand redlining or the way we remember history through performance?

Your teacher may ask you to record your answers on an exit ticket.  

Extend:

What role do we play in the collective memory and remembrance of significant historical events?

Redlining showed us how neighborhoods were divided based on race—and how unfair housing policies kept those divisions in place for years. But even before redlining maps, racial segregation caused tension and violence. You’ve read about how the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 was one of the worst race riots in U.S. history.

Now, people in Chicago are working to remember those events through the Commemoration Project, and asking: How can we face the hard parts of our history and learn from them today?

Read this Bunk excerpt, “The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project.”

Select the “View Connections” button to explore more excerpts as connected in Bunk. You may choose different icons as you explore. Note the associated tags that connect each excerpt to another. Explore one or more tags.

Select the “View Connections” button to explore more excerpts as connected in Bunk. You may choose different icons as you explore. Note the associated tags that connect each excerpt to another. Explore one or more tags.

Consider and discuss the following questions:

• How are the causes of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot connected to redlining and housing segregation?
• Why do you think it’s important to remember events like the 1919 Race Riot today?
• How does the CRR19 Project use public spaces (like sidewalks and streets) to tell stories, just like maps do?
• What lessons can we learn from how people responded to racism and violence in the past?
• If you were creating your own commemoration project, what story would you want to tell, and how would you tell it?

Sentence Frames:

• The causes of the 1919 Chicago Race Riot are connected to redlining and housing segregation because _____________. 
• I think it’s important to remember events like the 1919 Race Riot today because ________. 
• The way the CRR19 Project uses public spaces (like sidewalks and streets) to tell stories is similar to maps because ____________. 
• Some of the lessons we can learn from the way people responded to racism and violence in the past are ____________ and ______________. 
• If I was creating my own commemoration project, I would want to tell the story of ________ because ___________. I would tell it by _____________. 

Explore some of the Bunk connections. You might also check out some personal stories/interviews – narratives from residents or experts.

Mapping Inequality. DSL.Richmond.Edu. Accessed August 2, 2025. https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining