Chicago Public Library gets $2M grant to preserve Black history

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Public Library Foundation has received a $2 million grant to preserve the city's Black history.

The grant from the Mellon Foundation powers the Renaissance Project, which supports access to Black history-related archives at Chicago Public Library branches across the city.

The largest collection of Black history, literature and scholarship in the Midwest was built in 1932 by the first Black Chicago Library branch director, Vivian Harsh. The collection, now known as the Vivian Harsh Research Collection, is located at the Woodson Regional Library.

With the grant money, the library will activate Black history-related archives across city branches, and will be able to digitize and process documents related to Black history from the 1800s to the present.

The grant will also support Black history education and help fund new research in Black Studies.