Women in Chicago have a way about them. They’re bold, persuasive, and altruistic. They’re deliberate and tough (just reference long Chicago winters for proof). And, as it turns out, they’ve always been that way.
This month, we honor the women that have shaped the history of Chicago. (Photo Credit: @monacochicago)
Because women’s history matters.
Women have shaped the architecture, values, culture, and culinary scene of Chicago since its early days. Here are just a few of those women, followed by a few women-owned businesses in Chicago to visit next time you’re there.
The Women Who Shaped Chicago
Ida B. Wells, Activist
This pioneering African American journalist and activist worked to shed light on the conditions of African Americans in the post-Civil-War era. Ostracized from the South for her anti-violence movement, she moved to Chicago and quickly began to make a huge impact on her new hometown: Around the start of the Great Migration, when Black migrants were leaving the South in large numbers to come to make a living up North, Wells helped them adjust and find work and community in Chicago.
Ida B. Wells fought for the rights of African American women in Chicago during the post-Civil War era — a fight that continues today. (Photo Credit: Max Bender)
The Great Migration had a huge impact on Chicago becoming the city that it is today. (Photo Credit: Oleksandr Baiev)
She helped found the Negro Fellowship League and opened a reading room and social center on South State Street in order to help people who had recently arrived in Chicago from the South — Wells even paid the rent for that space using her own salary.
Late in her career, as a working mother of four, she narrowed her focus on urban reform in the rapidly growing city. In 1913, she founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago, which brought women together to elect candidates who would best serve the Black community.
Check Out: Seven Places to Trace Ida B. Wells’ Footsteps in Chicago
Mary Bartelme, Judge
As the first female judge in Illinois, Mary Bartelme spent her life fighting to reform the treatment of children and women in the state court system. Starting out as a Chicago Public School teacher, she was moved to become one of the city’s first female lawyers. Just three years later, she founded America’s first juvenile court system. But she didn’t stop there.
Women have been fighting for their rights in the legal system for decades. (Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra)
In 1914, she donated her own home to establish Mary’s Club, a group home that helped young girls learn important life skills. Second and third locations were opened in the years following. Nicknamed “Suitcase Mary,” she founded a program that filled and distributed suitcases filled with clothes and personal items to help young women in need.
Visit: Bartelme Park
Jeanne Gang, Architect
Forever altering the iconic Chicago skyline, Jeanne Gang designed the arresting 82-story Aqua Tower, which was the tallest building in the world designed by a woman until recently. The skyscraper is known for the curvature of its concrete balconies, creating a design not unlike ripples on water.
Say hello to the Aqua Tower. (Photo Credit: Sonder Quest)
With a public park, apartments, retail, and even a massive green roof with a water-efficient irrigation system, the building is striking both from afar and from close up, looking up. Gang has shaped Chicago’s look and feel in other ways, too: She’s the woman behind the design of the gorgeous Nature Boardwalk at the Lincoln Park Zoo and the eye-catching Solstice on the Park building in Hyde Park.
Watch: Jeanne Gang on the Inspiration for Aqua Tower’s Design
Jane Addams, Activist & Nobel Peace Prize Winner
When she became the first American female to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Jane Addams had done a lifetime’s work for social issues and the people of Chicago. She’s the co-founder of the ACLU and the founder of Chicago Hull House, a settlement house that helped just about everyone, from working mothers who needed childcare, to kids who needed a place to play, to immigrants, women, and children who needed to get out of difficult systems and situations.
Jane Addams strove for peace in the every day lives of all Chicagoans. (Photo Credit: @am)
It’s no wonder that Addams is known as the founder of social work as a profession in the United States — pragmatic and deliberate, Addams advocated for world peace and fair treatment for all every day of her life.
Visit: Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Margaret Burroughs, Artist & Community Arts Organizer
Thanks to Margaret Burroughs, the Southside Community Art Center, a Chicago Historic Landmark, has inspired Chicagoans through a legacy of African American art and culture for more than 80 years.
Art is everywhere in the city of Chicago. (Photo Credit: Karthik Sridasyam)
Really — just look up. (Photo Credit: Timothy Chan)
Burroughs founded the Center in 1940, and today it hosts powerful and celebrated exhibits that preserve and promote the legacy and future of African American art and artists. Burroughs also founded the DuSable Museum of Black History, found in Washington Park, in 1961.
Visit: Southside Community Art Center and Dusable Museum of Black History
Chicago Women-Owned Businesses to Support
For Coffee: Chicago French Press – several locations including South Loop
Founder Kris Christian is a trailblazer in the coffee industry. As the founder of one of a small number of women-owned roasteries in the U.S, her unique blends are extra smooth and require little to no sweeteners to achieve their great taste. You can find her beans in some Target locations now, too!
For Great Food & Cocktails: The Dearborn – The Loop
This urban American tavern in the Loop, owned by two sisters, Amy and Clodagh, is known for great brunch and dinner. People rave about the fish and chips, so don’t sleep on those.
Amy and Clodagh are the owners of The Dearborn, located in the heart of Chicago.
Looking for the best fish and chips in Chicago? Look no further.
Swing by this classic American tavern for some of the best eats in the city.
Really — you will not leave disappointed.
When asked what their favorite item on the menu is, Amy said: “My favorite menu item is our Fish and Chips (The One That Beat Bobby Flay)! Yes, you read that correctly! Having been born and raised in Ireland, we have very high standards when it comes to F&C, and I can assure you that The Dearborn’s F&C is Chicago’s finest.”
And Clodagh’s favorite dish? The Corned Beef Reuben, which she says “is a taste of home, in the heart of Chicago.” Maybe add an order of truffle fries, while you’re at it.
For a Good Sweat & Community: Chaturanga Holistic Fitness – Hyde Park
This Pilates, yoga, and strength studio is perfect for all ages. In fact, that’s what owner Marylee Bussard wanted for her Chicago community: A place where everyone can work, through movement, on lifelong health.
For Kids’ Clothes & Toys: Kido Chicago – South Loop
Swing by Kido for the cutest kids’ clothes. (Photo Credit: Kiana Bosman)
This award-winning children’s boutique is all about representation and inclusivity. When her son was born, owner Keewa wanted to find clothes with positive affirmations that were eco-friendly, inclusive, and stylish. She couldn’t find what she was looking for, so she decided to create her own! She traveled all over Chicago selling kids’ clothes until she was able to open her own brick and mortar.
Where to Stay: The Kimpton Gray Hotel or Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago
Check out our full series celebrating Women’s History Month by following the tag below.
