Hear the gripping story of Jesse Binga, Chicago's first black banker who rose from street peddler to wealth and influence in Chicago's Black Belt before facing a vicious backlash.
Throughout his life Binga fought against the color line that segregated the Black Belt, now Bronzeville, from surrounding white neighborhoods. One of ten children in a Detroit family, Binga arrived in Chicago in 1892 in his late twenties with virtually nothing. Through his wits and resourcefulness, he rose to wealth and influence as a realtor, and in 1908 he founded the Binga Bank, the first black-owned bank in Chicago. But Binga's success came at the price of a vicious backlash. A quintessentially Chicago story, Hayner's biography tells the history of racial change and how an extraordinary man stood as a symbol of hope in a community isolated by racial animosity. The author will recount this gripping story about race, history, politics, and finance in Chicago.
Don Hayner is the retired editor-in-chief of the Chicago Sun-Times and the co-author, with Tom McNamee, of Streetwise Chicago: A History of Chicago Street Names and The Metro Chicago Almanac: Fascinating Facts and Offbeat Offerings about the Windy City. His 2019 book Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago's First Black Banker is the definitive full-length biography of Jesse Binga.
This event will be held live on Zoom. Once you have registered, please check your email the morning of the program for a link.
This event will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | Equity Diversity and Inclusion | Book & Author | Adult Learning |
