Chicago is, and always has been, a Native place.
The Indigenous Chicago project is a multifaceted collaboration between the Newberry Library, the Chicago American Indian Community, and tribal nations who have ancestral ties to Chicago. The project includes an exhibition (on view at the Newberry Library in Fall 2024 and currently accessible as short videos), digital resources and interactive maps, curriculum for high school social studies students, new oral histories, and a series of public programs, many of which are available as recordings.
A community-engaged curriculum development process
Building a shared future where Indigenous voices, histories, and perspectives are present in K-12 classrooms requires that Indigenous people themselves have authority over the curricular narratives that reflect their lives. Between 2021 and 2024, Clovia Malatare (Oglala Lakota), Jennifer Michals (Citizen Nation Potawatomi), Chantay Moore (Diné / African American), Blake Norton, Beatriz Reyes (Tepehuán/ Navajo), Josee Starr (Arikara / Omaha / Odawa), Darlene St. Clair (Mdewakantunwan Dakota), Sunshine Thomas-Bear (Ho-Chunk), and Raphael Wahwassuck (Prairie Band Potawatomi) worked with Rose Miron and me to develop what is now the Indigenous Chicago curriculum. Together, we evaluated state standards in Illinois, selected grade levels and subject areas, brainstormed core learning objectives, drafted, and revised the Indigenous Chicago curricular resources. The curriculum continues to grow, in response to community requests. If you use the modules or have feedback, please reach out!
