JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council and the North Lawndale Historical and Cultural Society screened an episode of Cook Center Artist-in-Residence, Bill Orenstein’s forthcoming documentary, “Shame of Chicago“. The documentary examines the policies and events throughout the 1940s – 1960s that cheated Black Chicagoans out of the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership.
“What happened in Lawndale in the ’50s and ’60s is a story many Chicagoans don’t know and don’t tell,” Orenstein said when he introduced the film at the Dinner & Dialogue event.
The episode screened, “The Color Tax”, shows the processes of systematic racism that prevented Black families from purchasing and retaining property based on the color of their skin.
For his part, Orenstein hopes the series will be a valuable educational tool that inspires people to action. “I’m a community organizer at heart,” he said. “Once we know the truth about the situation, we can work on solutions.”
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