Feb 3, 2025 - History

In photos: Black Chicago, 50 years ago

Justin Kaufmann

Photo of two teenagers on bicycles by a water fountain — Young men sit on their bicycles beside a drinking fountain in Chicago, 1975. Photo: Robert Natkin/Getty Images

We are celebrating Black History Month by featuring stories of Chicago's past, present and future.

Today, we start by featuring archival photos that captured the Black experience in Chicago 50 years ago, in 1975.

The intrigue: Many of these photos are from Robert A. "Bobby" Sengstacke, whose uncle was the legendary owner and publisher of the Chicago Defender newspaper.

Sengstacke spent more than 50 years photographing Black Chicago.
He died in 2017, and some of his photos now reside in Getty's collection.

Of note: Although these photos' captions say they were taken in 1975, they could also be from other parts of the decade.

Photo of kids playing basketball in front of buildings while in their street clothes. — Young boys play basketball near the Robert Taylor housing projects in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

Photo of an artist painting a mural — Artist Mitchell Caton (1930-1998) works on a mural above the magazine shelves of a Chicago Public Library branch on the West Side. Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

Photo of kids surrounding a table during a job fair — A member of the Chicago Defender staff shows a copy of the newspaper to students crowded around a table during "Career Day" at an unidentified school. The newspaper headline reads "Blacks To Move Up." Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

Photo of a woman tilting her head back singing — Singer Aretha Franklin tilts her head back in a joyful pose, while singing and playing the piano during a concert at Chicago's Cook County Jail. Photo: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

Photo of a baby staring at a man playing the clarinet — A child looks up at a man playing clarinet at a street fair. Photo: Robert Natkin/Getty Images

Photo of people sitting on a park bench — Portrait of a group of people sitting on a bench at 14th Street Park. Photo: Robert Natkin/Getty Images

Photo of a man posing for a camera while he sits in an office — Close-up of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1975. Photo: Gary Bettmann archives/Getty Images

Photo of kids posing for the camera while playing by a street — Portrait of a group of children in Rogers Park. Photo: Robert Natkin/Getty Images

Photo of a man holding a newspaper marching past people watching — Comedian and activist Dick Gregory (right) holds a copy of the Chicago Defender as he walks past the newspaper's headquarters as Defender staffers watch. Photo: The Abbott Sengstacke Family Papers/Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

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In photos: Black Chicago, 50 years ago

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