Shorefront Legacy Center debuts “Mapping Black Evanston”
Shorefront Legacy Center Launches Archival Map of Black Evanstonian History
The pews of Sherman Methodist Church vibrated with the congregation's excitement Saturday. They awaited the map that would preserve Black Evanston’s beloved locations.
Shorefront Legacy Center started as an archival institution that focuses on Black communities in Chicago’s North Shore. In 2025, they began Mapping Black Evanston to collect the oral history of Evanston’s Black community. The project features a virtual map with pinpoints that lead to videos of Black Evanstonians recounting memories of each location.
Laurice Bell, the executive director of Shorefront Legacy Center, said she was hesitant to take on the project until she went to see the archives– a collection of Black Evanstonian histories. As she combed through the files, she said she was shocked to see so many familiar faces. Bell said that was the moment she agreed to lead Mapping Black Evanston
“The archive helped me understand something more deeply than our histories are lost," Bell said. "They live in the people we love, the places we remember, in the moments we may not recognize as historic while we are living there."
Bell began the project by going on a bus tour with Colette Allen, who also spoke at the event. Allen took Bell to Ebenezer Baptist Church, a site she adored.
Bell said the tour helped her realize the abundance of cherished sites to add to the map. So, with a small team, she began interviewing Black Evanstonians about their lives and memories.
“We went out on journeys, and we went to spaces that meant something,” Bell said. “They could be the high school; they could be the barbershop."
The theme of the event was urgency. Not only were these places being demolished or repurposed, the people who held their memories were passing away.
Allen stressed that their experiences must be preserved in time as she told the audience about her inclusion of her cousin, Brownie. Allen said that her late cousin grew up in Evanston but spent her adult life in Texas.
“Brownie hadn't been here for 40 plus years. And she made that trip, and then we lost her this year,” Allen said.
Shorefront applied for a Northwestern ANCHOR grant (Advancing Neighborhood and Community Health, Opportunity and Resilience) to fund the Mapping Black Evanston project. Professors, faculty and students from the university also collaborated with Shorefront Legacy Center to carry out the project through interviews, archival digging and web design.
Orion Sledge-Ricks, a third-year Northwestern student, began working on Mapping Black Evanston in 2025 as a federal work study job. Through the experience, Sledge-Ricks interviewed multiple Black Evanstonians about their favorite memories and places that held importance.
“I think Shorefront makes the history of those kinds of events that are impactful in our lives now more accessible,” Sledge-Ricks said.
After the speakers concluded, Bell opened up the floor for questions and feedback from the audience. People raised their hands to tell some of their family history in Evanston. They spoke about long-gone establishments such as the original Foster School, a pillar of education in Evanston’s fifth ward, and Bo Price’s house, where the drill team practiced.
Schenita Stewart, Evanston’s Chief of Police and a speaker at the event, interjected momentarily. Steward announced that despite all the work Shorefront has done to preserve the history of Black Evanstonians, the organization is still operating without a building.
“You know, sometimes people hear my frustration, because again, we keep mentioning reparations, red lining, people are utilizing the history that they are getting from Shorefront,” Stewart said. “But if you look around the city of Evanston, a lot of people already have homes but us.”
Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) was sitting in the audience when Stewart pointed out this disparity. She said it’s "embarrassing" that Shorefront doesn’t have their own building yet, and the city should collaborate with Shorefront to find the organization a home.
Priscilla Giles, an attendee, said her family moved to Wilmette in 1877 and relocated to Evanston shortly after. Giles reiterated that she feels like the presence of a Black community in Evanston is still unknown to many, especially on the south side of the city. She said the Mapping Black Evanston initiative is important because it makes her history known.
“So that they know that we were here. That we still are here,” Giles said.
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