Of Englewood: Black Girlhood in Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood

As part of the Renaissance Project, we're pleased to present the work of scholar Taylor Anne Mazique through a workshop of her design hosted by the Kelly branch. Of Englewood: Black Girlhood in Chicago’s Englewood Neighborhood is an afternoon of activities that center the Black girl experience growing up in Englewood of the past, present, and future, led by CPL Renaissance Scholar Taylor Mazique and her teen co-creators. Using archival materials from CPL’s African American archival collections, this program features a mini lecture on Black girlhood in Englewood during the Great Migration, to show how it differed from other Chicago communities where Black people lived during the same time period. Following the lecture, Of Englewood’s teen co-creators will present their contributions to “The Black Girl Archive” founded by Mazique, which centers their girlhood as Englewood residents, before leading guests in a creative archiving activity designed to capture the true essence of their community and girlhood. About Taylor Taylor Ann Mazique, a PhD candidate in History with a concentration in Black Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, is a Black Girlhood scholar focusing on the histories of Black Girlhood in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, where she has spent most of her life. She is also the founder of the Black Girl Archive, established in 2024 to address the archival silences surrounding the lives of Black girls in Englewood. She employs creative, Black girl-led research methodologies in her work to provide them with opportunities, space, and resources to lead their own liberation (if needed) and/or articulate their freedom, wants, needs, dreams, and desires. Taylor is using the archive to further her research on Black Girlhood in Chicago’s Englewood community. Photo from scholar. Accessibility Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.