Join us this evening as Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Lake Forest College Brian McCammack recaptures history in his new book "Landscapes of Hope: Nature and the Great Migration in Chicago;" the story of how Black Chicagoans forged material and imaginative connections to nature. In the relatively prosperous migration years but also in the depths of the Great Depression, Chicago’s Black community—women and men, young and old, working class and upper class—sought out, fought for, built, and enjoyed natural and landscaped environments. No matter how crowded or degraded, green spaces provided a refuge for Black Chicagoans and an opportunity to realize the promise of nature and of the Great Migration itself.

Brian McCammack is an award-winning author and current professor of Environmental Studies at Lake Forest College. He has previously taught at multiple universities including Harvard University, Tufts University, and Williams College, and has published, and continues to publish, dozens of articles on Chicago's environmental history. Professor McCammack is currently working on a book about the origins of the environmental justice movement, and currently teaches multiple college courses focused on the connections between history, literature, and environmentalism.

If you are interested in supporting local environmental organizations, visit Clean Power Lake County and the Sweet Water Foundation.

This program is co-sponsored by Lake Forest Open Lands.