Member Swap Weekend
Explore Chicago’s incredible collection of museums with the Chicago Museum Member Swap, January 29 to February 1, 2026.
The Black Tax
with Andrew Kahrl and Tonika Lewis Johnson
Andrew Kahrl, photo by Dan Addison, UVA University Communications. Tonika Lewis Johnson photo by Philip Dembinski.
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National Public Housing Museum, 919 S. Ada Street, Chicago, IL 60607
- Free
- Register
Throughout the twentieth century, Black families invested in the American dream, acquiring significant amounts of property nationwide. But racist practices, obscure processes, and outright theft diminished their assets and their power.
The National Public Housing Museum, in partnership with the Cook County Assessor’s Office’s Racial Equity and Real Estate Conversations, presents historian Andrew W. Kahrl (author of The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America) and social justice artist Tonika Lewis Johnson (2021–2022 Artist as Instigator at the National Public Housing Museum and co-author of Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It), in conversation about the history of racist and predatory real estate practices and their devastating impact on Chicago’s most vulnerable communities.
Shining a light on Land Sale Contracts, overtaxation, state laws allowing the sale of unpaid tax debts to private investors, and more, Kahrl and Johnson expose this devastating history and share the stories of the fierce organizers and activists who battled against corruption, and lessons of past struggles that remain relevant to us today.
Moderated by Kelwin Harris, Cook County Assessor’s Office, and featuring closing remarks by Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.
FREE, but space is limited. This event will also be livestreamed—register to receive the link.
Light bites and beverages will be provided, and a book signing will take place after the event.
Limited copies of The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America (April 2024) and Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It (November 2024) will be available for sale in the National Public Housing Museum store.
Event video
Presented in collaboration with
The National Public Housing Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
Upcoming events