Urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is collaborating with Ancestry, a consumer genomics company, to present “The Women Who Built Chicago” bus tour during March, in recognition of Women’s History Month.
The public can join the tour on March 21, 22, and 28. The event will highlight women who have made significant contributions to Chicago’s history. Among those featured are singer Dinah Washington; Margaret Burroughs, co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History; and entrepreneur and activist Madame C.J. Walker.
Ancestry has used its historical records—such as census documents, yearbooks, and newspaper archives—to identify nine women whose work advanced education, civil rights, the arts, and health care in Chicago. These records are paired with visits to relevant locations throughout the city.
A mural sponsored by Ancestry was installed at 38 W. Grand Ave., Downtown. It features Mary Emerson Haven, founder of YWCA Chicago, and physician Margaret Hie Ding Lin. Lin delivered babies for members of Chicago’s Chinese community at a time when discrimination prevented many Asian women from accessing hospitals.
According to Nicka Sewell-Smith, an Ancestry genealogist: “Women’s contributions were often reduced to narrow or domestic labels in historical documents, even when their impact was far greater. For instance, census records didn’t always capture leadership or unpaid labor such as founding nonprofit organizations, and newspapers sometimes focused more on a woman’s appearance than her achievements. That’s why connecting those dots and giving proper public recognition to these women is so important.”
Sewell-Smith also said during a media preview: “When you look at women through history, you find that a lot of the notable and remarkable things they’ve done are just hidden.”
She explained that tracing women in historical records can be challenging because many documents listed them only by their husbands’ names or described them simply as “keeping house,” which often obscured their accomplishments.
The bus tour includes five stops led by Thomas and supported by research from Ancestry:
– Mural at 38 W. Grand Ave., River North: honors Margaret Hie Ding Lin and Mary Emerson Haven.
– Wendell Phillips High School in Bronzeville: highlights librarian Vivian Harsh—who built the first Special Negro Collection for the Chicago Public Library—and Dinah Washington.
– DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center: focuses on artist and educator Margaret Burroughs.
– Rosenwald Courts Apartments in Bronzeville/Kenwood Park neighborhoods: recognizes Marjorie Stewart Joyner.
– Ada S. McKinley Community Services in Chicago Lawn: commemorates Ada S. McKinley.
The tour begins at Chicago Women’s Park & Garden at 1801 S. Indiana Ave., with further information available online.
