Grantee Partner Spotlight: Black Cornerstones Project

A Q&A with Shani Smith

Founder and Executive Director of the Black Cornerstones Project

Shani, where does your interest in collecting and preserving history come from? What drives it?

Describe for us the oral histories that you have collected. What are some of your takeaways from them?

What we have done so far is to begin to collect the oral histories, the idea was the oral histories of block clubs, particularly in the Calumet Heights area. We began to interview residents about their participation in block clubs.  It was meant to be a walking history of block clubs in Calumet Heights and in the Chicago area but it became something more amazing. The name is now Building Blocks.

Residents focused on their migration stories, and how they came to live where they are throughout Chicago. In May and June, we wanted to walk the community and gather stories. We ended up creating these walking clubs, and members would come out and they’d share stories of their family history and their future hopes for the Calumet Heights area. In the end, we had 15 participants share their stories. We had already collected, prior to that, more than 20 stories from different people in the community. 

We met remarkable people like a law professor who was one of the first Black law students at the University of Chicago. Residents related to many great Black musicians throughout the city. 

We were even able to reconnect some neighbors with their family history, that they themselves weren’t aware of. 

There was one neighbor whose great-grandparents were the first owners of the house.  In more than one case, neighbors would know the history of people’s families that the families themselves didn’t know. It was very informal, but we would record video. It was all really exciting, just to know that we are just steps away from a richer and deeper connection to our past.

From doing all of these oral histories, one of the key takeaways for me personally is the profound understanding of resilience and strength within my community. 

Listening to these stories has deepened my appreciation for the richness and diversity of our experiences, and it reminded me how crucial it is to preserve these voices.

What is your own personal, familial connection to Calumet Heights?

My grandmother was among the first Black residents to buy a home on South Blackstone Avenue in Calumet Heights. For the first time, she could enter through the front door, walk on the floors she had once cleaned, and enjoy meals at the table she had once prepared.

Calumet Heights has a rich history, and despite the challenges of white flight, this community thrived and my grandmother was a key figure in that history. 

Calumet Heights is my forever home, and I’m determined that my grandmother’s legacy and the legacy of other Black Migrants in this community don’t die with me.

What do you envision for this project in the future?

I envision sharing the stories. Ultimately, I would like to share them with the Library of Congress. I would love to see them as a museum or library exhibit. I can imagine a wall – where you press a picture or a button and hear a story. 

Is there anything that you’d like to share or announce?

I’d like to thank Illinois Humanities and express our deepest gratitude. The Black Cornerstones Project began as a walking history of block clubs in the Calumet Heights area and has blossomed. Thank you for helping to create a space where we can uplift Black voices and make a lasting impact. I’d also like to thank the vibrant network of community organizations in Calumet Heights that we have worked with and the neighbors who are like a second family to me. This project is a creative collective. It is a vibrant network of community leaders who work together. 

Suggested Readings by Shani Smith

• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
• Caste: The Source of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
• Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

About Black Cornerstones Project

Founded in 2020, the Black Cornerstones Project (BCP) is a civic engagement project that emboldens Black Stories, amplifies Black Voices, and carves out bold and amazing Black Spaces co-created for resistance, resilience, reformation, and restitution. 

Its mission, transforming our today, is to have Black People co-creating bold spaces for truth, healing & transformation in places where communities connect. 

BCP's vision, shaping our tomorrow, is Black voices transforming radical dreams of freedom to construct new realities of liberation. Capturing the oral history of Chicago Block Clubs keeps that vision alive and celebrates the rich history of the vibrant Second City, Chicago.

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