The Battle of Halsted

Join us in recreating a pivotal moment in Chicago and labor history! 

The great railroad strike of 1877 became a massive nationwide labor uprising that arrived to Chicago and nearly brought the city and its business titans to their knees – mass strikes, walkouts, running battles and fiery speeches from labor leaders incited violent reprisals from police and national guard troops resulting in the deaths of over 30 civilians. With striking parallels to our current political moment, our re-enactment hopes to ensure that this history and the lives lost are properly memorialized and the lessons carried forward toward a more just future.

Addressing issues of labor, historical erasure, immigration, abolition, and solidarity, we propose to turn this event into a springboard for civic agitation. Our immediate demand is that the City of Chicago create a historical marker acknowledging this event and the lives lost in time for the 150th anniversary in 2027. Our greater goal is the building of movements that acknowledge that our histories are maps guiding us toward a future where our labor is not undervalued, our race not a marker for brutality, and state violence an anachronism – let us hold them up to the light and dare to march forward!