No single event has influenced the history of labor in Illinois, the United States, and even the world, more than the Chicago Haymarket Affair. It began with a rally on May 4, 1886, but the consequences are still being felt today. Although the rally is included in American history textbooks, very few present the event accurately or point out its significance.
William J. Adelman
We will visit all the key Chicago sites related to the Haymarket Affair and explore what happened through the work of Paul Avrich, The Haymarket Tragedy. In addition, we will apply the four critical methodologies (Hermeneutics and Standpoint, Phenomenology, Dialectics and Materialism) discussed during the Reading Group to the Haymarket Affair and to our situation today.
2022
Friday, April 29
- 9 p.m. Welcome, introductions and orientation.
Saturday, April 30
- 7 to 10 a.m. Breakfast at HI Chicago (included in the cost).
- 10 to 11:30 a.m. Opening Heart Circle.
- Noon to 2 p.m. Lunch in the Loop.
- 2:30 to 4 p.m. The bomb blast that changed labor history. A visit to the Haymarket Memorial.
- 5 to 7 p.m. Dinner in Boystown.
- 7:30 to 10 p.m. Bar nap at HI Chicago.
- 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Ecstatic dancing at Big Chicks.
Sunday, May 1
- 7 to 10 a.m. Breakfast at HI Chicago (included in cost).
- 10 to 11:30 a.m. Radical Heart Circle. Sharing essays, poetry, speeches, blog posts, posters, zines, songs, etc. created during Reading Group. How do we apply the four critical methodologies (Hermeneutics and Standpoint, Phenomenology, Dialectics and Materialism) to the Haymarket Affair and our situation today?
- 1 to 2 p.m. Picnic with the Haymarket martyrs.
- 2 to 4 p.m. Remembering the spirits of the dead at Radical Row.
- Sharing memories of the ancestors.
- Grave tending and decoration.
- Barefoot walking meditation among the radicals.
- 5 to 7 p.m. Dinner in the Gold Coast.
- 7 to 8 p.m. Soapboxing a Lucy Parsons speech in Bug House Square.
- 9:30 to 11 p.m. Cuddle Group.
Monday, May 2
- 7 to 8 a.m. Breakfast at HI Chicago (included in cost).
- 9 to 10:30 a.m. Closing Heart Circle.
