MY STORY
Bernard Turner founded Highlights of Chicago Press in 2002 with the publication of A View of Bronzeville, a neighborhood guide and history of a great neighborhood. He revised it in 2021 with A New View of Bronzeville, complete with exciting color photography and the newest places in Bronzeville for you to discover.
Bernard is currently the executive director of the newly designated Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area. This district is part of the National Park System that oversees the National Parks, National Historic Sites, National Battlefields and National Monuments. Turner and others have worked tirelessly for this distinction to become one of 62 National Heritage Areas, each telling a distinctive story that altered American history in a significant way. Our story is the Great Migration that changed the nation when more than six million African Americans left the South seeking better lives in the North and leaving behind repressive Jim Crow conditions.
OUR MISSION
We are very excited to tell the story of our city and in particular, to highlight the people, places and events that made Chicago a world-class city. We emphasize the contributions of African Americans to the rich culture of Chicago and Bronzeville and showcase the importance to everyone of learning Black history.
Bernard has developed world-class tours of Chicago and neighborhoods, including Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Bridgeport, and Pilsen. He does walking tours and step-on tours for school groups and family reunions and is helping to make Bronzeville a premier international tourist designation.
