Carl Sandburg: A Voice for Democracy

Carl Sandburg: A Voice for Democracy

Pulitzer Prize winning author Carl Sandburg reported news of the Chicago race riots for the Chicago Daily News. Sandburg’s reporting differed from that of other journalists because it exposed the problems caused by discrimination in housing, politics, and employment that fueled race riots not only in Chicago but across America. Sandburg offered readers rare insights into the dilemma of black Americans, whose voices were seldom heard in white publications. His in-depth reports on the living conditions of Chicago’s black community, written before and after the riots, illuminated the social conditions that fostered racial tensions. During the riots, Sandburg wrote about white thugs bombing black homes because they wanted to intimidate blacks and prevent movement out of the ghetto and into white neighborhoods. He quoted a white community leader, L.M. Smith who said, “Personally, I have no prejudice against (blacks). I have had experience of many years dealing with them, and I’ll say this for them: I have never had to foreclose a mortgage on one of them. They have been clean in every way, and always prompt in their payments.” Yet in the next breath, the Smith insisted, “we can’t have these people coming over here.” The frankness of Sandburg’s reporting was astounding, considering the absence of concern his mainstream competitors exhibited when considering the causes of racial tensions. Even though riot conditions were brewing in Chicago, few white leaders were willing to tackle the core issues head-on. Sandburg remains a memorable figure for the courage, intelligence, and broad social sympathy he expressed as a white journalist examining the injustices at the core of racial conditions in America’s second largest city.