The Brown Book
was a Who’s Who of Black Joliet.
It was edited and published by community leader Chastine C. Mason in 1959 and included a history of the first Black residents of Will County, Illinois, memorials to those who had died, and a listing of a number of businesses—including real estate offices, financial services, transportation services, repair shops, beauty and barber shops, healthcare providers, musicians, civil rights organizations, bars and lounges, restaurants, funeral homes, churches, boutiques, and social clubs. Only one known copy is in existence.
about the Brown Book
Will County’s
Black Pioneers
The Brown Book notes that the first Black residents of Will County came in 1853—years before the Civil War and decades before the Great Migration began—to work in the coal mines in Braidwood, on the Deep Waterway in Lockport and with various industrial employers in Joliet.
The book identifies Mr. and Mrs. Brown as the “first of our group” to come to the Lockport area. James William Carrington and his family moved from Virginia to Braidwood, approximately 30 miles away, around that same time. The two families were later connected through marriage.
Some of the initial Black families to migrate to the area did so after being recruited to work for the Chicago and Wilmington Coal Company in the mines in the late 1800s. They came from parts of the South where mining was intensive–Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia in particular. Descendants of these families still live in the area.explore the Brown Book
Looking at The Brown Book today shows what a vibrant Black community existed in Joliet. This was especially the case when looking at all the businesses open along Chicago Street. Residents still say things like “Chicago Street was the place to be” and “We didn’t have to go anywhere else. We had everything right here” when recalling the wealth–in terms of sheer number and the revenues generated–of businesses that once lined the street.
Indeed, The Brown Book shows that by 1958, Will County was home to 13 Black churches, 125 Black-owned businesses, and 1,200 Black homeowners with property values of a collective $7.5 million. The value of the commercial property was nearly $400,000. This is the equivalent of $83,756,324 and $4,467,003 today. As of 2020, Black homeownership rates were 37% in the region, 38.2% in the state of Illinois and 41.9% in the nation. This contributes significantly to the wealth gap between Black and white people in the US, state, and city of Joliet. According to a 2024 report from researchers at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, a typical white family in the region have a median net worth of $210,000 and the typical Black family has a median net worth of $0. Much of this disparity is due to housing value—or a lack thereof.
Ernest Crim III
Crim uses overlooked historical narratives (especially Black history) as a catalyst for healing, justice, and transformation. As a former public school history teacher turned speaker, author, Emmy-nominated producer, and CEO of Crim’s Cultural Consulting, Ernest empowers schools, companies, and communities to bridge cultural divides through truth-telling, empathy, and antiracist education.His content reaches millions across social media, where he dismantles whitewashed narratives and centers the resilience and innovation of Black people throughout history. A survivor of a viral hate crime, Ernest has transformed personal pain into public purpose, using storytelling to inspire change, challenge injustice, and amplify historically silenced voices.At his core, Ernest is a liberator, and a protector of legacy who is committed to educating the present while building a freer future for generations to come. And most importantly, he is a family man, who currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife and four daughters.Modern day Griot, educator, and cultural competency specialist