South Side Untold: The First Black-Owned Bank in Bronzeville
Jesse Binga built wealth through real estate, and then made history as the first black person to charter a privately-owned bank in Chicago.
Photo Credit: Public Domain Image
Hey there, Chicago Southsiders,
I can't believe it's almost Friday! And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to share something I truly love about the South Side of Chicago—our rich history. Every block has a story, packed with hidden gems you might not even believe.
I was born in Englewood and raised in Auburn Gresham. I remember my mom taking me around 35th and King Drive, where I’d see towering high-rises and bustling storefronts. What I didn’t know at the time was that just a few blocks away stood the buildings that once housed Chicago’s first Black-owned bank. If your great-grandparents were in Chicago around that time, they might know about Binga.
Jesse Binga, a pioneering financier, founded Binga State Bank in the 1900s. The more I learn about Binga, the more it feels like I’m stepping into a real-life episode of Days of Our Lives—the kind my grandma and I used to watch together. Drama, power, and resilience—his story had it all.
📖 Learn more about Jesse Binga and Chicago’s first Black-owned bank here:
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🎥 We’re also experimenting with AI to bring history to life! Check out a snippet of our AI-generated episode on Binga:
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Thank you for being part of this journey. Until next time!
—Charlene Rhinehart
Publisher, Chicago Southsider 🖤
South Side History At a Glance
Meet the Father of Black History. 27 Surprising Facts About Carter G. Woodson and Black History Month That Will Inspire You
Do You Know Jesse Binga? Meet the Founder of the First Black-Owned Bank on Chicago’s South Side.
Medical Pioneer on Chicago’s South Side. Meet the First Surgeon to Successfully Perform an Open-Heart Surgery on a Human.
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