April 11, 2025
Linda Blaser
Courtney Pierre Joseph in new PBS documentary on Chicago’s lakefront
Associate Professor of History and African American Studies Courtney Pierre Joseph is featured in a new WTTW documentary, “Touring Chicago’s Lakefront with Geoffrey Baer” premieres 7 p.m. (CDT) on Monday, April 14.
In the program, Baer “traverses Chicago’s world-famous front yard and explores everything from beloved birds to submerged secrets along Chicago’s lakefront. A fascinating 60-minute journey from the history of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable to modern-day hikes on Northerly Island, fishing for lake trout, and snorkeling on a prehistoric reef,” according to wttw.com/lakefront.
“Working on this documentary was a career milestone for me as a public historian,” Joseph said. “I love PBS, so it is an honor to be asked to take part in their programming, especially one that spotlights Chicago’s rich and complicated history.”
Joseph’s specializations are in African American history and culture, Haiti and its diaspora, women and gender studies, and Hip-Hop culture. As a public historian and scholar, Joseph has spoken and published extensively. She is working on her first book, Invisibly Visible: A Community History of Haitians in Chicago.
Block Club Chicago interviewed Joseph in a story on the new documentary: “ History, Culture and Conflict that Chicaped Chicago’s Lakefront explored in WTTW Special.”
According to their website, Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.
“Touring Chicago’s Lakefront with Geoffrey Baer” premieres on Monday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m. on WTTW, the PBS app and wttw.com/lakefront.