Christopher Robert Reed

Christopher Robert Reed (born January 11, 1942) is an American historian known for his expertise on the African American experience in twentieth century Chicago, Illinois. Reed was assistant professor of Black Studies at the University of Illinois from 1982 to 1987, and professor of history at Roosevelt University from 1987 to 2006 as an associate and then full professor. He has published a number of books in his fields.

Personal life

Reed was born to Robert and Josephine Reed in Chicago, Illinois, on January 11, 1942. He grew up in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood, where he attended John Marshall Elementary School and graduated from John Marshall High School in 1959. He earned his BA from Roosevelt University in 1963 and his MA from the same institution in 1968. He received his PhD from Kent State University in 1982, with a thesis "A study of Black politics and protest in depression-decade Chicago: 1930-1939".

Notably, Reed's great-grandfather served in the 116th Infantry of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War and participated in the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House in 1865, which marked the end of the war. Black Chicago's First Century, Volume 1, 1833-1900 Columbia : University of Missouri Press, 2005 According to WorldCat, the book is held in 517 libraries The Depression Comes to the South Side: Protest and Politics in the Black Metropolis, 1930-1933 Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2011. . According to WorldCat, the book is held in 708 libraries The rise of Chicago's Black metropolis, 1920-1929 Urbana, IL : University of Illinois Press, 2011.