Welcome to Mahalia’s Mile!

Proudly located within the Greater Chatham community on Chicago's Southside, Mahalia's Mile is a dynamic 1-mile corridor that runs from 79th and State Street to 79th Cottage Grove Avenue. For decades, this commercial corridor and the surrounding neighborhood has historically served as an important cultural and culinary anchor of Chicago’s vibrant Black community. The Greater Chatham Initiative, along with a diverse group of partners and local stakeholders, is dedicated to the revitalization of the corridor as part of the overall placekeeping efforts to preserve Mahalia’s Mile for future generations.

Mahalia Mile's is named after  Mahalia Jackson, who built her home in the Greater Chatham community.  Mahalia was a renowned international singing superstar and gospel music pioneer.  She was also a leading civil rights activist and a small business entrepreneur. Her powerful legacy serves as the guiding force of the current effort to revitalize Mahalia Mile.

In addition, other notable artists who have lived in Greater Chatham include Nat King Cole, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sam Cooke, Thomas Dorsey, Pops Staples, and more recently, Chance the Rapper and Lena Waithe, creator of The Chi. 

This includes business leaders who have resided in Greater Chatham, George Johnson, founder of Johnson Products Company and the exclusive sponsor of Soul Train, Gary Comer, founder of Lands’ End, bankers Ernest Collins and Jacoby Dickens who founded Seaway Bank in the area. Notable civic leaders who have lived in Greater Chatham include Senator Roland Burris, Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Mayor Eugene Sawyer, and civil rights attorneys Frank Anglin and Lawrence E. Smith.

Greater Chatham has a rich history of artistic innovation, social justice, and entrepreneurship that continues to this day, making Mahalia Mile a special place to visit.

Come and experience the cultural and culinary offerings of Mahalia's Mile in Greater Chatham!