Victory monument
Description:
The Victory Monument in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood is the country's first monument to African-American soldiers built with state funds. Since 1986, it has been listed as a historic site in the United States.
The monument is dedicated to the soldiers of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that fought in France during World War I. 137 soldiers of this unit died – their names are immortalized on the bronze panel of the pedestal. There are four such panels. On the other three – bas-relief images of human figures, made in life size. Traditionally, a draped African woman with a branch in her hand represents victory. Another female figure, crowned with a military helmet, holds a tablet listing battles involving an African-American unit. The last bas-relief depicts a soldier at whose feet sits an eagle.
The monument was erected in 1927. The figure of a soldier with a rifle at the top of a white granite pedestal appeared later, in 1936.