Conversation with Don Hayner, Author of “Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s First Black Banker”

Meet author Don Hayner and learn about Jesse Binga, the first black banker in Chicago whose bank was located on the current Illinois Tech campus. Binga rose to wealth and influence as a realtor and in 1908, he founded Binga Bank, the first black-owned bank in Chicago. 

Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s First Black Banker tells the story of racial change in one of the most segregated cities in America. It illuminates how an extraordinary Chicagoan imbued a community isolated by racial animosity with hope. Books will be available for purchase at 40 percent off list price.