[2] It was built to honor the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that served with distinction in France during World War I.

[3] The memorial monument is located in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District in the Douglas community area on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.

[4] The Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art describes the monument: In 1908 while Aaron Montgomery Ward was contesting the land use law for Grant Park for a second time in the Illinois Supreme Court, the Art Institute of Chicago considered locating the Fountain of the Great Lakes at 35th Street and Grand Boulevard (the latter has been renamed as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 2017, the monument received a grant for restoration as part of World War I centennial activities.

[9] The monument features 4 bronze panels and a sculpture of a soldier atop that was added in 1936.