Chicago Freedom Movement
Encyclopedia
The Chicago Freedom Movement, also known as the Chicago Open Housing Movement, was led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
and Al Raby. The movement included a large rally, marches, and demands to the City of Chicago
. These specific demands covered a wide range of areas, including housing, education, transportation and job access, income and employment, health, wealth generation, crime and the criminal justice system, community development and quality of life. The Chicago Freedom Movement was the most ambitious civil rights
campaign in the North
of the United States
, and lasted from mid-1965 to early 1967.
(SCLC) and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO). In 1965, SCLC, led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
, was looking for a site to prove that non-violent direct action could bring about social change outside of the South. Since 1962, the CCCO had harnessed anger over racial inequality, especially in the public schools, in the city of Chicago
to build the most sustained local civil rights movement in the North. The activism of the CCCO pulled SCLC to Chicago, as did the work of Bernard LaFayette
and James Bevel
, two veterans of the southern civil rights movement
, on the city’s west side.
The Chicago Freedom Movement declared its intention to end slums in the city. It organized tenants' unions
, assumed control of a slum tenement
, founded action groups like Operation Breadbasket, and rallied black and white Chicagoans to support its goals. In the early summer of 1966, it focused its attention on housing discrimination. Led by Martin Luther King, a rally was held at Soldier Field on July 10, 1966. According to a UPI news story that ran the next day, “About 35,000 persons jammed Chicago's Soldier Field for Dr. King's first giant ‘freedom rally’ since bringing his civil rights organizing tactics to the city.…” Other guests included Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Peter Paul and Mary. By late July the Chicago Freedom Movement was staging regular marches into all-white neighborhoods on the city’s southwest and northwest sides. The hostile and sometimes violent response of local whites and the determination of civil rights activists to continue to crusade for open housing alarmed City Hall and attracted the attention of the national press.
In mid-August, high-level negotiations began between city leaders, movement activists, and representatives of the Chicago Real Estate Board. On August 26, after the Chicago Freedom Movement had declared that it would march into Cicero
site of a fierce race riot in 1951, an agreement, consisting of positive steps to open up housing opportunities in metropolitan Chicago, was reached. The Summit Agreement was the culmination of months of organizing and direct action. It did not, however, satisfy all activists, some of whom, in early September 1966, marched on Cicero. Furthermore, after the open-housing marches, the Chicago Freedom Movement lost its focus and momentum. By early 1967, Martin Luther King and SCLC had decided to train their energies on other targets, thus marking the end of this ambitious campaign.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Al Raby. The movement included a large rally, marches, and demands to the City of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. These specific demands covered a wide range of areas, including housing, education, transportation and job access, income and employment, health, wealth generation, crime and the criminal justice system, community development and quality of life. The Chicago Freedom Movement was the most ambitious civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
campaign in the North
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and lasted from mid-1965 to early 1967.
History
The Chicago Freedom Movement represented the alliance of the Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceSouthern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(SCLC) and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO). In 1965, SCLC, led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, was looking for a site to prove that non-violent direct action could bring about social change outside of the South. Since 1962, the CCCO had harnessed anger over racial inequality, especially in the public schools, in the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to build the most sustained local civil rights movement in the North. The activism of the CCCO pulled SCLC to Chicago, as did the work of Bernard LaFayette
Bernard Lafayette
Bernard Lafayette Jr. is a longtime civil rights activist and organizer, who was a leader in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement...
and James Bevel
James Bevel
James L. Bevel was an American minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement who, as the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference initiated, strategized, directed, and developed SCLC's three major successes of the era:...
, two veterans of the southern civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, on the city’s west side.
The Chicago Freedom Movement declared its intention to end slums in the city. It organized tenants' unions
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
, assumed control of a slum tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
, founded action groups like Operation Breadbasket, and rallied black and white Chicagoans to support its goals. In the early summer of 1966, it focused its attention on housing discrimination. Led by Martin Luther King, a rally was held at Soldier Field on July 10, 1966. According to a UPI news story that ran the next day, “About 35,000 persons jammed Chicago's Soldier Field for Dr. King's first giant ‘freedom rally’ since bringing his civil rights organizing tactics to the city.…” Other guests included Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Peter Paul and Mary. By late July the Chicago Freedom Movement was staging regular marches into all-white neighborhoods on the city’s southwest and northwest sides. The hostile and sometimes violent response of local whites and the determination of civil rights activists to continue to crusade for open housing alarmed City Hall and attracted the attention of the national press.
In mid-August, high-level negotiations began between city leaders, movement activists, and representatives of the Chicago Real Estate Board. On August 26, after the Chicago Freedom Movement had declared that it would march into Cicero
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
site of a fierce race riot in 1951, an agreement, consisting of positive steps to open up housing opportunities in metropolitan Chicago, was reached. The Summit Agreement was the culmination of months of organizing and direct action. It did not, however, satisfy all activists, some of whom, in early September 1966, marched on Cicero. Furthermore, after the open-housing marches, the Chicago Freedom Movement lost its focus and momentum. By early 1967, Martin Luther King and SCLC had decided to train their energies on other targets, thus marking the end of this ambitious campaign.
Demands of the Chicago Freedom Movement
On July 10, 1966 Dr. King placed a list of demands on the door of the Chicago City Hall in order to gain leverage with city leaders.Real Estate Boards and Brokers
- Public statements that all listings will be available on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Banks and Savings Institutions
- Public statements of a nondiscriminatory mortgage policy so that loans will be available to any qualified borrower without regard to the racial composition of the area.
The Mayor and City Council
- Publication of headcounts of whites, Negroes and Latin Americans for all city departments and for all firms from which city purchases are made.
- Revocation of contracts with firms that do not have a full scale fair employment practice.
- Creation of a citizens review board for grievances against police brutality and false arrests or stops and seizures.
- Ordinance giving ready access to the names of owners and investors for all slum properties.
- A saturation program of increased garbage collection, street cleaning, and building inspection services in the slum properties.
Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Dwelling Association
- Program to rehabilitate present public housing including such items as locked lobbies, restrooms in recreation areas, increased police protection and child care centers on every third floor.
- Program to increase vastly the supply of low-cost housing on a scattered basis for both low and middle income families.
Business
- Basic headcounts, including white, Negro and Latin American, by job classification and income level, made public.
- Racial steps to upgrade and to integrate all departments, all levels of employments.