Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago

By Mitzi Trainor Last updated Jan 14, 2022

Axios on FacebookAxios on TwitterAxios on LinkedInAxios in emailReverend Dr. Martin Luther King in Chicago, 1966. Photo: Bernard Kleina

We celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Monday and remember a man with many Chicago connections.

Why it matters: It’s been 56 years since King moved to Chicago as part of the Chicago Freedom Movement to protest housing inequality.

Driving the news: There are a handful of activists and advocates who spent time with King who are still living in Chicago today. Here are just a few:

Rev. Jesse Jackson: Jackson was arguably the most influential and powerful in King’s inner circle, he was with him in 1968 when he was murdered in Memphis.

Must see: The Hulu documentary “Summer of Soul” shows Jackson on stage in 1969 and tells the story of the assassination just a few months after it happened.

Dorothy Tillman: The legendary Chicago City Council served for 22 years. Before that, she was a civil rights activist who marched with King in Chicago.

Tail. Danny Davis: The West Side Congressman was right on King’s side during the 1966 Freedom Movement. Since 1979 he has been fighting for affordable housing in a number of political jobs.

Trivia: With the resignation of Bobby Rush, Davis will become the longest-serving congressman in Illinois (if he wins re-election).

Carol Moseley Brown: As a young girl, Moseley Braun marched with King in Gage Park.

She later became a representative of the State of Illinois and was the first black woman to sit in the US Senate.

Bernard Kleina: The photographer documented King’s time here, including a march in Marquette Park when the Chicagoans hit him with stones.

A freedom movement marched down South Kedzie Avenue in August 1966. Photo: Bernard KleinaAxios on FacebookAxios on TwitterAxios on LinkedInAxios in email

🌱.

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

Learn more

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago

More Chicago stories