Chicago Freedom Movement (1965 – 1966)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Marches along State Street, circa 1966. Image courtesy of Chicago Defender Archives.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. intended the civil rights movement to be a national movement rather than a local or regional one. While the roots of the civil rights movement began in the South, mainly to fight the Jim Crow laws and customs of the South, the unjust laws and practices of the North were as devastating as those in the South. After the success of the voting rights campaign and the passage of the Voting Rights Act in Selma, Alabama in 1965, James Bevel, Al Ruby, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr led the Chicago Freedom Movement (CFM), which was formed in response to the systematic discrimination and racial segregation in Chicago. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr alongside the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Coordinating Council in Chicago (CCCO), steered this non-violent movement that focused mainly on the conditions of slums in Chicago’s black neighborhoods and the racial discrimination of the housing market in Chicago . Dr. King chose Chicago as his first Northern campaign rather than Cleveland, Philadelphia, or Washington DC. He moved with his family to the Chicago slums in January 1965 to bring notice to the housing conditions to many black Chicago residents. Dr. King and his associates planned a campaign aimed at white neighborhoods that excluded African Americans. The campaign aimed to raise America’s awareness about the problem of housing discrimination and to push Congress to pass the pending corrective legislation . 

In February, the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket, which was led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, a twenty-five-year-old SCLC organizer, targeted companies and corporations operating in African American neighborhoods that refused to hire employees of African descent. The goal of the operation was to encourage people to boycott these businesses to pressure these businesses to hire African Americans and to purchase raw materials and services from black-owned businesses. The operation gained momentum through, marches, boycotts, and demonstrations. Rev. Jackson and Breadbasket concentrated on companies in the dairy industry. Most companies instantly discussed with the CFM to add black jobs, while the others only settled after boycotts. Later, Pepsi and Coca-Cola bottlers were targeted by Breadbasket, then, supermarkets. The successfully negotiated $25 million of income per year in jobs for the African American community . In addition to being a political operation, Breadbasket also held community events and workshops, which attracted many African Americans to hear Rev. Jackson preach in person or on the radio.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck in the head by a rock hurled by a crowd of angry whites. Image courtesy of Chicago Defender Archives.

The CFM used two main tactics. First, they targeted real estate brokers, who blatantly discriminated against black renters and home buyers. Protesters initiated a vigil at brokers’ offices who discriminated against African Americans, and organized marches and picnics in the nearby areas. To escalate the movement, larger marches in white neighborhoods where black purchasers and renter were not wanted were planned. Like the marches, the Selma, Alabama in 1965 and Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, the marchers were met with violent resistance which was mostly from white civilians rather than the police. The white crowds threw rocks and bottles at the protesters. Occasionally the white crowds would attack the parked car of the protesters. At a march into Marquette Park in August, Dr. King was struck on his temple and knocked to the ground by a rock thrown by a white bystander .

The mayor of Chicago, Richard J. Daley, after being distressed by the disruption caused by the CFM’s marches, decided to negotiate with Dr. King and the leaders of CFM. The agreement between the CFM and the Chicago government is known as the Summit Agreement which was finalized in August 1966. Dr. King saw this agreement as a great victory. He later gave a speech in Atlanta and regarded the Agreement as a significant victory in the Northern community. However, the agreement only brought about partial reforms and frail commitments from the Chicago government officials and local realtors to eliminate discriminatory housing practices .

Per Gaudium et Spes, the Chicago Freedom Movement is a great example of how civilians resisted and fought for their human rights against a government that dominates its citizens, in this example, a specific demographic of its population. This movement was for the betterment of the human rights of African Americans. The right for blacks to sleep in the same bed as the white man. The right for black children to have the same education as the children of the white man. The right to live in the best neighborhoods as the white man, and not be seen as the reason why the best is now only the better. This movement supported the working class of black communities in Chicago and helped empower the poor with job opportunities that they were previously barred from. This stands side by side with the message from the Gaudium et Spes that people should defend their rights and the rights of others by protesting.