Richard Hunt

Richard Hunt was a famous sculptor who spent his life and career in Chicago. He designed soaring sculptures from metal, many of which are monuments to figures and events of the Civil Rights Movement and African-American history. He has installations of more than 160 public sculptures across the United States. Richard Hunt was the first African-American visual artist to be appointed to the National Council on the Arts (1968, Lyndon B. Johnson).

He grew up in the Woodlawn and Englewood neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. A defining event in his life was at age 19 when he attended the funeral of his neighbor, Emmitt Till, a 14- year old black teenager from Chicago who was lynched and murdered while visiting Mississippi in 1955. Five years later, while serving in the U.S. Army he was the first African-American to be served at a desegregated lunch counter in Alamo Plaza, Texas.

Richard Hunt has numerous awards and honorary degrees. One of his last sculptures was Book Bird, the first artwork commissioned for the Obama Presidential Center.

Veteran: Army

Alum:
The Art Institute of Chicago
South Side Community Arts Center (SSCAC)

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A walking tour of select Richard Hunt sculptures in Chicago
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/01/07/richard-hunt-sculpture-guide

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Honorary Richard Hunt Place

West Lill Avenue from North Sheffield Avenue to North Racine Avenue

 

Approved: April 2024

Ward: 43
Alderman: Knudsen
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

b. September 12, 1935 in Chicago
d. December 16, 2023. Age 88.

Near:
Richard Hunt Studio
Lincoln Avenue at Lill Avenue

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Source

2024

https://www.richardhuntsculptor.com/obituary

https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/02/29/remembering-richard-hunt-the-legendary-sculptor-who-inspired-artists-in-chicago-and-beyond/

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2023/december/richard-hunt-passing.html

Ernest & Gloria Jenkins

Ernest “Ernie” & Gloria Jenkins were founding members of the Westside Association for Community Action (WACA), a community development corporation since 1973. The group serves the Lawndale neighborhood and provides juvenile justice intervention for at risk youth, and food for families. Ernie was CEO of WACA until 2009

Ernest served in the US Air Force. Ernest and Gloria worked as a consultants in market research and human relations and sensitivity training. Ernest became Executive Director of Programs for West YMCA: Austin and Southside YMCA, and in 1971 joined the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago to organize community self-help groups. He has won numerous awards for his service.

Gloria was a social worker at Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) and led a program for at-risk teenage girls. She was Executive Director of Urban Programs West YMCA and later served various roles at YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. She served in an advisory capacity for multiple organizations promoting African-Americans and women.

Veteran: Ernest - US Air Force

Alum
Ernest: Aurora University (formerly George Williams College)
Gloria: Governors State University

Faith
Chicago Temple United Methodist Church

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Honorary Mrs. Ernest & Gloria Jenkins WAY

West Ogden Avenue, between Central Park and Millard Street

 

Approved: March 2023

Ward: 24
Alderman: Scott
Neighborhood: North Lawndale

b. Ernest: Dec 30 1929. Mississippi
Gloria: in Chicago

d. Gloria: January 3, 2006
Ernest: January 2, 2018

Near: Westside Association for Community Action (WACA)
3600 W. Ogden

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Source

2023986
IL-100-SR1294
IL-94-SR0566

https://wacanetwork.org/

Adolfo 'Shabba Doo' Quinones

Aldofo Quinones “Shabba Doo” was one of the dancers who made the Locking style of dance famous and is considered by many to be “The Godfather of Street Dance.” He and his sister, Fawn, were dancers on the groundbreaking television show “Soul Train.” He was known as “Shabba Doo” and he was one of the founding members of the Lockers, until it disbanded in 1976. His breakthrough role as an actor was when he played Ozone in the films Breakin’ (1984) and Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984). He directed and appeared in “Rave - Dancing to a Different Beat” (1993). Shabba Doo appeared in several movies in and was an innovator in dance and choreography for movies, television, and music videos through the 1980s; including videos for Madonna (Who’s That Girl, 1987), Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan (1984), and Three 6 Mafia’s performance at the Academy Awards (2006).

He was born in Chicago to African American and Puerto Rican parents, and was raised in the Cabrini-Green housing projects. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s when Soul Train relocated to LA from Chicago.

Adolfo is considered the Godfather of Street Dance which ushered in break dancing in the 1980s and the genre of Hip Hop music.

Alum:
Cooley Vocational High School
Lincoln Park High School (Previously Robert A Waller High School)

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Honorary Adolfo 'Shabba Doo' Quinones Way

The intersection of West Ohio Street and North Wolcott Avenue, on the northeast corner of the Intersection (at 600 N Wolcott Ave and 1900 W Ohio St

Northeast corner of West Ohio Street and North Wolcott Avenue

 

Approved: December 2022

Ward: 1
Alderman: La Spata
Neighborhood: West Town

b. May 11, 1955
d. December 29, 2020. Age 65.

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Source
Wikipedia - Shabba Doo

20222966 revised to 20223713

Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church

Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1954 by J.M. Stone, who was a friend of Martin Luther King, Sr. in Georgia.

This was the first Chicago church where Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gave speeches during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It supported the Chicago Freedom Movement which focused on fair housing. King moved to Chicago in 1966. The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. The pulpit used by Martin Luther King, Jr. is on display as are photos of Reverends King and Stone.

The building was originally built as a Jewish Synagogue when the neighborhood population was largely Jewish. Many of the original stained glass windows and interior light fixtures are original and feature the Star of David and the menorah. Stone Temple MBC retains a connection to the Jewish community and continues to hold events which honor major Jewish holidays.

The building was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2016. It was built by Joseph W. Cohen & Company Architects in 1926.

The Senior Pastor, Derrick Milas Fitzpatrick, is the grandson of the founder J.M. Stone.

Photo credit: Honorary Chicago/Linda Zabors, October 2022

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Honorary Stone Temple Way

Douglas Boulevard between Central Park Avenue and Millard Street

 

Approved:

Ward:
Alderman:
Neighborhood: North Lawndale

Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church
3622 W. Douglas Boulevard

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Source

Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church
Chicago Architecture Center - Open House Chicago 2022

https://enewspf.com/latest-news/stone-temple-baptist-church-to-be-considered-for-landmarks-honor/

Charlie "Boot" Allen

Charles Herman “Boot” Allen was a businessman and educator in Chicago. He spent 35 years teaching in the Chicago Public Schools including: Mason Upper Grade, James Bowen High School,

He was the owner and operator of the Presidents Lounge on 75th Street, a popular local bar. Charlie ran an annual “Toys for Tots” campaign and established a scholarship fund for local high school students entering college.

Alum:
Tennesee State A&I University
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago

Member
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago

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Honorary Charlie “Boot” Allen Way

East 75th Street, between South Champlain Avenue and South Langley Avenue

 

Approved: September 2022

Ward: 6
Alderman: Sawyer
Neighborhood: Greater Grand Crossing

b. December 10, 1941
d. February 8, 2017. Age 75. in Tennesee

Near: President’s Lounge
653 East 75th Street

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Source

20222185

Ronald Everette McKee, Sr.

Ronald Everett McKee, Sr. aka. Ronnie, Rem, and Coach was a very active community member who coached sports at several Chicago Park District locations and schools: Altgeld Park, Austin Park, Garfield Park; LaFollette Park, Union Park, and LeClaire Courts Fieldhouse.

He led several teams to State Championships. In addition to sports, he taught his students about life and black history. He was the first black sports captain of his high school where he was on the wrestling team.

In 1987 he was a candidate for 12th Ward Alderman.

Alum:
Kennedy High School

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Honorary Ronald Everette McKee, Sr Way

South Leamington Avenue, from West 44th Street to West 45th Street

 

Approved: September 2022

Ward: 22
Alderman: Rodriguez
Neighborhood: Archer Heights

d. March 4, 2019

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Source

20222439
R814

Karen Lewis

Karen Lewis was the President of the Chicago Teacher’s Union from 2010 to 2014. Previously she had been a chemistry teacher for 22 years at Sullivan High School, Lane Tech, and King College Prep. She also spoke three languages.

Karen Lewis ran for the CTU to oppose privatization and mayoral control of schools as part of CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators). During her tenure she oversaw a 7-day strike in 2012, another work stoppage in 2014, reduced pay for Union officers, and expanded Union outreach efforts. She blocked efforts to impose merit pay and teacher evaluations all amid school consolidations and closures.

She was the only African-American woman in her graduating class from Dartmouth College, she transferred to Dartmouth when they started admitting women.

Karen was a resident of Bronzeville. She grew up on Chicago’ s south side, both her parents were Chicago Public School teachers.

Alum:

Kenwood High School
Mount Holyoke College
Dartmouth College, BA 1974
Northern Illinois University, Masters

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Honorary Karen Lewis CTU Way

Southeast corner of North Damen Avenue and West Carroll Avenue

 

Approved: March 2022

Ward: 27
Alderman: Burnett
Neighborhood: West Loop

b. July 20, 1953
d. February 7, 2021. Age 67

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Source

2022491

Dwain P Williams

Dwain Williams was a 26 year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department. In 1992 he served as an Emergency Medical Technician to Engine 122 and later as a Fire Academy instructor in hazardous incidents and terrorist response. In 2018 he retired having achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He also worked in the Office of Emergency Management and Communication as a Watch Officer.

Prior to his time in the Chicago Fire Department, he served in the Army in international locations and in the Reserves as a Wire Systems Installer and Operator and at the 501st Signal Battalion and the 101st Airborne Assault Division. He was a decorated soldier and was an expert sharpshooter and hand grenade expert.

Dwain was intellectually curious and deeply knowledgeable. He earned four degrees and more than 80 certifications in professional and independent studies. He also had a passion for basketball, music and chess. He was a guitarist and went by the stage name “D-Sharp” with RAM Band and Mixed Nutz.

He taught computers and physical education at St. Phillip Neri School

Mentored at risk youth and athletics at the Chicago Park District

Listed in Who’s Who of Outstanding Young Americans

Veteran: Army. Active Duty 1976, Army Reserves
American Legion - George Giles Post #87

Alumnus:
Additional degrees and certifications
Harper High School
Altgeld Elementary School

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Honorary Lt. Dwain P. Williams Way

South Peoria Street, between 95th Street and 98th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 34 and 21
Alderman: Austin and Brookins
Neighborhood: Longwood Manor

b. April 19, 1955
d. December 3, 2020. Age 65

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Source

2022255,181

Herman Petty

Herman Petty was a pioneer and the first black owner of a McDonald’s franchise in the United States. It is located at Stony Island and Marquette Road in the Woodlawn neighborhood. On December 21, 1968, it became the first of eight McDonald’s franchises he would own. Herman became a McDonald’s Millionaire and paved the way for others to follow in economic success and community rebuilding. With the help of special field consultants, by the end of 1969 there were twelve black owned McDonalds.

In 1968 it was a neighborhood in turmoil following the April 4th assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Riots erupted on the South side of Chicago. Herman, was well acquainted with the neighborhood and everyone in it, since he had the barbershop down the street. This was key to resolving gang and loitering issues.

Herman previously worked as a barber and as a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority. He had no previous experience in franchise ownership or restaurants. In 1970 he founded the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association, there are now more that 330 black franchise owners.

The current owner of the location marked the 40th anniversary of the historic opening with a mural, markers, and timeline to commemorate the achievement for the community. The 5oth anniversary was in 2018. The location is within walking distance of the Obama Presidential Library Center.

Alumnus:
Hamburger University

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Honorary Herman Petty Way

East Marquette Road.; between South Stony Island Avenue and to South Dorchester Avenue

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 5
Alderman: Hairston
Neighborhood: Woodlawn

d. March 21, 2009

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Source

https://chicagocrusader.com/local-news/a-crusader-special-feature/

https://nbmoa.org/our-history/

Block Club Chicago

2022337

Lerone Bennett, Jr.

Lerone Bennett, Jr. was an author and social historian with a specialty in race relations and civil rights. He served for many years as the Executive Editor of Ebony Magazine; he began his career with Johnson Publishing as the City Editor of JET Magazine. His career in journalism began at the age of twelve at the black-owned newspaper The Mississippi Enterprise. After college he worked for the Atlanta Daily World.

His first book was Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America 1619-1962. In 1978 he received the American Academy Arts and Letters, Literature Award. In 1954 he published an article about the children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings; which was verified decades later using DNA evidence.

He was a visiting professor at Northwestern University. Lerone graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1949, where he was classmates with Martin Luther King, Jr. Bennett interviewed King about the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, and in 1964 wrote What Manner of Man: A Biography of Martin Luther King.

Veteran: Army. Korean War

Alumnus:
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
Lanier High School

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Honorary Lerone Bennett, Jr. Parkway

South Chicago Beach Drive from East 48th Street to East 49th Street

 

Approved: February 2022

Ward: 4
Alderman: King
Neighborhood: Kenwood

b. October 17, 1928. Mississippi
d. February 14, 2018. age 89. Chicago

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Source

https://aaregistry.org/story/lerone-bennett-jr-a-classical-author/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lerone_Bennett_Jr.

2022385

Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable

Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable was the pioneer credited as being the first non-native resident of what is now Chicago. He developed his property on the north bank of the Chicago River near the shores of Lake Michigan (ca. 1779)

In 1673 Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet explored this region and noted it’s good location as a trade route through the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River.

DuSable was born (ca. 1745) in what was the French Carribean colony, now know as Haiti, to a woman of African descent and a French mariner. He was educated in France and came to the United States around the early 1770s to make his fortune. He entered the New World through the port at New Orleans and made his way up the Mississippi River to Illinois. It was there he married his wife Kitihawa, a Potowatomi woman. They built a house and raised their two children in the area which is now Chicago.

At the time, fur trading was big business. In 1627 The Company of New France was established in what is now Montreal, Canada, which setup operations to source furs from the new world.

During the American Revolution he was arrested by the British, and for a while imprisoned at Fort Mackinac in Michigan before returning to Chicago. DuSable was a neutral party and had been involved in peace negotiations with native tribes.

In addition to his native French, DuSable spoke English, Spanish, and several tribal languages, all of which served him well in his trading business. DuSable was a very successful. In 1800 he sold his property and moved down the Mississippi, ultimately to Missouri, where he spent his last days. In 1968 a historic marker was placed at his gravesite.

The DuSable cabin was featured in an exhibit at the 1933 World Fair in Chicago “Century of Progress,” where he was recognized as Chicago’s first permanent resident. He was officially recognized by the City as Chicago’s founder on March 1, 2006.

Photo (public domain): Andreas 1884. Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable portrait

b. ca. 1745 in St. Marc, San Dominigue (Haiti)
d. August 28, 1818 in St. Charles, Missouri. Approx age 73.

Several sites and organizations in Chicago are named for DuSable

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Pioneer Court

This is the location where Dusable built the house where he lived with his wife and children. He developed his estate which included his trading business, barns, garden, orchard, stables, smokehouse, dairy, bakehouse, and where he employed others to work on his property.

He lived here for about two decades. His wife, Kitihawa (Catherine), was a member of the Potowatami Native American tribe. They were married in a tribal ceremony and later in a Catholic ceremony in Illinois in 1778. They had two children, a son, Jean, and a daughter, Suzanne. His granddaughter Eulalie Pelletier was born in 1796.

In 1789 he bought an additional 400 acres of property; this area was now part of the United States.

DuSable sold his property in 1800 and moved downstate. His property was later owned and occupied by John Kinzie (for whom Kinzie Street is named), the Kinzie family lived there until they fled during the Fort Dearborn Massacre of 1812. When Kinzie sold the property in 1834 it extended from the Lake to approximately Chicago Avenue at State Street.

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Honorary Dusable Bridge

Michigan Avenue crossing the Chicago River to Wacker Drive

 

Approved: 2010

Ward: 42
Alderman:
Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile

The bridge crossing the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue opened in 1924. It was the world’s first double-deck traffic moveable bridge.

Photo: Honorary Chicago / Linda Zabors 2020. Honorary DuSable Bridge (raised) over Chicago River

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Map image: OpenStreetMap.org Contributors 2022, annotated: Honorary Chicago

DuSable Harbor

DuSable Harbor is located just south of the mouth of the Chicago River and the Coast Guard Headquarters at the Chicago Lakefront. DuSable Harbor is managed by the Chicago Park District.

DuSable Founders Way

The river esplanade on the north bank of the Chicago River between the Honorary Dusable Bridge and DuSable Lake Shore Drive is called DuSable Founders Way.

DuSable Park

DuSable Park, a parcel of lakefront land near the Ogden Slip on the north bank of the Chicago River near Lake Point Tower, was dedicated in 1987 by Mayor Harold Washington. The 2005 redevelopment of the park was stalled after the a nearby real estate financing fell through and when the site was determined to be in need of environmental remediation. Efforts are underway to develop this park.

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Jean Baptiste Pointe Dusable Lake Shore Drive

Rededicated in 2021

Lake Shore Drive dates back to the early days of Chicago history. It is a famous street which runs along the shores of Lake Michigan. It was renamed to honor DuSable, as Chicago’s first non-native resident, in 2021.

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Dusable Museum

Founded in 1961 as the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, the museum was renamed in honor of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable.

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Dusable High School

Built in 1935 as the New Wendell Philips High School, an expansion of the original school.

The following year, on April 25, 1936 the New Wendell Philips High School was renamed in honor of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, as the founder of Chicago.

Many famous people attended this school, DuSable Hall of Fame. The building received Landmark Status in 2012.

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DuSable Postage Stamp

In 1987 a 22-cent US postage stamp was issued in honor of Jean Baptist Pointe DuSable.

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Source

WTTW
Encyclopedia of Chicago
Dusable Heritage Foundation
DuSable Museum
DuSable High School

Chicago Tribune. Kogan, R:    https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-kitihawa-drive-chicago-kogan-1204-20191203-mtwyzk24rrcjpfumlgczcgswsu-story.html

Wikipedia: Kitihawa Pointe Du Sable  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitihawa_Point_du_Sable

The Root. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 2013

https://kids.kiddle.co/Jean_Baptiste_Point_Du_Sable_Homesite

Otis Clay

Otis Clay was a singer of soul and R&B music. He was born in Mississippi and came to Chicago in 1957 as a gospel singer.

In 2013 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame

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Honorary Otis Clay Way

West Cermak Road, from South Kildare Avenue to South Kolin Avenue

 

Approved: January 2022

Ward: 22
Alderman: Rodriguez
Neighborhood: Little Village

b. February 11, 1942. Mississippi
d. January 8, 2016. Age 73. Chicago

Buried in Oak Woods Cemetery Chicago

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Source

20215725