Late in July 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. came to Chicago. Congress was on the verge of the Voting Rights Act release, which was a real triumph over the racial discrimination and segregation legalized by the Jim Crow laws. The achievements of the two decades after World War II were significant, and King recognized it due to his gift of the historical and global perspective. Black Americans succeeded to overcome inveterate oppression, but there were still many challenges lying ahead.
In January 1966, Chicago experienced a nonviolent campaign spearheaded by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and King alongside the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO) (Portwood, 2019). The campaign targeted to improve the situation in the black neighborhoods and make stress the discrimination practices of realtors and housing officials of the city. This resulted in a much broader CFM – Chicago Freedom Movement. The CCCO and the SCLC conducted a series of demonstrations through the white neighborhoods. Quite expected, the marches were primarily met with violent resistance. Such kind of white Chicagoans reaction was the most vivid reflection of institutional bias and racial discrimination. The marches caused dismaying controversy and disruption, making the city mayor negotiate with CFM leaders and Martin Luther King. Hence, in August 1966, the Summit Agreement was reached, ending the CFM campaign. Contemporary critics evaluated the campaign as a defeat and failure of the CFM, The SCLC, and King, as reached reforms, eradicating discriminatory housing practices, were limited. Nevertheless, the campaign’s long-term impact was profound and resulted in real changes both in Chicago and beyond it.
Martin Luther King forever stays a symbol of the struggle against racism and discrimination. Activists of the Black Lives Matter movement believe that Pastor King’s dreams have not come true to the end. But Martin Luther King fought not only for equality but also against violence in its all manifestations. He did everything possible to make this country and the world better and changed America forever.
References
Portwood, S. (2019). The Chicago Freedom Movement: Martin Luther King, Jr., and civil rights activism in the North. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 112(1), 114-115. DOI:10.5406/jillistathistsoc.112.1.0114.