Friends, supporters and former staffers gathered at Oak Woods Cemetery to remember Chicago’s first Black mayor near the anniversary of his death in 1987.
Almost 35 years after his death, dozens gathered Wednesday morning at the grave of Chicago’s first Black mayor to celebrate his legacy and time in office.
Attended by former members of his staff and longtime supporters, the Mayor Harold Washington Legacy Committee organized the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Oak Woods Cemetery on the South Side.
Washington served as mayor from 1983 until his death from a heart attack on Nov. 25, 1987. He campaigned on the belief that race mattered. In his first days as mayor, he issued an executive order creating a Freedom of Information Act, giving citizens the right to full and complete information regarding the affairs of the government. He later created the city’s first Ethics Commission.
Carla Carmouche Rogers brought the urns containing her parents’ remains to Wednesday’s ceremony. Her father, Linson Carmouche, was a friend of Washington, dating to the 3rd Ward’s Young Democrats, organized by Washington when he worked for Ald. Ralph Metcalfe Sr. from 1951 until 1965. Rogers worked in Washington’s mayoral scheduling office.
“I felt so proud. I even shed a couple of tears because he was a big part of our life. ... There would be times years ago when he was even mayor, and the security detail would stop by my mom and dad’s house to eat dinner,” Rogers said.
The ongoing migrant crisis, crime, staff shake-ups, City Council turmoil — and some legislative wins for progressives — were among the highlights and lowlights of Johnson’s first term.
The aim is to give students who might not initially see themselves going to a four-year school a boost that might help them eventually get a bachelor’s degree, as few two-year students do now.