Martin Luther King, Jr. and his time in Chicago

SHARE Martin Luther King, Jr. and his time in Chicago

Martin Luther King, Jr. spent a significant amount of time in Chicago fighting City Hall, school segregation, open-housing issues and backlash from whites throughout the city.

One of King’s biggest impact was the Chicago Freedom Movement, which fought against deplorable conditions that blacks were forced to live in because of housing segregation. And that fight helped bring about the Fair Housing Act, which was enacted on April 11, 1968 — less than a week after King’s assassination. His legacy lives on with the Martin Luther King Fair Housing Exhibit Center, which highlights that fight.

Last year, as the 45th anniversary of his assassination approached, we took a look back at his time in Chicago.

Here are some additional historic photos and videos from the archives:

His “Street Sweeper” speech, which he gave April 9, 1967 at New Covenant Baptist Church:

Rev. Jesse Jackson, kneeling, huddles with King (center) and Bernard Lee at a meeting held at Stone Temple Church in 1966. | Sun-Times file photo

King addresses the crowd at Soldier Field during a civil rights rally in 1964. | Sun-Times file photo

King arrives at Soldier Field for a civil rights rally in 1964. | Sun-Times file photo

King shares lunch at Spliven’s Grill on West 16th St. with (left) Albert Raby, convener of the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, on Jan. 27, 1966. | Sun-Times file photo

King, before he was hit by debris thrown from the crowd during a rally in Marquette Park in 1966. | Sun-Times file photo

Jesse Jackson (far right) joins Raby, King, and Ed Berry at the Civil Rights Summit meeting in Chicago in 1966. | Sun-Times file photo

King meets with Mayor Richard J. Daley in City Hall on March 24, 1966. | Sun-Times file photo

Anti-integrationists picket in Winnetka prior to the arrival of King in July 1965. | Sun-Times file photo

King speaks in a south side neighborhood on July 26, 1965, calling for 500 ministers to march on City Hall two days later. | Sun-Times file photo

The Latest
Twenty years after the city and CHA demolished high-rise public housing developments, there are still 130 acres of vacant land and buildings at several CHA redevelopment sites.
The recall affects the only medical option for many patients with end-stage heart failure who do not qualify for a transplant.
Evidence points to doping by unscrupulous trainers and owners.
Being their own boss is key for these business owners, but also being there for their kids is just as important.
Teri family finding a shed antler and bagging a turkey during the second weekend of youth turkey season and a record turkey harvest during Illinois’ youth spring turkey seasons are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.