This reading list complements the law school’s MLK Commemoration events taking place from January 20 to 24, 2025.
Housing Discrimination, Segregation, and Gentrification
Chicago has a long history of housing discrimination and racial segregation. Structuring Inequality by Tracy Lynn Steffes discusses the role of public policy in creating and enforcing inequality and segregation in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Block by Block by Amanda Seligman gives a history of Chicago’s West side transitioning from a predominantly white to predominantly Black neighborhood. High Risers, by Ben Austin, is a nuanced study of Cabrini Green that incorporates voices of residents along with history. Issues of neighborhood segregation, gentrification, and inequality continue to this day. Black on the Block by Mary Patillo focuses on the South Side’s North Kenwood-Oakland neighborhood, a predominantly Black neighborhood facing gentrification. Us vs. Them by Jan Doering discusses recent gentrification in Rogers Park and Uptown on the North side.
The library also has a copy of Pauli Murray’s States’ Laws on Race and Color, which Thurgood Marshall referred to as “the bible” of Brown v. Board of Education. Laws on Race and Color compiles laws that enforce segregation and law that establish civil rights from every state. Pauli Murray was a groundbreaking civil rights lawyer and activist whose work informed Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP, as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and NOW. Since our rare books do not circulate, you can also read it online.
Chicago Freedom Movement
In the Chicago Freedom Movement, the SCLC and Martin Luther King Jr. worked alongside Chicago-based organizations to advocate for fair housing by using nonviolent direct action similar to that which activists used in the South. In A Decisive Decade, author Robert McKersky tells the history of the Chicago Freedom Movement through his own experiences as an activist in the movement. Northern Protest, by James Ralph, addresses the legacy of the Chicago Freedom Movement. One of those legacies is Operation Breadbasket. Led by Jesse Jackson, Operation Breadbasket’s original goal was to support Black-owned businesses. It ultimately lay the foundation for Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH coalition. Finally, The Chicago Freedom Movement focuses on the lasting effects of the movement by using oral histories.
Harold Washington
The law school will be screening Punch 9 For Harold Washington on Thursday, Jan. 23. You can register to attend the screening at this link.
If you want to learn more about Harold Washington, the library has several biographies, including Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago by Roger Biles. Additionally, Harold!, edited by Salim Mukkawil has photos from Harold Washington’s campaign and terms as mayor.
Activists in City Hall by Pierre Clavel, Fire on the Prairie by Gary Rivlin, and The Multiracial Promise are about the broader context and legacy of the Harold Washington campaign.
You can find more library resources about Harold Washington at this link.
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