CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Former Mayor Harold Washington was celebrated Monday on the South Side, on the anniversary of his 1987 death.
Local aldermen, state lawmakers, civil rights activists, faith leaders and others impacted by the legacy of Chicago’s first Black Mayor, joined jazz vocalist Zemrah in a version of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” at Harold Washington’s grave in Oak Woods Cemetery.
Monday marked on the 37th anniversary of Washington, at the age of 65, suffering a fatal heart attack in his office at City Hall.
The speakers at this wreath laying ceremony shared personal stories of their times working beside Washington, honoring him as a man who put his heart in the city, working for the common good and common goals of its people.
Some who attended never had the chance to meet Chicago’s first Black mayor and talked about the future.
Dressed in a gray suit and black tie, Hutchinson, 11, is a 6th grader at Burnside Scholastic Academy.
“I wasn’t born when Harold Washington was elected mayor,” Hutchinson said. “I wasn’t born when Barack Obama became the first African American president of the United States, but I’m aware that Mayor Washington’s leadership paved the way for that historic moment.”
Hutchinson spoke on his ability to vote in just seven years, having been unable to lend his vote to Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
“I’m inspired by the progress he made and the leaders who…come before me,” Hutchinson added.
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