On the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Kenwood, Chicago residents gathered at Kenwood United Church of Christ to discuss how King’s teachings remain relevant in addressing current challenges faced by their community. King’s original appearance at the church on February 3, 1966, drew about 1,000 people despite a snowstorm. He spoke out against segregation and supported efforts to integrate local schools through the Unity Plan.
Tuesday’s event was organized by the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization and the church. Panelists emphasized the importance of ongoing grassroots organizing for social change. Jitu Brown, a member of the Chicago Board of Education and activist with the community group, said, “Having strength in places like [this] is more important than ever.”
Rev. Jamar Boyd II, senior pastor at Kenwood United Church of Christ, explained that King’s visit was coordinated by local leaders including Rev. Jesse Jackson (the organization’s first executive director), Al Raby (credited by King as inspiring his Chicago campaign), and education activist Hattie Kay Williams.
Speakers noted that while King’s presence brought attention to their cause, sustained organizing before and after his visit made lasting change possible. Rev. Janette Wilson, executive director of PUSH Excel, stated: “When [King] spoke, the world stopped and listened. He had the ability to galvanize the attention of ordinary people, people in high places, people in low places, to hear what he had to say.”
Panelists pointed out that building political power is essential for creating social change today. They cited examples such as Brown and Alderman Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward), who both worked with the organization before being elected to public office.
Wilson warned about efforts across the country aimed at disenfranchising communities like theirs and called for greater scrutiny in choosing elected officials: “We have to make sure you cannot be our U.S. Senator if you don’t speak for us,” she said. “You cannot be our state legislator if you don’t represent the legislative district where I live. I don’t want you coming back and telling me what you’re doing.”
The panel also addressed issues affecting young people in Chicago—such as educational inequality, violence from authorities, missing Black girls, and generational trauma—with Wilson noting: “The impact of the emotional instability when you live in fear every day … the long-term impact of that on the hearts and minds of young is devastating.”
Youth involvement was highlighted during discussions; many young attendees have participated in campaigns for police accountability and housing justice. Khalil Cotton, a youth organizer with Block Club Chicago connections from Woodlawn to Southeast Side programs across Chicago, described successful outreach methods: “What I would recommend is give [youth] the time to do what they want to do,” Cotton said. “It’s just letting them be able to pick the road that they want… We’re not pressuring them to become an organizer. We’re taking them step by step…”
Attendees also reflected on declines in Black entrepreneurship and population within neighborhoods like Kenwood during Black History Month observances this February.
Brown urged participants: “We should be learning the history of a neighborhood like this, where Richard Wright lived, where Louis Armstrong lived, where Capt. Walter Dyett taught,” adding that it remains “a powerful community.”
Kenwood United Church of Christ plans future panels aimed at fostering intergenerational conversations about these topics.
