From North to South: Chairman Fred Hampton and the original Rainbow Coalition
Many American schools usually keep their Black History curriculum on the Civil Rights Movement narrow down to just a handful of people. Most grade students never learned about Fred Hampton in the classroom. He was the chairman of the Black Panther Party in Illinois—a Chicagoland native with Southern roots who built a coalition of Black Chicagoans, white Southerners who had moved up north from Appalachia, Latino immigrants and even Chicago street gang members.
Chairman Hampton worked to successfully form and lead this rainbow coalition until he was killed by police on December 4, 1969.
Some argue that’s why he was killed.
This is the story of how Chairman Fred Hampton Sr.—a Windy City native with Southern roots—united a city for a common cause, and how the government unraveled it.
Fred Hampton: You Can't Murder A Revolution
“You don’t fight racism with racism. You fight racism with solidarity.” -Fred Hampton
When I was in 8th grade I made this documentary for the Chicago History Fair. I set out to do my project on the Black Panther Party, but when I began reading and researching, it led me to the incredible but too-short life of Fred Hampton. My 13 year old self was completely blown away by this man who had the ability to unite ALL people. Why had I never heard of him? I had never learned about him in school. I have spent my entire life in public schools, and I had not learned about FRED HAMPTON… In CHICAGO! To my knowledge, Fred Hampton is still not taught as part of Chicago Public School curriculum and I believe this is wrong. His message of unity seems more important today than ever. These days, I keep coming back to this project and I keep wondering how different the world might look today had Fred Hampton not been murdered by the police. It’s something to think about. As there is so much discussion lately about what we learn and don’t learn in our schools, it is my hope that in the future, children all across this country are taught about the incredible life and legacy of Fred Hampton.