Monday, April 7, 2008

Chatham Then and Now Through the Eyes of an Original

I know I write a lot about the Chatham neighborhood, but I'm sure there are others with information about other ward neighborhoods. Chatham just happens to be one where there is a lot of information, especially on the internet. I found this old article online from April 23, 1995 from the Chicago Citizen...
The Chatham community is known for being the community of the largest Black middle class and a community of excellence.

There have been many people from different walks of life and different professions that have contributed to its growth and excellence making it a desirable place to live. One organization, the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council (CAPCC), has stood in the forefront helping Chatham excel as a model community.

Chatham received its name from a stock farm named Chatham that was owned by L.G. Fisher, who was from a county in Massachusettes named Chatham. That farm was located at what is now 79th Street, 83rd King Drive and Cottage Grove, according to Mae Gregory, head librarian at Whitney Young Library, who has researched the Chatham community.

African-Americans began migrating to the community in the 1950s. Washington Burney is a member of CAPCC, and he was one of the original members when the organization was first founded.

Burney remembers when he first moved to Chatham in August 1954. He knew it would be an outstanding community to raise his children. He recalls that in March 1955 whites were about 85 to 87 percent of the population.

Around that time, he said, a flyer brought to his attention a meeting that was being called by the white residents at the YMCA on 83rd and Ellis Avenue. He and a friend, John Sloan, decided to attend that meeting although they were not invited. They were the only two Blacks in attendance among about 300 whites. The agenda of that meeting, according to Burney, was to keep Blacks out of the community.

"When we came in the meeting it kind of threw things off. When they saw us things got confused. There were arguments and debates, and we decided to adjourn and we met again in May," Burney said.

Before that next meeting in May, Burney and Sloan went to every Black resident in the community and made sure they would be present at the meeting. Altogether, Burney said there were about 75 Blacks in attendance and 450 whites.

At that meeting, Burney said it was agreed, although some whites were not obliging, that everyone should and could co-exist together regardless of race.

A committee was then set up comprised of both Blacks and whites, and it was agreed that an organization be formed called the Chatham Avalon Park Community Council. At that time, Burney said there were a lot of whites who lived in the Avalon area east of Cottage Grove.

Burney explained that when he attended the meeting he was not at all scared or nervous.

"I wasn't nervous. If anything I would have gotten mad. There were about 75 Blacks living in the entire community in 1955. At the second meeting the hostility had subsided but there were some whites who were still upset," he recalled.

In the early spring of 1955, whites began leaving Chatham in great numbers because of the sudden migration of African-Americans. Burney recalled how whites left the community, which seemed a bit peculiar to him and other Blacks.

"What was peculiar about the exodus of the whites was they moved out at night at around midnight, and the next day Black would be moving in to the (vacated) home in the morning," he said.

According to Burney, in about three months, over half of the whites were gone from Chatham. Around late 1955, Blacks became the majority race with a population of about 85 percent. There wasn't any "race friction," Burney said, because whites were moving out so fast.

Gregory's research of Chatham did point out some racial incidents that occurred because of the sudden change. She wrote that in 1949 a four-day riot broke out on the 7200 block of St. Lawrence. According to her research, Arthur Jordan was the first Black to move on that block.

"Women cursed, children jeered, teenagers hurled bricks angrily, `burn the black b---- out,"' she wrote.

For several months, Jordan had to have police protection. One evening, Gregory said, he came to his door while police held back an angry crowd and shot a bullet from his shotgun into the air.

The purpose of the formation of CAPCC was to maintain a community of excellence and to keep the neighborhood and schools ungraded maintain police protection by having a close relationship with the police department and cleanliness by making sure each neighbor kept pride in their property.

Burney proudly explained the CAPCC raises its own money through fundraisers and dues paid by its members, and the group has many accomplishments making the organization very successful. Recently, they bought two lots and plan to build a community house on 82nd and King Drive. CAPCC, according to Burney, has never received any grants from the city and he says there is a reason behind that.

"We wanted to say what we wanted and criticize who we wanted. We want public officials to be servants to the community and not the community servants to politicians," he said.

CAPCC holds two of three fundraisers a year, and an annual dinner dance in October which is quite successful. They also hold several activities for youths in the community such as skating parties for the children.

One particular success story of the organization involves the Whitney Young Library located on 79th and King Drive. Burney recalls that the original plans were to build a gas station, but the community came together and stopped that from occurring, and it was decided by the residents that a library should be build at the location instead. CAPCC was successful, and the library opened in 1973.

"(CAPCC) kept Chatham organized and kept undesirables and undesirable businesses from moving into the community...We take care of our buildings and make sure landlords do the same. We have abandoned buildings torn down, and we work closely with the police department to eliminate crime," Burney said.

Because the community worked together and CAPCC has kept residents informed on issues involving the community. Chatham was able to eliminate many gas stations from moving into the area and they voted 14 precincts dry to alcohol and improved many of the schools in the community. They also make sure they receive proper city services such as snow removal and tree trimming.

Part of CAPCC's overwhelming success Burney said, comes from the fact that several block clubs have been organized in the neighborhoods.

"Each block in Chatham became organized, and we have strong block clubs. Every block at one time was strongly organized and held meetings and paid block club dues. This is one thing that made the community different from most. We had strong block clubs. We stated the block club movement in Chicago," Burney stated.

Chatham has changed from the first time Blacks began migrating into the community, and although crime is low in the community, there has been an increase.

"Crimes is all over the city and all over the country. That's one of our biggest problems. We're fortunate not to have (as much) crime as other communities," Burney said.

Another change that is taking place is that the residents have gotten older and don't have the energy they used to, he said. Younger people moving into the community, Burney said, haven't grasped the enthusiasm that the older residents had, but that is changing.

Eighty-five percent of the residents are senior citizen homeowners. The younger people come to the meetings, and they are beginning to feel a sense of the enthusiasm," Burney added.

Chatham is also known for the its many Black-owned businesses. If you drive through Chatham, you'll notice Soft Sheen Products. Independence Bank and Seaway national Bank, which are two of the country's largest Black-owned banks. The first Black-owned business located in Chatham, which opened in 1954, was a real estate company owned by Joseph Bridges.

Burney said it is a known fact that many residents are not supporting the many Black-owned businesses in the community, but instead support white-owned businesses in other communities. If Blacks invested in Black companies it would benefit the entire community as a whole, he said.

"Businesses are not as good as they used to be because the community doesn't support them as much as they should. For some reason, Black folks don't trust each other. They think white businesses take care of their money more than Blacks," Burney explained.

"If we spent a larger percentage of our annual income (on Black-owned community businesses) we'll be one of the richest communities in the country. The income in Chatham is strong enough to make it a strong community," Burney said.

What the future holds for Chatham seems bright because of organizations such as CAPCC. Chatham can thrive even more if the community continues to work together Burney believes.

"You can't find a better community to live in. These people still live in their own homes. I wouldn't live anyplace else and I'll probably die where I am."
I know this is a long post but I found if off of some archive site and I saved it onto my harddrive in order to bring this to your attention later. I don't own this article most certainly do not hold a copyright and I attempted to cite who published it.

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