Harold Washington

Dates: 1969-1984 (Bulk dates 1977-1983). Size: 0.75 linear feet in 2 boxes plus 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Steve Askin was Harold Washington’s Communications Director during his unsuccessful run for mayor in 1977. In addition to information about Washington’s positions on key issues, there is significant documentation of the immediate aftermath of the loss, including a report, written by Askin, assessing the situation and how to move forward. Of particular note are the files marked “Police Surveillance/Red Squad” which Harold Washington requested and obtained. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1942-2006. Size: 48 linear feet. Accession #2007/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. A lifelong Chicagoan, Brenetta Howell Barrett was a leader and political activist in West Side community organizations. She served in the mayoral administrations of Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer. Active in housing, environmental and civil liberties issues, she was also involved in community protests in the 1960s and 1970s. Her papers include correspondence, office files, programs, clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding Aid, opens a new window]

Dates: 1918-2010. Size: 336 linear feet. Accession #2003/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Professor emeritus at City Colleges of Chicago, Timuel Black is a prominent historian, author, human rights activist and expert on Chicago’s African American history. During the 1960s, he was president of the Negro American Labor Council, Chicago Chapter  and organizer of Chicago participation in the 1963 March on Washington. Black was active in more than 100 organizations over seven decades. The collection includes extensive organizational files, correspondence, manuscripts, subject files, oral histories, audiovisual materials, photographs and memorabilia. Additional papers relating to the life and work of his children, Timuel Kerrigan Black (1963-1993) and Ermetra Black-Thomas, were accessioned in 2007. Selected items from the collection are available online in the Timuel D. Black Jr. Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1943-2005. Size: 9 linear feet. Accession #2004/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Josie Brown Childs, political and civil rights activist, aide to Mayor Harold Washington and cultural events promoter, donated her papers documenting her multifaceted career. The scope of the papers consists of family history in Mississippi, Childs’ early political work, her campaign for an aldermanic seat, her work for Mayor Washington, and her efforts to promote African American cultural and historical awareness. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, flyers, programs and memorabilia are included. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1944-1997. Size: 10 linear feet. Accession #2010/07. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Charles Hayes was a union leader in the United Packinghouse Workers of America and in two successor unions from the 1940s through the 1980s. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993. Most of his papers have been lost, but this small collection includes correspondence, speech texts, reports, clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2010/11. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Melvin Holli was a history professor and author who wrote several books on Chicago politics, including The American Mayor. His papers include subject research files on Mayor Harold Washington’s administration, newspaper clippings and notes. [Unprocessed]

Dates: 1970s-1990. Size: 3 linear feet in 6 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Keep Strong Publishing began in 1975 in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. It was started by progressive community activists Walter “Slim” Coleman, Helen Shiller, and others, and soon changed its name to Justice Graphics, Inc. This collection consists of Justice Graphics Inc.’s files about Harold Washington and other related politicians. Of note is a series related to Washington's 1985 trip to Israel and Italy, accompanied by Shiller, acting as photographer. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1980-1992. Size: 11 linear feet. Accession #1992/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Edward Manney was the assistant curator of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature from 1984 to 1992. His personal collection consists of manuscripts, books, posters, memorabilia, theater programs, newspaper clippings, videos, color slides, campaign materials from Harold Washington’s 1983 mayoral election and exhibit catalogs. [Partially processed]

Dates: 1966-2016 (bulk dates: 1982-2016). Size: 2 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago native, Aurie A. Pennick is an African American attorney and philanthropist whose work spans across Chicago’s municipal and nonprofit organizations. Pennick’s papers include her involvement with Mayor Harold Washington’s Office of Women’s Affairs, her decade of executive stewardship at the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities and her ongoing engagement with housing and policing issues in Chicago. The collection contains a variety of articles, newsletters, programs, reports, studies and videos that Pennick authored, consulted in or contributed to in the course of her work from 1982 to 2016. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1980-1991. Size: 6 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Madeline Murphy Rabb served as Executive Director of the Chicago Office of Fine Arts from 1983 to 1990, where she helped strengthen and expand the city’s cultural arts programs. The Madeline Murphy Rabb Papers span from 1980-1991 and include administrative documents, speeches, material related to conferences and exhibits, publicity, research, and photographs. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1982-1988. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 5 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Jane Ramsey served in Mayor Harold Washington's cabinet as Director of Community Relations (1986-1988) and served as Executive Director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Her papers represent her work in Washington's administration and his campaigns for Mayor, with an emphasis on Jewish voters. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1980-1989, Bulk 1987-1989. Size: 71 Linear Feet in 139 boxes, including 259 videotapes, 43 boxes of photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives and Collections. Eugene Sawyer worked in Chicago's Water Department before being elected 6th Ward Alderman in 1971. Following Harold Washington's death in November 1987, Sawyer was elected by his fellow City Council members to serve as mayor. Sawyer lost the special election in 1989 to Richard J. Daley, and after that, he left public office to pursue private business. Events that are most substantively represented in this collection include the construction of International Terminal 5 at O’Hare Airport, the creation of the General Services Department, the restructuring of the Department of Streets and Sanitation and a revamping of various City workflows and software systems related to procurement and telecommunications. The dismissal of mayoral aide Steve Cokely for anti-Semitic comments and the Design/Build competition for the new Central Library, the Harold Washington Library Center, are also covered. The photograph series documents the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta especially well, along with the general daily events attended by Mayor Sawyer. Other important topics covered in a less comprehensive way include education reform; HIV/AIDS; the anti-gang task force, the Chicago Intervention Network (CIN); and representation of underrepresented groups in government and business contracts. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1981-1987. Size: 6 linear feet. Accession #2003/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Mary Ella Smith, fiancée to Mayor Harold Washington, took over as head of the Harold Washington Foundation after his untimely death in 1987. Her papers include programs, flyers, newspaper clippings, photographs and memorabilia. [Partially processed]

Dates: 1960-2019. Size: 9.5 Linear Feet in 10 boxes and 1 oversize folder. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives and Collections. The Loisteen Walker collection contains materials acquired by Walker during her time working with, and for, Harold Washington's mayoral campaigns and administration. Items relate primarily to two distinct subjects: the mayoral campaigns and legacy of Harold Washington, and the life and work of Edwin "Bill" Berry, a prominent civil rights activist who headed the Chicago Chapter of the Urban League, 1956-1970, and served on committees to elect Harold Washington as mayor of Chicago. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1957-1976. Size: 3.25 linear feet in 7 boxes and 2 artifacts. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Reports, minutes, press releases, speeches, newsletters and news clippings from Harold Washington’s tenure as State Representative for the 26th District of Illinois. Major topics covered in this collection include the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Law and the Medical Malpractice Act. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1969-1981, bulk 1976-1980. Size:10.5 linear feet in 21 boxes, plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Reports, minutes, correspondence, newsletters and news clippings from Harold Washington’s tenure as State Senator from 1976 to 1980. The records reflect Washington’s involvement with various committees, particularly the Fair Employment Practices Commission and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, of which he was a founding member. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1980-1983. Size: 28.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. In 1983 Harold Washington became Chicago's first African American mayor. His mayoral campaign is documented in detail in this collection. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Reports, correspondence and minutes generated by the Mayor’s Asian American Advisory Committee. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1949-1987, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 63 linear feet in 55 boxes. Chicago Public Library Center, Special Collections. The Central Files Records consist of correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office. Incoming mail was sorted by Harold Washington’s Executive Office using the Central Filing System. Included in the collection is a small amout of papers from Harold Washington and the files of Dolores Woods, Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1974-1988 (bulk dates 1983-1987). Size: 51.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Records in this collection document the roles of Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff in the management of the city’s workforce, the execution of policies set by Mayor Washington and the administrative direction of the mayoral liaisons. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Each of these sub-cabinets reported to the Chief of Staff and as such, the subjects found in the records are extensive. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1975-1988, bulk dates 1983-1988. Size: 62 linear feet in 45 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. The Community Services Sub-Cabinet focused on the “people-oriented” departments of city government, including Human Services, Human Relations, Departments of Health and Aging and Disabilities and the Chicago Public Library. Records include reports, correspondence and minutes. Major topics addressed in the collection include the spread of AIDS, the construction of a new central library and education reforms. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1980-1987. Size: 24 linear feet in 16 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. The Development Sub-Cabinet worked with several city departments including Departments of Economic Development, Planning, Housing, Cultural Affairs, Chicago Housing Authority and the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training. Documents include reports, memoranda, correspondence and minutes. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1980-1988, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 27 linear feet in 18 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Major topics in the collection include the renovation of the Chicago and Regal Theaters, the Chinatown Basin Project and the North Loop Development Project. Documents include reports, memoranda, correspondence and minutes. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1981-1989, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 18 linear feet in 40 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Departments reporting to the Infrastructure Sub-Cabinet include Aviation, Public Works, Sewers, Streets and Sanitation and Water. Major topics in the collection include an expansion of O’Hare International Airport and the construction of a direct rail link to O’Hare International Airport by the Chicago Transit Authority. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1977-1988, bulk dates 1984-1987. Size: 11.5 linear feet in 23 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Records created by the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) and the Legislative Liaison. IGA was established to coordinate legislative and lobbying efforts for and with various city departments, boards and commissions and with state and federal governments. Major topics in the collection include transportation issues and Chicago’s anti-apartheid and divestment from South Africa efforts. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 15.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. In 1983 Harold Washington became Chicago’s first African American mayor. The Office Manager/Supervisor of Clerical Staff Records detail the day to day administrative work done within the Mayor’s Office. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 41.5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Harold Washington was the first African American mayor of Chicago, elected in 1983. The Press Office was part of the Office of the Mayor, and was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information. The photographs, contact sheets and negatives in this collection were mostly taken by Press Office photographers, Michelle V. Agins, Antonio B. Dickey and Peter J. Schulz, between 1983 and 1987. The images document many of Harold Washington’s engagements and provide a glimpse into his often busy, daily schedule. The types of events he attended varied from day to day, but many were out in the neighborhoods, while others took place inside City Hall. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Remembering Harold Washington Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1979-1991, bulk dates 1983-1987. Size: 74.5 linear feet in 100 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The Press Office was responsible for the mayor’s scheduling and for ensuring he was prepared for each event by producing briefing notes with detailed background information about the organization or venue involved. They also drafted press releases and speeches for the mayor and gathered news clippings on all topics. Of particular note are a collection of news clippings gathered after Mayor Washington’s sudden death. Selected items from the collection are available online in the Harold Washington: Selected Speeches Digital Collection. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1982-1988. Size: 12 linear feet in 24 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. When Harold Washington took office in 1983 he formed five sub-cabinets that were responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies that cut across departmental boundaries. Departments reporting to this Sub-Committee include Police, Fire, Consumer Services, Cable Communications and Animal Care and Control. Records from the Police Department are particularly strong in the area of gangs and the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Crime Prevention. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1979-1984, bulk dates 1983-1984. Size: 6 linear feet in 12 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This Committee managed a wide range of city-owned properties. Documents include market value appraisals and reports, correspondence, site plans, leases and market data. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1986-1987. Size: 9 linear feet in 19 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Files from Mayor Harold Washington’s Scheduling Department detailing events that the mayor was invited to. Records include reports of site-visits, seating plans, floor plans of the venue, the racial mix of the audience and follow-up reports about how the Mayor was received. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1969-1987. Size: 342 videotapes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Created by the Press Office, these tapes (mainly VHS but also other formats) are generally of television broadcasts by the local news stations. Some tapes were saved and others were recorded over with new material. [Finding aid]

1963-1988; bulk dates: 1983-1987. Size: 42 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives & Collections. Harold Washington (1922-1987) served as Mayor of the city of Chicago from 1983 until his death in 1987. The Political Education Project (PEP) was formed in 1984 by members of Washington’s mayoral campaign staff. The organization served as Washington’s political arm, organizing delegates to the 1984 Democratic National Convention, Washington’s 1987 mayoral re-election campaign and the campaigns of his political allies. Harold Washington’s Political Education Project Records contain files related to Washington’s career and campaign efforts, including his mayoral campaign in 1983, participation in the 1984 Democratic National Convention, the 1986 Chicago special aldermanic elections and Washington’s mayoral re-election campaign in 1987. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1970-1983, bulk 1980-1983. Size: 57 linear feet in 43 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Correspondence, speeches, press releases and reports from Washington’s tenure as Congressman for the First District and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Of note are his legislative files and those from his committee and caucus work. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1983-1987. Size: 15 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. A complete set of the Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council of the City of Chicago from Washington’s inauguration in 1983 until Eugene Sawyer gave his acceptance speech as Acting Mayor following Washington’s death in 1987. [Processed]

Dates: circa 1938-1983, bulk dates 1969-1983. Size: 5 linear feet in 5 boxes, includes 476 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection begins with photographs of Harold Washington as a student, in the Army and as a member of the Illinois legislature, but the bulk of the collection dates from his time in Washington, D.C., as U.S. Congressman, and from his 1983 campaign for Mayor of Chicago. [Finding aid]

Dates: 2007-2008. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Harold Washington Archives & Collections. The Harold Washington Commemorative Year sought to promote remembrance, encourage discussion and champion the legacy of Harold Washington. The Harold Washington Commemorative Year sponsored a series of free public programs and events. [Unprocessed]

Dates: 1947-2005. Size: 220 linear feet. Accession #2007/04 Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. The Rev. Addie Wyatt and her husband, the Rev. Claude Wyatt, were co-pastors at Vernon Park Church of God for more than four decades. Addie Wyatt was a meatpacking worker and union activist in the 1940s. Her determination to fight for social justice led her to union leadership roles, culminating in her election as vice president of the Amalgamated Meatcutters Union (later merged into the United Food and Commercial Workers Union). She was a founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. This collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, programs, proceedings, serials, clipping files, audiovisual materials and photographs from her work in labor, black and women’s organizations. Also included is extensive documentation on the history of Vernon Park Church of God, including sermon texts by Claude Wyatt. [Finding aid]