The Chicago Freedom Movement: A Pivotal Moment in the Fight for Fair Housing

The right to fair housing is a federal protection in the U.S., but this wasn’t always the case. The legal right to fair housing was the result of a long struggle by civil rights activists—a struggle that continues today. The Chicago Freedom Movement, lasting from 1965 to 1967, is recognized as a significant and impactful effort in that fight.

What Was the Chicago Freedom Movement?

The Chicago Freedom Movement, similarly known as the Open Housing Movement, was the most ambitious civil rights mobilization in the North. While much of the national attention on civil rights had previously focused on the South, activists aimed to expose and address inequitable conditions in the North, specifically in Chicago. A coalition of civil rights groups—including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO)—formed to lead the movement in the mid-1960s.

Why Was the Chicago Freedom Movement Necessary?

The movement focused on ending slums and eliminating systemic segregation in housing, education, and employment in Chicago. During the Great Migration, approximately seven million African Americans left the Jim Crow South seeking work and safety. Between 1916 and 1970, over half a million African Americans moved to Chicago, increasing the city’s Black population from two percent to thirty-three percent. Despite this significant demographic shift, Black Chicagoans faced discrimination in the highly segregated city.

After racial zoning ordinances were deemed unconstitutional, redlining and restrictive covenants became common tools for maintaining racial segregation. This forced the majority of the city’s Black residents to live in just eleven of Chicago’s 76 community areas. Black Chicagoans often lived in dingy and unsanitary apartments, many of which lacked adequate heating and hot water.

Key Leaders and Tactics

Prominent leaders of the Chicago Freedom Movement included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Of the SCLC, Al Raby of the CCCO, and James Bevel of the SCLC. Bernard Lafayette (AFSC) and Jesse Jackson (SCLC) were also active leaders and organizers.

When Chicago was chosen as the location for the movement, Dr. King and organizers from the SCLC moved to the city and lived there while working on the campaign. King and his family lived in a West Side apartment in the 1500 block of South Hamlin, highlighting the deplorable conditions many Black Chicagoans faced.

The movement employed nonviolent protests, rallies, boycotts, and grassroots community organizing. Marches in hostile white areas ultimately forced the city to respond to the campaign’s demands. During an open housing march into the all-white neighborhood of Marquette Park, King was hit in the head with a rock thrown by a white counter-protester. He described the hostility as greater than anything he had experienced in the South.

The Summit Agreement and Lasting Impact

Amid rising tensions, Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley eventually negotiated with King and various housing boards. A summit agreement was reached in August 1966, in which Mayor Daley and city leaders agreed to address housing discrimination. The Chicago Housing Authority promised to build public housing with limited height requirements, and the Mortgage Bankers Association agreed to make mortgages available regardless of race. While not fully achieving the movement’s goals, King called it “the most significant program ever conceived to make open housing a reality in a metropolitan area.”

The Chicago Freedom Movement expanded the civil rights movement’s focus to include systemic segregation and discrimination in northern cities. It also led to the introduction of “testing,” where activists sent Black and white individuals to real estate agents to document discriminatory practices. This practice is still used today by fair housing organizations.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968

The most significant outcome of the Chicago Freedom Movement was the passage of the Fair Housing Act. Following Dr. King’s assassination in April 1968, riots erupted in over 100 cities. President Lyndon B. Johnson used this unrest to pressure Congress to pass civil rights legislation outlawing housing discrimination. Johnson argued the Act would be a fitting tribute to Dr. King and his legacy. President Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law on April 11, 1968, prohibiting discrimination in housing-related transactions based on race, color, religion, and national origin. The Act was later amended to include sex, disability, and familial status, extending protections to all people in the United States.

Fifty-eight years later, the work to fulfill the goals of the Fair Housing Act continues. Recognizing and honoring the sacrifices of the civil rights leaders and activists who came before us is essential as we strive for equitable communities where all people can live free from discrimination.