MAYWOOD, Ill.—August 30 marked the 75th birth anniversary of Black Panther Party leader and revolutionary Fred Hampton Sr. A young, charismatic activist, Mr. Hampton served as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. Community residents gathered for the annual celebration of his life in his hometown of Maywood, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Fred Hampton Sr. and Mark Clark, also a member of the Black Panther Party, were killed by police on Chicago’s West Side during a pre-dawn raid. Mr. Hampton Sr. was just 21 years old. He was fatally shot as he laid in bed with his pregnant fiancé
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared August 30 Fred Hampton Day. “It is my privilege to honor our history with a proclamation that August 30th will be known as Chairman Fred Hampton Day in the City of Chicago. Chairman Fred’s commitment to racial and economic equality was the driving force that fueled his every action,” Mayor Johnson posted on Twitter, the platform formerly known as X. For more information on the Hampton House, visit www.savethehamptonhouse.org
—The Final Call
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