Shermann “Dilla” Thomas honored the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and his complicated history in Chicago during his keynote speech in Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall Tuesday night.
Thomas’ keynote speech was the culmination of a series of MLK Commemoration events hosted by Northwestern. University Provost Kathleen Hagerty delivered remarks in the absence of President Michael Schill and emphasized Thomas’s work to make Chicago history accessible to all.
“Dilla is doing an amazing job of shining a light on the vibrant people and places that make this city so wonderful,” Hagerty said.
A Chicago historian and cultural worker, Thomas – also known as “Dilla” – has gained over 100,000 followers across social media platforms, where he shares videos about Chicago history and culture.
In his speech, Thomas discussed King’s work in Chicago, his successes, failures and legacy.
“I’m the embodiment of what happens when society has a person like Dr. Martin Luther King,” Thomas said.
A native of Chicago’s South Side, Thomas studied King growing up. He emphasized that King has not always been the revered civil rights leader he’s remembered as today. During his lifetime, King was one of the most hated men in the country, including in Chicago, Thomas said.
Thomas discussed King’s partnership with Chicago teacher and activist Al Raby, who together formed the Chicago Freedom Movement in 1965 to advocate for fair housing in Black communities. They organized marches and demonstrations, but ultimately failed to enact policy through the movement, Thomas said.
But King learned from his failures in Chicago and returned to Washington, D.C., where he fought for the Fair Housing Act, passed in 1968, Thomas said.
Medill Director of Audio Journalism Programming Natalie Moore joined Thomas in conversation about King’s impact in Chicago. Both Chicago natives, Moore and Thomas discussed King’s complicated legacy in Chicago.
After King’s assassination in 1968, Chicago renamed South Parkway to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Thomas said some were resistant to this change, notably Rev. Joseph Jackson, longtime pastor of Olivet Baptist Church, the oldest Black Baptist church in Chicago. Joseph disliked King so much that he changed the church’s address to the side street, Thomas said.
“You can see it in the architecture, how much [King] was hated,” Thomas said.
Moore added that King may have had a greater impact on housing equality than he gets credit for. Moore said that in her own reporting, she found that King had helped document housing discrimination in Chicago.
“Even though King’s time in Chicago is seen as a failure, I would argue that even if segregation didn’t end in the housing, it helped inspire and continue to fuel the housing activism that was going on,” Moore said.
Communication senior Angelena Browne sang the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” accompanied by Communication Prof. and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Kent Brooks.
Thomas concluded his speech by emphasizing King’s legacy, noting that he wasn’t a perfect man. He attempted suicide twice and rejected religion in his early years, subjugated by segregation and dehumanization in the South. But through faith, love and family, he “pushed past that,” Thomas said.
While it’s important to preserve King’s legacy, Thomas said it’s equally important to not let time erase or distort the truth of what he fought for.
“King’s life and death has made your life better,” Thomas said. “We should thank him for and acknowledge him for that, not just on this day, but every day.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— MLK Day celebration highlights women’s legacy in the Civil Rights Movement
— MLK Community Celebration Concert honors King’s legacy with speeches, songs
— Evanston Public Library holds MLK Day of Celebration and Service