Mayor Harold Washington would have turned 100 this coming Friday, and Tuesday also marks 39 years since he was elected mayor of Chicago.
On Tuesday evening, Chicago dignitaries turned out for a centennial celebration of Mayor Washington's life and achievements. The event was held at the Harold Washington Library."Our great mayor truly put Chicago on a path toward being a great global city," Mayor Lightfoot said.
In 1983, after a multi-racial coalition of progressives supported his candidacy, Harold Washington was elected the 51st mayor of Chicago and made history as the first African American to hold the position. The Vrdolyak 29 stonewalled Mayor Washington, rejecting his appointments to the Chicago Park District, the Board of Education, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the City Colleges, among other organizations.
Washington also took numerous efforts to make city government more transparent, more ethical, and more diverse – going back to the early days of his first term, Lightfoot noted. For a couple of examples, Aug. 6, 1983, Mayor Washington took action to make city records accessible to the public, and on Oct. 12, 1983, he created an Office of Latino Affairs for the first time.
Afterward, Washington returned to City Hall, where he worked with his secretary and conducted the day's business. Around 10:58 a.m., Washington was talking with his press secretary, Alton Miller, when he collapsed at his desk.
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