As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it is important to pause and reflect not only on the national legacy of Dr. King, but also the work he did in our hometown of Chicago that continues to shape the lives, opportunities and progress of a generation today.
Dr. King’s Chicago campaign and the fight for fair housing
During the Civil Rights Movement, the Chicago Freedom Movement took place from 1965 to 1967. Dr. King led the campaign in partnership with local activists to address racism, segregation, and housing inequality in one of America’s largest cities. Unlike the Jim Crow laws of the South, segregation in Chicago was often enforced through policy, lending practices and real estate discrimination rather than express laws.
Black and white families were systematically denied access to quality housing, mortgage coverage and adequate schooling and services. Loans, restrictive covenants and horrible lending practices kept Black and brown residents trapped in overcrowded and underfunded neighborhoods, many of which were public housing projects like the one I grew up in.
Dr. King understood that houses are not only where people live; it was about safety, education, health and economic opportunity. To illustrate that point, he and his family moved into an apartment project on Chicago’s West Side. Dr. King placed himself directly in the living reality of the people he was fighting for.
The Chicago Freedom Movement organized marches, rallies and protests demanding open housing and equal access to neighborhoods. The participants faced hostility, violence and resistance, especially when they marched in segregated white areas. Dr. King later said that he experienced the most intense racism of his life during the Chicago marches, but he did not back down.
From protest to policy: The Fair Housing Act
That battle laid the critical foundation for one of the most important civil rights laws in US history: the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Sadly, this act was signed into law just one week after the assassination of Dr. King. His death shocked the nation, but it also helped the legislators to finally pass a law that has been sitting for years.
The Fair Housing Act made it illegal to discriminate in the sale, hiring and financing of housing based on race, color, religion and national origin (later expanded to include sex, disability and family status). Although the law did not immediately erase housing inequality, it opened doors that had been closed for generations. For many families, including mine, that change was personal.
Grandmother’s march, grandson’s home
I was born and raised in the housing projects of Chicago. The Lathrop Housing (Julia C. Lathrop Homes) projects and many others within Chicago were communities full of resilience, culture, and love, but also built for neglect and limited opportunity.
My grandmother, may GOD rest her soul, attended the very marches led by Dr. King. He shares his stories and everything that happened during that time. Stories that shape how I understand the sacrifices he made and the progress we’ve made in these areas.
His participation was not just history; it was a direct investment in my future. Because of fighting for fair housing, because of the determination of Dr. King to confront injustice head on, I stand here today as a single woman of color who owns a property in Chicago. That result was no accident; it was achieved through struggle, protests and lives put on the line. That’s how inheritance works!
A living legacy
Dr. King did not fight to have his name mentioned once a year. He fought for access to opportunity to no longer be determined by zip code or skin color. He fought for home ownership to be the primary vehicle for wealth creation in America and no longer reserved for a select few.
As we celebrate MLK Day, we should remember that his work in Chicago directly challenged the systems that still affect housing, fair lending and equity today. We honor him not just in words, but in understanding the policies he helped change and continue to push for fairness in our communities.
Home ownership has changed my life, and as we move forward, may we realize that the freedom we enjoy is not an accident, but the result of an act of courage. So, Thank you, Dr. King. Your fight continues in our homes, our families and our future.
Dalila Ramos is the founder of Taco Tuesday Talks.
