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Harold Washington Remembered

Washington’s candidacy forged political unity among Chicago’s notoriously fractious black community and helped bring the city’s feuding Latino groups (including Mexicans and Puerto Ricans) together

By Salim Muwakkil

When Harold Washington, Chicago’s first black mayor, died on Nov. 25, 1987, many of us understood that his death marked the passing of a great man. But while we lamented the negative impact of his loss, few of us had any inkling of the vast political vacuum he would leave behind. As time passes, the vacuum expands. Back then, it seemed… return to article

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