Harold Washington

A Lesson for Barack Obama From the Harold Washington Playbook

Rebecca Sive | Posted 11.05.2009 | Chicago


Rebecca Sive

Chicago Mayor Harold Washington never did move away from his people; he stuck with them; he delivered for them. The result: They stuck with him.

Dempsey Travis, Pioneering African American Businessman And Civil Rights Activist, Dies At 89 (VIDEO)

AP | Posted 08.03.2009 | Chicago


CHICAGO (AP) -- Dempsey Travis, a stockyards worker's son who rose to become a real estate magnate, civil rights activist and jazz musician, has died ...

Obama vs. Khomeinism

Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston | Posted 07.24.2009 | World


Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston

How should we deal with Khomeinism? Listen to the Iranian people. Are they asking for our help? Their signs are written in English because they want the world to know their struggle.

Tax Day (Dis)Honor Roll: Illinois' Most Notorious Tax Cheating Politicians

Ben Strauss | Posted 05.16.2009 | Chicago


Ben Strauss

Among the damning evidence against Troutman was a recording of her saying, "Most aldermen, most politicians are ho's."

Obama And Daley: Allies, Not Intimates

Chicago Tribune | Rick Pearson and Bob Secter | Posted 12.18.2008 | Chicago


Barack Obama won election to the Illinois Senate in 1996 with no help from Richard Daley. The Chicago mayor offered no assistance to Obama in 2000 whe...

Obama, Harold, Blago and Fox, Oh My!

Robert Reed | Posted 12.06.2008 | Chicago


Robert Reed

Others can celebrate, but Obama--who is more realist than charismatic idealist--grasps the gravity of what lies ahead.

Life in the 'Fast Eddie' Lane

Howard Wolinsky | Posted 12.05.2008 | Chicago


Howard Wolinsky

"Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak, the guy who advised me to wise up, is himself heading to jail, joining a long list of Chicago politicians to do time.

Guilty Vrdolyak 'Could Talk You Into Anything': Alderman

Chicago Sun-Times | Fran Spielman | Posted 12.04.2008 | Chicago


Monday's guilty plea by former Chicago Ald. Edward R. Vrdolyak (10th) marks a stunning end fit for one of the most controversial figures in the histor...

Race in the Race

Jim Ylisela | Posted 11.29.2008 | Chicago


Jim Ylisela

So here we are, 25 years after Harold Washington, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Harold and Barack: Emotional Wisdom From 1983

Paul Engleman | Posted 11.08.2008 | Chicago


Paul Engleman

The 1983 Chicago mayoral election has one obvious similarity to this year's presidential race. With only a few weeks left, there is a real possibility that something which until recently seemed unthinkable will happen: An African-American could be elected president.

Anna Langford, Chicago's First Black Female Alderman, Dies

Chicago Sun-Times | Lisa Donovan | Posted 10.19.2008 | Chicago


In the end, Anna R. Langford, the first African-American woman to serve on the Chicago City Council, was happy to have lived to see the first African-...

Twenty Years: From Washington in Chicago to Chicago in Washington

Jeff Dorchen | Posted 09.17.2008 | Chicago


Jeff Dorchen

Barack Obama's political savvy was informed by the Harold Washington era. I feel if you want to know what kind of politician Obama really is you could do worse than look to Harold as a blueprint.

Barack Obama: Forensics on the Southside

Markus Ziener | Posted 07.16.2008 | Politics


Markus Ziener

For the first time in a long time, we have a presidential contender who knows the hardships of the simple life -- and the tricks to stay afloat in a city like Chicago.