Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton
In the 1930s, Francis and Iberia Hampton traveled north to Illinois for opportunities like many from the south. They had three children and their youngest was Fred Hampton.
Fred Hampton was Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, the largest chapter in the entire Party.
Hampton was born in 1948 in Blue Island, Illinois, a south suburb adjacent to the city of Chicago. As a child, he moved with his family to the Hampton House, 804 South 17th Avenue in Maywood, Illinois. Maywood is a western suburb 11 miles from Chicago with an area less than three square miles.
His grade school, Irving Elementary, was across the street from his home, and Hampton held homework sessions before class to help other students with their grades.
Chairman Fred had a natural ability to mobilize other children around an issue, and his inclination to address injustice blossomed at a young age. At 12-years-old, he organized against the lack of swimming facilities for Maywood’s black youth. He also led the Junior NAACP, whose membership grew to over 500 under his leadership.
It is during this time that his rising profile in political action drew the attention of law enforcement. The Hampton House was wiretapped and his activities were closely monitored.
Proviso East High School, a little more than a mile from the Hampton House, is where Hampton excelled in academics and sports. The high school, like the rest of the country, was experiencing racial tensions and social unrest.
Black students made up approximately one-third of the student population, and when the votes were cast for homecoming queen, a black student won. The school refused to acknowledge her and gave the crown to her white opponent. Hampton challenged this decision, organized students around the concern, and they ultimately recognized the rightful queen. This made her Proviso East’s first black homecoming queen.
After high school, Chairman Fred attended Crane College and Triton College. Crane, the first of Chicago City Colleges, was later named Malcolm X College and Triton is three miles from the Hampton House.
While attending Triton and still living in the home, he was recruited by the Oakland leadership of the Black Panther Party in 1968.
The Illinois Chapter became the largest chapter in the Black Panther Party and Chairman Fred was gregarious, outgoing, and loved the people.
Chairman Fred Hampton founded The Rainbow Coalition, a coalition of a number of groups that united.
The Black Panther Party was the Vanguard of the revolutionary struggle and certain points of the Black Panther Party platform they could unite with and implement in their respective communities.
The Black Panther Party set the standard/example for establishing survival programs in oppressed communities.
Some of which were:
Free Breakfast Program
Free Food Program
Free Medical Center
Free Busing to Prisons
Political Education Classes
During the time of his leadership, Chicago experienced record low crime within the black community.
There are many historical artifacts that remain in the Hampton House: his bed, items of clothing he wore, even the dishes that were used to prepare and serve the food where countless numbers of people feasted.
Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated at the age of 21.