Bigger than a building, more significant than a structure

Maywood, IL—On September 3, 2020, members of the Hampton House Committee went on record with the Village of Maywood’s Historic Preservation Meeting to announce their efforts to obtain landmark status for the childhood home of Illinois Chapter Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton.

The home is located at 804 S. 17th Avenue in Maywood, IL. The effort, spearheaded by Hampton’s son Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr., seeks local and national landmark status. Speakers at the meeting include Hampton, former Party members Stan McKinney and Henry Nesbitt, the nephew of Panther Geronimo Ji-Jago Pratt, Kwabena Rasuli, attorney Khaliyq Muhammad, and daughter of Panther parents and publisher of Metropolis, Leila Wills.

The legacy of Chairman Fred Hampton and his impact on political and social issues is receiving increased interest in the current climate of unrest in the country. Warner Bros. is producing a major film for theatrical release and WTTW, Chicago’s PBS television station, published an interview with Chairman Fred, Jr. and his mother Akua Njeri, formerly known as Deborah Johnson.

“Maywood is geographically small, but it represents a political giant,” said Fred Hampton Jr., Hampton’s son and chairman of the Black Panther Party Cubs. “Not only to Maywood, or Illinois, but to the world.”

The committee has met with Brent Leggs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Landmark Illinois, and the Village of Maywood and is preparing the formal plan and presentation. A new website is also in production. Metropolis publisher Leila Wills is proud to be a part of this campaign. “It is incumbent on our generation to honor the sacrifices made on our behalf. We are grateful for the enthusiastic partnerships being formed around this effort,” said Wills.

A meet and greet is being planned in the Village of Maywood, where the committee will present their plans to the community.

“Since we’ve been here for three years fighting to save and maintain the house in which Chairman Fred happened to grow up in, it’s been a reciprocal relationship with the community,” Hampton Jr. said. “People have been coming, bringing old photos, old testimonies about how Chairman Fred impacted their lives.”

If you would like to donate to The Hampton House, please visit GoFundMe.com/SaveTheHamptonHouse50. 

Please visit the Hampton House website, www.TheHamptonHouse.org, in the coming days. Metropolis