- Published: Tuesday, December 04, 2018 09:09 AM
African-American activist Fred Hampton, who led the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, was born in 1948 and raised in the Chicago suburb of Maywood.
Hampton was a bright student who graduated from Proviso East High School in 1966. He attended the YMCA Community College in Chicago and enrolled in the pre-law program at Triton College.
While in college Hampton became in involved in the civil rights movement by joining the West Suburban branch of the NAACP. His skill set was so advanced the branch offered him the position of Youth Council president. As president, Hampton brought hundreds of young people together and made sure the city started catering to the needs of young African-Americans.
On Nov. 29, 1963, one week after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Chicago City Council voted to rename the Northwest Expressway after the 35th president.
Did you know? The zipper was invented in Chicago by Talon Zipper, founded in 1893.
On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the nation’s 21st state. As we come to our state’s 200th birthday, we asked senators to talk about people or places in their districts that represent the best of Illinois’ rich past and how that is shown in local history, tourism, culture or community impact. 
