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Loading... Fire on the Prairie: Chicago's Harold Washington and the Politics of Race (edition 1993)by Gary Rivlin
Work InformationFire on the Prairie: Chicago's Harold Washington and the Politics of Race by Gary Rivlin
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Chicago--the city whose name is synonymous with urban politics; the city of sharply divided ethnic and racial enclaves; the city whose police force shocked America during the 1968 Democratic convention and then the next year killed Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. As Martin Luther King, Jr., said when he traveled to Chicago in 1965 to turn his attention to the great urban centers of the north, "If we crack Chicago, then we crack the world." Black empowerment "would take off like a prairie fire across the land." In 1983 Chicago elected Harold Washington as the city's first black mayor. This is the story of Washington's improbable victory over Jane Byrne, heir to the late Richard J. Daley's political empire, and over Daley's eldest son. It's the story of a coalition outside the party's mainstream coming to power and ruling in the country's most political of cities. In Fire on the Prairie, Gary Rivlin reveals the personalities and philosophies of those who were at the center of events, from black separatists such as Lu Palmer to community organizers such as Jesse Jackson, and from white liberals who held Washington at arm's length to Chicago originals like Ed Vrdolyak, the opposition's leader. At the center of the drama was Harold Washington, an enigmatic yet engaging figure who fashioned an uneasy but potent multiracial coalition that ruled for five years. The conflicts and compromises of all are described in vivid detail and the resulting history is a thorough account of an election and an administration that captured the nation's attention. Like Mississippi in the 1960s or Boston in the 1970s, Chicago in the 1980s was the stage for a drama that revealed the dimensions of America's racial politics and offered insights and inspiration for future generations. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)977.3History and Geography North America Midwestern U.S. IllinoisLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.13)
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Wikipedia in English (3)
1
While Daley was responsible for perpetuating the segregation and inequality of Black Chicagoans, he was also wise enough to bring leaders from Black wards into his machine, thus making it difficult for a reform candidate to gain support among Black voters. In 1979, Daley protege Jane Byrne ran an anti-machine campaign for mayor and upon election turned her back on reformers and the Black community. This set the stage for Harold Washington to make his historic run in 1983.
Rivlin details the ins and outs of the Democratic primary among Washington, Byrne, and the young Richard M. Daley, running for the first time to follow in his father's footsteps. After Washington squeaks out a primary victory, the Democrats failed to support his campaign in the general election, with many white voters rallying to lift up the previously moribund campaign of Washington's Republican opponent. With a massive turnout of Black voters and the help of Latin and some progressive white voters, Washington once again eked out a victory.
Jesse Jackson is an interesting figure in all of this as the most prominent African American leader in Chicago. He proves to actually be somewhat unpopular among Black Chicagoans both for his shameless self-promotion (several times he tries to get himself into a prominent spot to be seen on tv with Washington during the campaign) and his lack of knowledge of local concerns. Jackson actually performs poorly in the 1984 Democratic primary in Chicago compared to other Black Democratic cities.
The celebration of Washington's victory was short as a block of 29 city councilor's organized to oppose his every proposal. The Council Wars dominate much of Washington's first term. Many of the strategies used to disrupt Washington's agenda are very similar to what Republicans would later do to Barack Obama. The Black community is also frustrated by Washington's commitment to reaching out to white Chicagoans and being "fairer than fair" rather helping them take the share of the spoils they'd been so long denied.
Nevertheless, Washington is able to make some progress and win a second term in 1987. Sadly the momentum and the council majority were cut short by Washington's sudden death in November 1987.
I was a bit disappointed that this book largely focuses on the political horse race. I would've liked to learn more about Washington, his accomplishments, and legacy in Chicago. Nevertheless, this is a compelling narrative of city politics and the racial conflicts of Chicago. (