The Slavery Reparation Series
This historic plaque marks the site of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Oak Park, Illinois. The church was built in 1905 but a mysterious fire in 1929 forced the congregation to dissolve. | Alex Rogals
Oak Park is a western suburb of Chicago with an interestingly sparse record of its very own black history. There is very little documentation to tell us about the black Chicagoans of Oak Park. In the early 1900s, most American towns were segregated in some fashion or another, and Oak Park was seemingly an exception to that rule based on one little detail: Oak Park wasn’t segregated. They simply had zero black residents prior to 1950. At least… that’s how the recorded history would have you believe it to be. In fact, a quick online search will reveal what the written record has to say about the first black resident of Oak Park. According to Wikipedia, “Around 1950, Julian moved his family to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, becoming the first African-American family to reside there. Although some residents welcomed them, there was also opposition. Before they moved in, on Thanksgiving Day, 1950, their home was firebombed. Later, after they moved in, the house was attacked with dynamite on June 12, 1951. The attacks galvanized the community, and a community group was formed to support the Julians. Julian’s son later recounted that during these times, he and his father often kept watch over the family’s property by sitting on the front porch with a shotgun.” (Wikipedia, 2023 ) And the Internet Archive says similar, “Around 1950 Julian moved his family from Chicago to the village of Oak Park, Illinois, where the Julians were the first African-American family.” (Internet Archive, 2013)
Yet, others have acknowledged that the Julians were certainly not the first African-Americans to reside in Oak Park, just the first known to reside there after a significant absence. “According to a resident of Illinois, “There is an earlier history of Blacks before and shortly after 1900 that through various actions forced movement to other suburbs (Maywood). The community was where the current downtown Oak Park business district is now. With the long gap, the perception of the Julian family being the first Black family took root (they were not the first family but the first in a new wave).”” (History and Social Justice Website) Joan Riess, a resident of Oak Park, said in a letter to the editor of the Journal of Oak Park and River Forest, “Dr. Julian [Oak Park talks reparations, News, Feb. 24] was not the first black resident in Oak Park. Many came before, such as the Pope family. They had the livery stable on Westgate. There were many horse-drawn carriages and wagons years ago; check out the doorways with rounded cement entry for wheels. They were respected.” (Reiss, 2021) Another quick internet search reveals that a Pauline Pope was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1864. A few clicks and long genealogy of Popes from Oak Park during the 1800s will fill your screen. Whether Pauline Pope or her ancestors were black or not will, for now, remain a mystery, but it wouldn’t be a reach to say that the facts seem to point in that direction.
If there were black residents in Oak Park prior to the Julians in 1950, what happened that they disappeared and why did they stay away for so many years? What is different about Oak Park compared to other American suburbs?
This historic plaque marks the site of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Oak Park, Illinois. The church was built in 1905 but a mysterious fire in 1929 forced the congregation to dissolve. | Alex Rogals
“It is a story that may surprise some, especially those who think scientist Percy Julian was the first black resident of Oak Park when he and his family moved here from Maywood in 1950. According to census figures, there were 64 black residents in Oak Park in 1900. That figure rose to 169 by 1920 when the overall village population more than quadrupled. The number of black Oak Parkers dropped after that to a low of 57 in 1960. By 1970, the figure reached 132, and by 1980, it jumped to 5,942 or 11 percent of the population.”
Some local historians tell us that Mt. Carmel Colored Baptist Church, located on what we know today as Westgate, suspiciously caught on fire, and burned in the 1930s, destroying the entire building. That community was shortly after turned into the business district, and it became clear that no black residents would be living there in the near future. The cause of the fire and burning of the church was not determined and is today unsolved.
Community members gather at Westgate for the unveiling of the historic plaque | Alex Rogals
Please, join me again soon for the next installment in the Slavery Reparations Series! As always, thank you for reading and supporting our movement. We’d love to hear your thoughts so drop a reply below! And remember, every share or repost, every like, and every reply gets us out there in the algorithm and on the feeds of others who we can educate, one day at a time.
Contributing Sources:
History and Social Justice. (n.d.). Oak Park, Illinois. Oak Park – History and Social Justice (tougaloo.edu)
Internet Archive. (2023). Wikipedia. (2024). Percy Lavon Julian. Black History in Oak Park: Who was Percy Julian? : Oak Park IL : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Oak Park River Forest Museum. (n.d.). Suburban Promised Land: The Emerging Black Community in Oak Park, Illinois, 1880-1980. Honoring Black History with OPRF Museum | Oak Park River Forest Museum
Wikipedia. Percy Lavon Julian – Wikipedia
About the Author: TIA IS AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST HERE AT BLACK. SHE HOLDS DEGREES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND APPLIED ECONOMICS FROM SNHU AND SHE IS A FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENT AT PURDUE GLOBAL LAW SCHOOL, PURSUING HER JD. SHE ALSO HAS A CERTIFICATION IN HUMAN RIGHTS FROM WASSMUTH CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN BOISE IDAHO AND SHE RECENTLY INTERNED FOR THE OFFICE OF BUDGET AND ENTITLEMENT POLICY AT CATO INSTITUTE IN WASHINGTON D.C. TIA IS A RESULTS 2024 ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY FELLOW AND OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS COORDINATOR. SHE LIVES WITH HER HUSBAND AND THREE CHILDREN IN HURRICANE, WV.
IN HER FREE TIME, SHE ENJOYS CONTEMPORARY ART, FASHION, HOME DECOR, READING, AND FAMILY. TIA IS PASSIONATE ABOUT PROTECTING AMERICAN CONSUMERS AND CORPORATIONS AND IS A STRONG PROPONENT FOR OPEN MARKETS, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND EQUALITY FOR ALL. HER CURRENT FOCUS IS SLAVERY REPARATIONS, ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM SOLVENCY, AND BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS REFORM. WHILE TIA IS NOT BLACK, SHE SUPPORTS THE FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS AND HOPES TO SOMEDAY LIVE IN A WORLD OF HARMONY, ONE WHERE SKIN COLOR NO LONGER MATTERS. SHE BELIEVES UNEARNED PRIVILEGE CREATES A DUTY TO ACT AGAINST RACIAL INJUSTICES.
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