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Council Wars
The “council wars” were the frequent, bitter disputes between Chicago’s first African American mayor, Harold Washington, and a bloc of aldermen who opposed most of his policies. The conflicting sides coalesced largely along racial lines, and Washington’s opponents made what struck many observers as explicitly racist appeals.
Harold Washington won election as Chicago's first black mayor in 1983, and was reelected in 1987. The manner in which many white voters and politicians opposed Washington revealed deep divisions in the city. In 1987, Mayor Washington died in office, leaving contemporaries and later commenters to ponder what those difficulties meant for Chicago.
Marilyn Katz, a consultant to Mayor Richard M. Daley, discusses racial divisions in the 1980s.
clip: [RMDOH_01_katz_marilyn_20180709_000610_000714_ThingsDidNotImprove]
David Axelrod, political consultant to Harold Washington and, later, to Richard M. Daley, elaborates on racial divisions during Washington's time as mayor.
img: [Cover page of a report about Harold Washington's accomplishments during his first term as Chicago's mayor, circa 1985. Burton Natarus papers, University of Illinois at Chicago Library Nata07_0030_0192_016a.]
clip: [RMDOH_01_axelrod_david_20180221_000941_001310_BitterlyContested]
Helen Shiller, an ally of Harold Washington and later an alderman, discusses the legacy of racial discrimination in the city.
clip: [RMDOH_01_shiller_helen_20190424_001751_001828_Segregation]