1st Annual North Lawndale Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade
1st Annual North Lawndale Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade
Chicago, IL –Rev. Marvin G. Hunter, Pastor of the Grace Memorial Baptist Church, is holding the first annual North Lawndale Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade 9 a.m., Thursday, June 19th, from his church to the cornerstone installation ceremony of the historic Grace Manor 100 percent affordable complex at 3401 W. Ogden Avenue.
Joining Rev. Hunter, who is also CEO of The Grace At Jerusalem CDC, in hosting the historic parade, is Denita Robinson, president and CEO of the Chi North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce.
The Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade begins at 7 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. with a complimentary community breakfast at the Grace Memorial Baptist Church, 1457 S. Kenneth Avenue, complete with a celebrity chef. Mayor Brandon Johnson has confirmed his attendance,
At 8:15 a.m., participants will walk a half block to board their nine parade floats and a variety of 40 units at 9 a.m. to begin the Juneteenth Freedom Day Parade stepping off at Kostner on East 16th Street to Homan Avenue.
Participants will then turn right at Homan Avenue going one block to 3401 W. Ogden Avenue ending at the Grace Manor Apartments where the cornerstone celebration will be held.
The parade is being held in remembrance of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the late Robert L. Lucas, chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) who on September 4, 1966, led about 250 marchers to Cicero to demand fair and affordable housing.
Lucas and his supporters were met by 2,700 National Guard troops and 700 policemen both trying to contain an enraged crowd of whites who were against open housing and desegregation.
“This parade is significant because of what Bob Lucas did in Cicero, and as a result of that march in Cicero down 16th Street, we wounded up with the Fair Housing Act in 1968. Had it not been for this Act, we never could have built Grace Manor Apartments,” said Rev. Hunter.
Lucus’ march into Cicero 59 years ago is a reminder of the then civil rights fight for open and fair housing and the installation of the cornerstone to Grace Manor Apartments.
“By installing this cornerstone, we are showing that Bob Lucas and his supporters’ efforts and their march were not in vain, and that the signing of the Fair Housing Act didn’t just die on paper because we have a physical, tangible building in this community that fought for the right for affordable housing,” said Rev. Hunter.
The Grace Manor Apartments were built by Rev. Hunter’s non-for-profit Grace at Jerusalem CDC Burling Builders, Inc., the general contractor, where on the second through the sixth floors 65 affordable housing units will be built with a unit mix of 31, one-bedroom, 34, two-bedrooms and a roof top deck.
There will be additional flex space for community commercial tenants and service providers that will benefit residents and the surrounding community.
By hosting the parade, Rev. Hunter said, “We are trying to show how North Lawndale is rising from the ashes of the 1960’s. “It is the only community that has not been rebuilt after the 1968 riots when Dr. King was assassinated.
“The Grace Manor Apartments are the first 100 percent mixed-income affordable housing complex built on the West Side of Chicago.”
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