Harold Washington Week
2026 Highlights

Saluting the vital role that a citywide coalition of progressive voters played in the historic election of Chicago's first Black mayor, this year's Harold Washington Week launched with voter registration events. They were followed by a roundtable discussion on Harold's birthday, April 15, on his life, legacy, and the power of voting.

 

 

The engrossing intergenerational conversation, moderated by Devorah Crable of Know Your Power-Vote, featured former alderman, political scientist, and Harold Washington advisor Dick Simpson and Chicago neighborhood historian, Shermann “Dilla” Thomas. It was immediately followed by a screening of the award-winning documentary "Punch 9," which dramatically captured "the man, the movement, and the seeds of the Obama presidency."