1968 is a year marked in U.S. history books for its dark side: assassinations, political unrest tied to the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, and a growing distrust between citizens and their government. But in Oak Park, in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that sparked race riots a few miles to the east, the Village Board decided to take a big step toward the creation of a new Oak Park.
By a 5-2 vote, in the face of stiff opposition that included death threats and the need for police protection, trustees approved a Fair Housing Ordinance that made it illegal to discriminate based on race against anyone seeking to rent or buy real estate.
That dramatic moment at a superheated municipal meeting in front of 500 people at the Oak Park River Forest High School auditorium was truly a turning point. But the transformation of Oak Park from a largely white and conservative community to a place where activism and diversity are two of its defining characteristics was, and is, a process. With roots in the earliest days of the community, America’s struggle with race and equality played out in a unique way in our streets and homes. In short, it has been a process, with ups and downs, progress and backsliding. We are still living it today.
Legacies, Legends, & Lore
In 1968 Oak Park passed a Fair Housing ordinance that in hindsight reimaged Oak Park a progressive, open-minded, and innovative community. When this event is removed from its historical context, a healthy dose of Oak Park exceptionalism would lead you to believe that this action predated national legislature. However, the historical record reveals that Oak Park’s decision to acknowledge a basic human right of fair and open housing did not precede national legislature nor was it the first Fair Housing ordinance in the Chicagoland area. What did set Oak Park apart from other communities that passed similar legislature was the intentionality to see the hope-filled idealism of the ordinance become a reality. The “New Oak Park” that emerged was made possible by a partnership between local government agencies and grassroots activism of ordinary citizens driven to take extraordinary steps toward racial integration amidst a national backdrop of “White Flight”, restrictive covenants, urban crisis, political assassinations, and race riots.
No matter how progressive or color-blind Oak Park thinks it is as a contemporary community, discrimination persists. The conversation has expanded beyond a black-white dichotomy to include discussions of LGBQT rights, fair wages, environmental sustainability, nutrition, socioeconomic exclusion, and affordability. A common thread through much of this discourse is race.
Is Oak Park the suburban promised land realized? Has Oak Park finally created “a city on a hill [with] the eyes of all people upon us?” What is the multigenerational appeal of Oak Park that frequently draws young people to the Village to raise their families? While Oak Park is far from a perfect suburban utopia, it has the potential to strive to be just that. Oak Park remains a community of contradictions as evidenced by current national and local events. Our understanding of the legacies, legends, and lore surrounding Oak Park’s struggles for fair and equitable housing serve as motivation to not simply rest on our laurels, but propel us to action to ensure we keep moving toward a more humane and just community where hate has no home here and all are truly welcome.