280. murals 2012
Title: Legacy of Hope
Lead Artist: Rahmaan Statik
Medium: Spray paint on drywall
Location Earl Elementary 61st S. Hermitage
Content Explanation: This mural was produced in 
collaboration with students at Earl Elementary School.  
It is meant to celebrate the unity of the black and 
latino community, as well as the importance of family 
being involved with education.  The people featured in 
the mural are President Barack Obama, Rudy Lozano, 
Mayor Harold Washington.  They are featured because they 
were prominent local chicago activates at one point in time
during their political careers. 

In 1982 Lozano entered the race for alderman of the 22nd 
Ward in the city's 1983 elections, in an attempt to be 
the first Mexican-American elected to the Chicago City Council. 
He faced longtime alderman Frank Stemberk and 
though Lozano was defeated, failing to force a runoff by seventeen votes,
[2] he played an instrumental role in bringing Latino voters across 
the city to support candidate Harold Washington, who became Chicago's 
first African-American mayor.[3] His supporters alleged that voters 
with Spanish surnames were purged from the rolls, 
denying him the votes to force a runoff.[2] 
Lozano continued his work in the ILGWU, becoming the 
chief Midwest field organizer through his work with tortilla 
factory employees and other low-paid immigrant workers.

In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting 
Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School 
to work on his first book.[50][51] He then taught constitutional law 
at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, 
first as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, 
and then as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.[52]

From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote,
a voter registration campaign with ten staffers and seven hundred 
volunteer registrars; it achieved its goal 
of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered 
African Americans in the state, leading Crain's Chicago Business 
to name Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.[53]

He joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, 
a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights 
litigation and neighborhood economic development, 
where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, 
then of counsel from 1996 to 2004. In 1994, he was listed as 
one of the lawyers in Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 
94 C 4094 (N.D. Ill.).[54] This class action lawsuit was filed in 1994 with 
Selma Buycks-Roberson as lead plaintiff and alleged that 
Citibank Federal Savings Bank had engaged in practices forbidden 
under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act.[55] 
The case was settled out of court.[56] Final Judgment was issued on May 13, 
1998 with Citibank Federal Savings Bank agreeing to pay attorney fees.[57]
His law license became inactive in 2007.[58][59]

From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors 
of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the 
first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project, 
and of the Joyce Foundation.[36] 
He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, 
as founding president and chairman of the 
board of directors from 1995 to 1999.[36]

In the February 22, 1983, Democratic mayoral primary, 
more than 100,000 new voters registered to vote. On the 
North and Northwest Sides, the incumbent mayor Jane Byrne 
led and future mayor Richard M. Daley, son of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, 
finished a close second. Harold Washington had massive majorities on the 
South and West Sides. Southwest Side voters overwhelmingly supported Daley. 
Washington won with 37% of the vote, versus 33% for Byrne and 30% for Daley.

Although winning the Democratic primary is normally tantamount 
to election in heavily Democratic Chicago, after his primary victory 
Washington found that his Republican opponent, 
former state legislator Bernard Epton (earlier considered a nominal stand-in), 
was supported by many high-ranking Democrats and their ward organizations, 
including the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party, 
Alderman Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak.[33] Epton's campaign referred to, 
among other things, Washington's conviction for failure 
to file income tax returns (he had paid the taxes, but had not filed a return). 
Washington, on the other hand, stressed reforming the Chicago patronage system 
and the need for a jobs program in a tight economy. In the April 12, 1983, 
mayoral general election, Washington defeated Epton by 3.7%, 51.7% to 48.0%, 
to become mayor of Chicago. Washington was sworn in as mayor on April 29, 1983, 
and resigned his Congressional seat the following day.

During his tenure as mayor, Washington lived at the Hampton 
House apartments in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. 
He created the city's first environmental-affairs department under the 
management of longtime Great Lakes environmentalist Lee Botts. 
Washington's first term in office was characterized 
by conflict with the city council dubbed "Council Wars", 
referring to the then-recent Star Wars films and caused Chicago 
to be nicknamed "Beirut on the Lake". A 29-alderman City Council 
majority refused to enact Washington's legislation and prevented 
him from appointing nominees to boards and commissions. 
First-term challenges included city population loss, 
increased crime, and a massive decrease in ridership on 
the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

The 29, also known as the "Vrdolyak 29", were led by Alderman 
Ed Vrdolyak and Finance Chair Edward Burke. Parks superintendent Edmund Kelly 
also opposed the mayor. The three were known as "the Eddies" 
and were supported by the younger Daley (now State's Attorney), 
U.S. Congressmen Dan Rostenkowski and William Lipinski, 
and much of the Democratic Party. During his first city council meeting, 
Washington and the 21 supportive aldermen walked out of the meeting 
after a quorum had been established. Vrdolyak and the other 28 
then chose committee chairmen and assigned aldermen to the 
various committees. Later lawsuits submitted by Washington 
and others were dismissed because it was determined 
that the appointments were legally made.

Washington ruled by veto. The 29 lacked the 30th vote they 
needed to override Washington's veto; female and African 
American aldermen supported Washington despite pressure from the Eddies. 
Meanwhile, in the courts, Washington kept the pressure on to reverse 
the redistricting of city council wards that the city council had 
created during the Byrne years. During special elections in 1986, 
victorious Washington-backed candidates in the first round ensured 
at least 24 supporters in the city council. Six weeks later, 
when Marlene Carter and Luís Gutiérrez won run-off elections, 
Washington had the 25 aldermen he needed. 
His vote as chairman of the City Council enabled him 
to break 25-25 tie-votes and enact his programs.

Washington defeated former mayor Jane Byrne 
in the February 24, 1987 Democratic mayoral primary 
by 7.2%, 53.5% to 46.3%, and in the April 7, 1987 
mayoral general election defeated Vrdolyak (Illinois Solidarity Party) 
by 11.8%, 53.8% to 42.8%, with Northwestern University business professor 
Donald Haider (Republican) getting 4.3%, to win reelection to a second term as mayor. 
Cook County Assessor Thomas Hynes (Chicago First Party), a Daley ally, 
dropped out of the race 36 hours before the mayoral general election. 
During Washington's short second term, the Eddies fell from power: 
Vrdolyak became a Republican, Kelly was removed 
from his powerful parks post,
and Burke lost his Finance Committee chairmanship.

date:2012

​