FRED HAMPTON: CHI TOWN LEADER
For Black History Month, I’m celebrating one of the United States’ greatest antifascist leaders. Fred Hampton joined the Black Panthers in 1968, at age 20, and quickly became Chairman of the organization’s Illinois chapter. He oversaw the Panthers’ breakfast program for children, and their free medical clinic. He brokered ceasefires with street gangs and united Chicagoans across racial divides. He taught theory, emphasizing the importance of direct action, and led demonstrations.Unfortunately, this good work made Hampton an enemy of the most powerful men in the country.
The CHI TOWN LEADER tee is unionmade, cut and sewn by Teamsters using U.S. cotton. It was printed by Magnolia Studios, a Black-owned and operated shop in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood in Chicago. Magnolia is dedicated to providing employment opportunities to at-risk young people.I’m splitting proceeds with Equity and Transformation (EAT), a non-profit, community-led organization founded by and for post-incarcerated people. EAT was established in 2018 with the mission to uplift the voices and power of Black Chicagoans engaged in the informal economy.
The FBI responded to Hampton’s activism—referred to in government records as “nefarious activity”—with surveillance, harassment, and police violence. When Hampton had the audacity to unify Chicago communities across racial divides, the FBI and Chicago police escalated their attacks.The original Rainbow Coalition included the Panthers, Young Patriots, and Young Lords. The Patriots, who flew the Confederate Flag, advocated for the wellbeing of poor whites. The Lords started as a Puerto Rican street gang before evolving into a civil-rights group. Hampton united them all against poverty, racism, police brutality, and housing inequality. The Chairman believed that these ills resulted from the oppression of all working people by an authoritarian government.
On the night of December 3, 1969, an FBI snitch drugged Hampton with a sedative. At 4am, the CPD raided his apartment. According to the National Archives, a CPD officer fired two rounds into Hampton’s head at point-blank range. Hampton was still asleep. He was 21 years old.
Despite their best efforts, the authorities could not silence Fred Hampton. Even in death, he continues to proclaim his message. We have his speeches and teachings, and we have stories from those who fought alongside him. Also, we have his spirit, which lives on in the continued struggle of each new generation. Every time you push back against the accelerating fascism in the United State, Chairman Fred fights with you.
