Donate to the Black Panther Party Heritage Trail in Illinois

Your gift will ensure the Panthers’ history will not be forgotten.

Please donate today.

We are landmarking and commemorating the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. By donating today, you will help place historical plaques at significant locations along with online educational resources and tourist information.

Reverend Doctor Elaine Gordon, retired pastor of Ward Chapel A.M.E., Peoria’s oldest church, where Defense Captain Mark Clark started the Free Breakfast for Children Program. We held the Dedication Ceremony on June 28, 2025, Mark’s 77th birthday.

Here are just a few significant dates and locations:

  • November 1968–The Illinois Chapter became an official chapter of the Black Panther Party, 2350 W. Madison, marking a significant moment in the history of social justice in Illinois.

  • April 1, 1969–The first Free Breakfast for Children Program began at the Better Boys Foundation, 1512 S. Pulaski.

  • December 4, 1969–Illinois Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton and Peoria Defense Captain Mark Clark were assassinated in an FBI and Chicago Police coordinated attack, 2337 W. Monroe.

  • December 25, 1969–Dedication of the Spurgeon “Jake” Winters People’s Medical Care Center, 3850 W. 16th Street.

  • 1971–The Black Panther Party spearheaded a Global Sickle Cell Anemia Campaign, a testament to their commitment to public health and social justice.

  • 1972–President Richard Nixon signed the National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act, which provided funds for education, research, and treatment for those with the disease.

  • 1975–The Free Breakfast for Children Program led to the U.S. School Breakfast Program being permanently authorized in 1975. It also inspired federal programs such as the USDA’s National School Breakfast Program and the WIC Program: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, demonstrating the enduring influence of the Black Panther Party's initiatives.

Please donate electronically by using the form.

Checks can be mailed and made payable to: Historical Preservation Society ILBPP, 1507 E 53rd St, Suite 485, Chicago, IL 60615

Questions? Contact us.

Inaugural Heritage Trail Map

 

Inaugural Heritage Trail Site List

Site 1: Headquarters, 2350 W. Madison, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation

Site 2: Fred Hampton, Mark Clark Assassination Site, 2337 W. Monroe, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party

Site 3: Rainbow Coalition Organizing, Breakfast Program, St. Dominic’s Church, 357 W. Locust, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: The North Side Cadre of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party

Site 4: First Breakfast Program, Better Boys Foundation, 1512 S. Pulaski, new structure. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party

Site 5: Meetings, Rallies, Political Education, People’s Church, 201 S. Ashland, same structure. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation

Site 6: Spurgeon “Jake” Winters People’s Medical Care Center, 3850 W. 16th Street, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: Willie and Donna Calvin, Dr. Cheryl Peterson, M.D., Lonnie Hall and additional donors

Site 7: First Southside Office, 233 E. 35th Street, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: The People

Site 8: Southside Headquarters, 4233 S. Indiana, demolished. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Honorable Bobby L. Rush, Diane Shelley and other donors

Site 9: Breakfast Program, Madden Park Field House, Ida B. Wells, 500 W. 37th Street. Historical Marker Sponsor: Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side

Site 10: Breakfast Program, Altgeld Gardens, Our Lady of the Gardens Church, 13300 S. Langley, same structure. Historical Marker Sponsor: Trust for Public Land

Site 11: Panther Lawyers, People’s Law Office, 2156 N. Halsted, same structure. Historical Marker Sponsor: Trust for Public Land

Site 12: Meetings, Refuge, Church of the Holy Covenant, 925 W. Diversey. Historical Marker Sponsor: The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation and other donors.

Site 13: Breakfast Program, Mark Clark, Ward Chapel, A.M.E., 511 Richard Allen Drive, Peoria, IL. Historical Marker Sponsor: Illinois Humanities