News and Media
Bloomberg CityLab
February 24, 2024
Landmarking the Black Panther Party
In Chicago, preservationists have launched an unusual effort to explore the radical history of the 1960s civil rights group through the city’s built environment.
By Zach Mortice
The walls of the Church of the Epiphany in Chicago are two feet thick, made of red-brown sandstone from the upper peninsula of Michigan. Designed by Francis Whitehouse and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s a preeminent example of the Richardson Romanesque architectural style.
Crain’s Chicago Business
October 3, 2023
Black Panthers' medical, day care sites part of historic district proposal
Locations in Chicago where the Black Panther Party offered medical care, free breakfast and day care in the late 1960s and early 1970s are part of a proposed scattered-site Illinois landmark district that would memorialize the group’s social service agenda.
Block Club Chicago
November 4, 2023
Historians Push For Recognition Of Black Panther Party Site In Chicago
NEAR WEST SIDE — Local historians and activists are pushing for a former Chicago church to be nationally recognized for its role in the Black Panther Party’s history.
The Church of the Epiphany, 201 S. Ashland Ave., has been designated worthy of preservation by the National Park Service since 1998 for its architectural value and was landmarked by the city in the mid-1990s. But the former house of worship, now an events venue, is significant for much more than its building design.
WTTW
January 29, 2024
Community Conversation with WTTW
Join WTTW’s Chicago Tonight for a virtual event, BLACK VOICES: A WTTW News Community Conversation, on Monday, January 29, 2024 at 12:00 pm.
This event is free, but RSVP below is required.
South Side Weekly
November 30, 2022
Tracing the Black Panther Footprint by Jacqueline Serrato
Illustration by Meg Studer
A non-profit is working to preserve and memorialize dozens of Black Panther sites, like free breakfast programs, medical clinics, headquarters, and more.
Lumpen Radio, Hitting Left
November 4, 2022
Mike Klonsky Interviews Leila Wills
Mike is an American educator, author, and political activist. He is known for his work with the Students for a Democratic Society, the New Communist Movement, and, later, the small schools movement. Recorded Live on November 4, 2022: Joining Mike and Susan Klonsky this week is Leila Wills talking about the Black Panther Party and preserving our history. Lumpen Radio is a project of Public Media Institute a registered 501 (c) non-profit organization. We are committed to the spread of knowledge and positive vibrations on the public airwaves.
City Cast Chicago
October 12, 2022
Jacoby Cochran Interviews Leila Wills
For years, Illinois’ Black Panther Party worked in neighborhoods across Chicago in places like churches, high schools, and theaters. Leila Wills is the Executive Director of the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, and she’s leading the effort to officially landmark some of the spots across Illinois and Chicago where the party was active. Host Jacoby Cochran talks with Leila about these landmarks, the importance of restoring them, putting history into context – and her personal connection as the daughter of Illinois Black Panther Party members.