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Chicago's oldest house may be getting a new name soon

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Soon, Chicago's oldest house may be getting a new name. Built in the 1830s, the Henry B. Clarke House has lots of stories to tell. It survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. And now it's a house museum focused on the city before the Civil War.

ELIZABETH BLASIUS: Folks in Chicago sort of know the house because it's so old, because it's a relic of antebellum Chicago.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

That is architectural historian Elizabeth Blasius. She says one part of the house's history has gone unremembered - the man who saved it from demolition, Bishop Louis Henry Ford.

BLASIUS: The grassroots historic preservation movement began with Bishop Ford and the St. Paul Church of God in Christ in 1941. Bishop Ford and the church not only cared for the house, using specialized Black labor, but they were outspoken about its importance.

FADEL: Ford, his family and his church spent decades working to preserve the home, a link to the city's history. And yet, like so many Black icons in U.S. history, his contributions were written out of the narrative of Chicago's oldest house.

KEVIN ANTHONY: I went on one of the tours there, and the tour guide was explaining the house. I just blurted out, you haven't made mention of the history of this house as it relates to St. Paul Church of God in Christ.

MARTÍNEZ: That's Bishop Ford's grandson, Pastor Kevin Anthony, referring to the church where his grandfather served. Pastor Anthony is now leading an effort to rename the house.

ANTHONY: As it relates to African Americans in the city of Chicago and this nation, the history has been obfuscated, in many arenas obliterated. So it's critical that the African American component to history be brought into the light.

FADEL: This week, Pastor Anthony will make his case to the Chicago City Council to name the house after his grandfather who fought to save it.

(SOUNDBITE OF RINZ'S "ON MY WAY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.