Dr. King in North Lawndale: Housing Access in Chicago

In January of 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. moved his family to the North Lawndale neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. On the heels of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Dr. King had set his sights on Chicago for his first major campaign outside the south, joining the Chicago Freedom Movement’s efforts to combat discriminatory housing practices. Due in large part to his advocacy in Chicago and beyond, legal protections from housing discrimination would finally be secured with the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, six days after his assassination.

Our panel discussion will contextualize Dr. King’s time in North Lawndale and his work with the Chicago Freedom Movement, investigating the progress and ongoing challenges in combatting housing discrimination and access in Chicago spanning six decades.

Hear from distinguished panelists including Monica Chadha, AIA, LEED AP, and founder of the architecture firm Civic Projects; Jonathan Eig, journalist and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, King: A Life; Blanche Killingsworth, president and founder of the North Lawndale Historical and Cultural Society; and Richard Townsell, executive director of the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation

Keynote speaker

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Speakers:

Jonathan Eig is the bestselling author of six books, four of them New York Times best sellers. His most recent book, King: A Life, has been hailed as a "monumental” and “definitive" biography of Martin Luther King Jr. It was longlisted for the National Book Award and named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Time magazine.
Jonathan’s previous book, Ali: A Life, won a 2018 PEN America Literary Award. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Jonathan is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School. He began his writing career at age 16, working for his hometown newspaper, The Rockland County (N.Y.) Journal News and went on to work as a reporter for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He served as a producer on the PBS documentary Muhammad Ali, which was directed by Ken Burns. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.
Blanche Killingsworth is the President and co-founder of the North Lawndale Historical Society, an organization whose mission is to research, educate and archive the history of Lawndale. She is a long time North Lawndale resident and community activist. She has worked with many organizations and community members to preserve Lawndale History. She is a Diversity Scholar of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a member of The Central Park Restoration Committee. She has helped facilitate the Contract Buyers League and The Living and Learning from Lawndale Exhibits, Oaks Of Lawndale International project, Route 66 collaboration and many other historic projects in our community.
Richard Townsell is a Chicago (North Lawndale) native and thought leader in community development. In Richard’s 20+ year career in community development, he has developed nearly 500 units of residential and commercial properties (which have totaled over $100 MM in total development cost) and helped to design comprehensive community plans for affordable housing, education and economic development initiatives.
Richard is the Executive Director at the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation. Richard has taught community development courses at Northwestern University's Asset-Based Community Development Institute as well as with the Chicago Rehab Network’s Urban Developer’s Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University in Mathematics Education and a Master of Science from Spertus College in Nonprofit Management. Richard has received many awards for the work including the Fellow of the Year at Leadership Greater Chicago’s 20th anniversary, a Leadership for a Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation and Notable leaders in Community Development from Crain’s Chicago Business in 2023.
Richard has been married to his college sweetheart Stephanie for over 30 years. They have two adult children, Lena and Gabriel. Richard is currently enrolled and pursuing a Doctorate in Ministry at Northern Seminary
Monica Chadha, AIA, LEED AP, is a visionary architect with over 20 years of experience, known for her innovative approach to community-focused design. As the founder and principal of Civic Projects Architecture, Monica has transformed the Chicago-based firm into a leader in social impact design with a focus on high quality design and long-term strategic thinking.
Acting as the catalyst the firm’s approach is highly participatory to create spaces that resonate with their communities. Her work at Civic Projects spans diverse scales and sectors, from multi-family residential to community centers. Projects include the museum design for the Obama Presidential Center, an adaptive reuse project for Steep Theatre, and an arts center in a converted fire station for Yollocalli.
Monica's early career at the Vastu-Shilpa Foundation with Balkrishna Doshi laid the foundation for her commitment to socially engaged design.
She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Graham Foundation and has been an Adjunct Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Monica has a unique understanding of practice as a female and minority architect.
Monica's dedication to community engagement, innovative design, and mentorship has established her as a leader in social impact design, continually pushing the boundaries of traditional architecture to create inclusive, functional spaces that serve and uplift communities.