On April 25th, the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences hosted the annual Herbert H. Franks Endowed Seminar in Political Science. “Named in honor of the Roosevelt alum and former President of the Illinois Bar Association (2000) Herbert Franks, the seminar ‘seeks to promote a better understanding of state and local politics.’” This year’s event featured a panel discussion between esteemed guests 47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin, executive director of the political advocacy group United Working Families Kennedy Bartley, and director of organizing for the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Andrea Ortiz. Moderated by Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky, the panel convened around the upcoming Democratic National Convention taking place in Chicago this fall and tackled subjects including Chicago’s national political reputation as well as its growing reputation as the site of progressive victories and policy experiments.
The audience of Roosevelt students and community members were treated to informed perspectives on the historical and contemporary events of political organizing in the city. According to Joravsky, when the 1968 convention was hosted in Chicago, the subsequent protests were overshadowed by the police riots that followed. This unrest led to discontent among the Democratic party and the ultimate election of Richard Nixon. The parallels between then and now were considered by the panel.
Alderman Martin asserted that local politicians are actively considering this history while planning the upcoming convention. According to Martin, “Right now, we have that gift on hindsight to say what went wrong then, what went right and what we want to do here. He continued, “What do we want the convention to look like in terms of outside? Where do we want to make sure people can have their voices heard to avoid a repeat of 1968?” The panelists agreed that how the convention unfolds will undoubtedly affect the reputation of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s leadership.
Bartley offered insight, saying, “here you’re seeing sustained and recurrent pro-Palestinian protests despite our mayor calling for a ceasefire. You have the DNC coming with President Biden, and even though our mayor is acquiescing to the demands differently than 1968, our President, who is not, is going to be here. So, how are we separating out the protests, and how are we making sure the right folks are feeling the pressure of the demands?” Of Chicago’s national reputation, Ortiz reflected that “I think we have to be better at documenting our movements and how we win the wins. We have to be better at building relationships with local journalists. Unless you know who’s doing the work, you’re not going to get the real story.”
The Herbert H. Franks Endowed Seminar was organized by faculty members of the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, including Professor Stephanie Farmer, Sociology, and Associate Professor David Faris, Political Science.
