The Chicago street where Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton Sr. was assassinated now bears his name. It was unveiled Saturday on what would have been his 77th birthday.

Hampton and fellow Black Panther Mark Clark were shot to death during a Chicago police raid in the early hours of Dec. 4, 1969. It was later revealed the operation was planned by the FBI as part of a secret program to destroy the Black Panther Party.

In 1982, the U.S. government paid $1.85 million to Hampton and Clark’s families and other survivors of the raid, where more than 90 shots were fired.

Since then, the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party has hosted an annual celebration on Hampton’s birthday at 2337 W. Monroe St. The block is now designated as “Chairman Fred Hampton Way.”

At the unveiling, Mayo

See Full Page