Documenters surveyed neighbors, siblings and co-workers about the last time the Democratic National Convention was in Chicago and found striking similarities to the present day.
by Natalie Christian-Frazier
This 1968 demonstration took place as Chicago was preparing to host the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 10, 1968. (Photo: David Wilson/Flickr)
Some say history is written by the victors, but at City Bureau, we focus on how civic decisions and events of all magnitudes affect community members — and we help amplify their stories.
The ongoing Democratic National Convention is no different: people at varying levels of power, from presidential candidates to unhoused folks taking shelter in the area, all feel its impact.
Following City Bureau’s recent coverage of concerns surrounding this year’s DNC, protester’s rights, and the historical significance of the 1968 DNC, we wanted to delve deeper. In late July, 13 Documenters paused their regularly scheduled reporting on local public meetings to seek out untold stories of Chicagoans during the 1968 DNC.
These Chicago Documenters, who hail from neighborhoods across the city and range in age from 23 to 70, interviewed their neighbors, siblings and co-workers and discovered some remarkable stories about that tumultuous time in our city’s history.
Documenters interviewed folks in their late 60s, 70s and 80s. They found residents who had lived in Chicago for 70 years, who narrowly dodged the draft, who worked in buildings across the street from the infamous protests, and who begrudgingly worked for ward captains.
These residents recalled the electric energy of the summer of 1968. They recounted the fear in the hearts of high school boys who thought they might be drafted, and newly working and frantic mothers dropping their children off at daycare.
Many of our Documenters were surprised by the vivid memories subjects were able to muster, which included verbatim chants from demonstrations more than 56 years ago. Others grappled with their own political engagement and that of their parents at the time.
The through line in every interview is the lasting impact this three-day event from almost 60 years ago left on the city.
One interviewee, who was 15 years old at the time and a member of an NAACP youth group, recalled his fear for Black residents. Another source shared some of the harrowing stories from co-workers who had to ride the Green Line from the West Side to their downtown office during the uprisings following Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Many subjects recalled Mayor Richard J. Daley’s infamous “shoot to kill” directive to Chicago police regarding civil disobedience. The looming specter of the Vietnam War and uncertainty about the future of the Democratic party reverberated from Austin to Rogers Park to Beverly.
This project resonated with Documenters because it was a chance to talk to elders and, for some of them, to share their own stories. The public record we’re creating with hundreds of civically engaged Chicagoans extends beyond local government meetings to include events that shape our city’s history.
In many ways, Chicago in 2024 feels eerily reminiscent of the volatile political landscape of 1968. Anti-war protests have erupted in the streets and on college campuses. The Democratic establishment has undergone rapid transformation with the introduction of a new presidential ticket just months before Election Day.
There is widespread concern about the future of the United States. Our DNC interview project demonstrates that, to many, we’ve been here before — and this time, perhaps history will be written a little differently.
Read more with Q&As from our Documenter interviews about the 1968 DNC here.
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