Fred Hampton (8/30/48 — 12/4/69) was the deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and Chair of the Illinois Chapter — an American Progressive and founder of the Rainbow Coalition, who was slain by the tactical unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Excerpt: Dec-Jan 1980, Keep Strong Magazine
“He Had a Plan For The People”
By Lawrence Zornes
I didn’t know Fed Hampton in person, but I’ve always known what he’s done, what his mission was, what he had done for the people. He laid a foundation. He was really a teacher for the people. Now that years have passed, looking back at his work, it really meant something to the people.
We really see that Fred Hampton had a plan — he had a plan for the people. He had a plan that was work not for one, or a certain kind of people, but for all people — Black, poor and working people, all nationalities. I believed that his heart reached out to the hearts of men and women. He really laid a future and people started to build.
I believe in the struggle today, working for the poor people — the Black, the poor and working people. I believe that if Fred were here today he’d be right involved here with us. He’d play a very great part and role in it. He was a very great person to look around and see the needs of the people.
I think he did a lot of things that leaders of this nation and country fail to do. By looking out and seeing the needs of the poor people for food, medical care and jobs, he organized to let the people know their rights and that they were somebody.
A lot of poor and working class people feel that all they’re worth is what they’re paid for day to day. They didn’t realize that working and poor people were the backbone of this nation.
I feel that Fred Hampton helped people to look out and see that the working and poor peole who struggled to build this country… they’re somebody. The people have a right to speak for the things that belong to them. That’s one great thing Fred did; he opened up that understanding to a lot of people. He let them find pride to speak and let them know that pride belongs to them.
The reason for his death? He was reaching the people. He was building too fast. The people were acknowledging that fact and overcoming their oppression. The bureaucrats and the rich had oppressed the poor Black and White and working people. They figured that if they get rid of the leaders, the ones who were opening up an understanding of the people’s minds, if they got rid of him they would destroy the whole plan.
Today, I’m glad to say I’ve really looked into it and I’ve took part in the struggle, working with people and helping to build the future that Fred Hampton wanted to build and wished for.
Lawrence Zornes was a disabled West Virginia coalminer who relocated to Uptown, Chicago. Zornes was a key leader in the community and founding member of the Chicago Area Black Lung Association (CABLA), where he was chair from December, 1976 to October, 1979. He brought together a multi-racial organization in advocacy and support of social justice and community health.