For Immediate Release

October 15, 2024

Contact: Ayana Clark

Email:

Phone: (872) 401-7836

Bobby L. Rush, Civil Rights Icon and Former Congressman

Celebrated By Prominent Activists at Legacy Gala

Chicago---Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Founder of the Rainbow Push Coalition, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Alderwoman Michelle Harris will co-chair a long overdue evening of appreciation for and celebration of Bobby L. Rush’s decades of Civil Rights activism and Public Service.  They lead a chorus of friends and supporters desiring to publicly thank and honor the former Congressman more befittingly than his humble exit from Office without fanfare in 2022 allowed. Months of careful planning culminate in his Legacy event to be held on Saturday October 26, 2024 from 6:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. at Cinespace Studios, 2429 West 14th Street.

Isiah Thomas, West side native and Founding chairman / CEO of Isiah International LLC, who found fame during a Hall of Fame NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, returns home to pay homage to the Congressman.  A section of Homan Avenue was renamed the Mary Thomas Way in honor of Mr. Thomas’s mother in 2012.

Fredrika Newton, widow of Dr. Huey P. Newton who with Bobby Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, will headline several Guests of Honor. She is a former member of the Black Panther Party, and a co-founder of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On February 17, 2021 the Dr. Huey P. Newton Way was officially designated in West Oakland, California recognizing his contributions to the ongoing liberation of oppressed peoples everywhere. Congressman Rush admired Mr. Newton and named his late son Huey Rich after him. Along with slain Chicago Icon, the late Fred Hampton, Mr. Rush was inspired to charter the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party.

Rev. Wheeler Parker will share the Headline of Honored Guests.  In 1955 he witnessed the kidnapping of his 14-year old cousin Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. That heinous abduction culminated in a savage child killing which 70 years later continues to sear the nation’s conscience. The family home, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House in West Woodlawn received Chicago Landmark status in 2021. President Joseph Biden established the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument on July 25, 2023. This monument includes three sites: one in Chicago, and two in Mississippi. One of Congressman Rush’s final initiatives in office was spearheading the passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law in 2022, making that crime a Federal offense.

The Legacy event is expected to draw a diverse, inclusive cross section of Mr. Rush’s admirers and supporters. These range from ordinary citizens to luminaries from the political, athletic, entertainment, and media arenas in a safe and welcoming environment. The venue, Cinespace Studios, is “[t]he premier studio and service provider in the Midwest for film, TV and commercials,” according to their website.

Hors d’oeuvres will be served, and music provided by the Leo High School Boys Choir.  Concierge parking is also available.

Two tiers of tickets are available: General Admission, $150 and VIP Seating, $300. All tickets are to be purchased on Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com.

Mr. Rush, now 77 years old, has remained very active in the public sphere although retired from Congress.  Recently he was an Illinois delegate at the just concluded Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Along with Alderperson Michelle Harris, he serves as one of the two members of the 1st Congressional District’s Democratic State Central Committee, a statewide slate making vehicle for Illinois Democrats. He travels frequently to upstate New York for his position as an Adjunct Professor at Bard College. And he continues to Pastor the Beloved Community Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville.

“When I retired from Congress, it’s because God called me to return back to my community.  I loved serving the constituents of the 1st Congressional District, but there were things my community needed that I can’t do as a member of Congress.  When I retired I never really celebrated my career with my community. I’m excited to gather with all the people I’ve impacted and worked with over the years, and look back at my journey,” said Mr. Rush, in reference to the Legacy Event, his current activities, and future plans.

He will use the occasion to publicly announce the capstone of his lifework.  This project has been years in development, and will keep his Legacy of service alive for generations to come.

What: the Bobby L. Rush Legacy Event

When: October 26, 2024

Time: 6:00 P.M. until midnight

Where: Cinespace Studios, 2429 West 14th Street

Tickets: $150.00/General Admission        $300.00/ V.I.P.

For questions or more information on the BLR Legacy Event, please email          info@blrcenter.org