A new street sign in Woodlawn carries a name Chicago has reason to remember. On Friday, October 16, community members and city leaders gathered to dedicate Al Raby Lane, honoring an educator and organizer whose work helped shape the city’s civil rights history.
THE WORD
- The honorary designation covers Cottage Grove Avenue between 63rd and 64th streets.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the ceremony honoring Raby’s legacy.
- Katanya Raby, CEO and co-founder of the Al Raby Foundation, reflected on her grandfather’s impact.
- Raby helped lead school desegregation efforts, co-chaired the Chicago Freedom Movement and managed Harold Washington’s successful mayoral campaign.
The ceremony offered more than a moment to unveil a sign. It brought attention to the importance of amplifying and protecting Black history, particularly the stories of organizers whose influence reaches further than their name recognition.
Katanya Raby spoke with emotion and joy as she thanked the community for helping “keep her grandfather’s legacy alive.” As the CEO and co-founder of the Al Raby Foundation, Katanya continues to create moments of change and community connection. Just like her historical grandfather, this dedication was an opportunity to educate and inspire new generations.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson praised Raby’s influence as an educator, describing him as “the most powerful, gifted Chicago public school teacher that we’ve ever had.”Additionally, revealing the proclamation of February 19, 2027 as Al Raby Day. Chicago historian and influencer Sherman “Dilla” Thomas, also spoke on the incredible impact of Al Raby’s school boycott.
That connection between teaching and organizing runs throughout Raby’s story. A teacher at Hess Upper Grade Center, he became involved in efforts to challenge segregated and unequal schooling. Through the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, known as CCCO, he helped turn community frustration into collective action.
Raby helped organize the October 22, 1963, school boycott, when roughly 300,000 students stayed out of Chicago classrooms to demand integrated and improved education. The action demonstrated the reach of local organizing and the determination of families seeking change.
His work also helped bring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign north. In 1966, Raby and King became co-chairs of the Chicago Freedom Movement, joining local organizations with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Together, they challenged discriminatory housing practices through marches, meetings and negotiations. Their efforts helped produce an open-housing summit agreement in August 1966, though the agreement did not achieve citywide desegregation.
Raby’s public service continued beyond those campaigns. He served as a delegate to Illinois’ constitutional convention and later directed Peace Corps volunteers in Ghana. Back in Chicago, he managed Harold Washington’s successful 1983 campaign, helping elect the city’s first Black mayor.
Washington subsequently appointed him to lead Chicago’s Commission on Human Relations. Decades later, the city’s Al Raby High School for Community and Environment would give another generation a connection to his name.
Friday’s dedication adds that connection to a Woodlawn block. For people passing through Cottage Grove, the sign creates an opportunity to ask who Raby was and why his work matters. The sign can be found on the northwest corner of 64th Street and Cottage Grove Ave.
Remembering that history means looking beyond its most recognizable figures. It means recognizing the teachers, neighbors and strategists who organized communities and helped make landmark victories possible.
Conversation question: How can Chicago turn public tributes into opportunities to teach and protect Black history?
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