Our Chicago: Town Hall highlights movement to recognize Black leaders in Chicago monuments

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ABC 7, Chicago's No. 1 station for news, explored the accomplishments of a grassroots movement that seeks the representation of historic black leaders and heroes in Chicago landmarks, monuments and street names.

ABC 7 Chicago Eyewitness News' Hosea Sanders moderated "OUR CHICAGO: Voices of the Community," available on abc7chicago.com Thursday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m.

As Black communities around the country work to ensure historic Black heroes are represented in important landmarks, efforts in Chicago have led to gratifying results. Renaming a portion of Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable and the recent monument erected in Bronzeville honoring Ida B. Wells represent examples of how these American heroes are being honored and whose names will live on for generations to come.

Hosea Sanders explored what has ignited this movement, who is leading the charge and what's next. He led an insightful conversation and discussed these topics with people behind these two particular initiatives which honor individuals who have made important contributions to American history.

Guests included the following:

-Ephraim Martin, Martin's International

-Michelle Duster, great granddaughter of Ida B. Wells

-Justice Shelvin Louise Marie Hall

-Ernest C. Wong, site design group ltd.

-Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference

-Sandra Young, Ida B. Wells Development

The virtual town hall was also exclusively streamed live on ABC 7's Facebook Live, YouTube, ABC 7's app, and ABC 7's connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abc7chicago

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About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.3 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space to Chicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, the station produces 41 hours of local news weekly and Chicago's only local weekday entertainment talk show, "Windy City LIVE," as well as its highest-rated New Year's Eve special. ABC7's award-winning programs such as "Heart and Soul," "The Ñ Beat" and "Asian Influences" showcase the city's diversity, while being the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed. ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.