Leak and Sons Funeral Home has played a significant role in the African-American community since its inception. Like many early Chicago Black owned businesses, it was established because Blacks had nowhere else to go.
Today, the staff still abide by the philosophy that Rev. A.R. Leak created–always give back to the community.
“My father’s philosophy was to not turn away anyone, no matter what resources they had,” said Spencer Leak, Sr., president of Leak & Sons.“ If they needed a funeral service, we had to try through whatever means necessary to get funding.”
Leak Sr. took over the family owned business that his father launched in 1933. Over the years, the establishment has faced financial challenges, but Leak said they still do whatever they can to work with families. They have been known to create affordable payment plans and in some instances, even offer services for free.
Currently, there are two locations, 7838 S. Cottage Grove in Chicago and 18400 S. Pulaski Rd. in Country Club Hills. The funeral home serves more than 2,000 families a year. Some of the services that the institution prides itself on are their late hours to better accommodate those who can’t hold a visitation during normal business hours. There is also a florist and printer located at the location to make it easier for families to make all of their arrangements at one place. Leak & Sons even has a real employee to answer the phone 24 hours a day.
The late Leak opened the business when he saw that many African-Americans did not have enough resources to bury their loved ones. One of the things he is remembered for is his leadership role in desegregating Chicago’s Oakwood Cemetery.
Just like the late Leak couldn’t sit back when he didn’t like or agree with what was occurring in the city, Leak Sr. is the same way. As violence escalates in the city, more young people are being buried, he said. Even though he operates a funeral home, that’s not something he wants to see, he said.
“I’m not in business to bury the young people killed in the streets of Chicago,” Leak Sr., said.
Sitting back and watching the city’s youth die from bullets isn’t something he wants to do.
“I’m not satisfied with just being a funeral director, I want to be apart of the process that prevents young people from destroying each other so I won’t have to service those whose lives are cut out from under them,” he said.
One plan he already has in action is to convince the Chicago Board of Education to implement the Bible into the curriculum. He said he presented his proposal earlier this month.
There’s a thin line between “preaching and teaching,” Leak Sr. said, which means that there is a certain way he and other supporters must go about it.
“If you teach it like you teach history and literature, then it is constitutional to be apart of the curriculum,” he said.
As a spiritual man, he said he believes that the violence comes from spiritual attacks. He also said that many youth lack morals and values. If they can be taught that in school, that will help decrease the violence.
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