A public memorial for Timuel D. Black, Jr., Chicago’s centenarian, civil rights warrior, author, teacher, lecturer, and historian is set for Sunday, December 5, 2021, at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Located at the University of Chicago at 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave, the program will include speakers, Governor J.B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Rev. Jessie Jackson. Doors open at 3 pm with the service beginning at 3:30 pm.
The program will open with a traditional African ancestor salute with African drumming and dance, followed by libations and interfaith prayer. Musical offerings include Chicago Jazz Philharmonic co-founder trumpeter Orbert Davis’ Quartet; vocalist Tammy McCann; Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Links Alumni Ensemble; jazz vocalists Maggie and Africa Brown and Dee Alexander; and gospel diva Cathy Townsend with young divo Ajene Cooks, accompanied by pianist Robert Irving III. Additional speakers include historian Juliana Richardson, political strategist Don Rose and City Colleges’ Chancellor Juan Salgado.
A private funeral service for Timuel Black, Jr., was held for invited guests on Oct. 22 at First Unitarian Church of Chicago. The Dec. 5 memorial service will be open to the public. Tim’s 103rd birthday would have been Dec. 7, 2021. He passed away on Oct. 13, 2021. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at Rockefeller Chapel, the site of the Dec. 5 memorial service, on April 13, 1956, at Tim’s invitation: https://news.uchicago.edu/story/when-king-made-history-uchicago.
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