Timuel Black
By ALLISON MATYUS
Staff Writer
Long time Bronzeville resident Timuel Black is receiving the significant honor of The Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Civil Rights Award at the Chicago Urban League’s 54th Annual Golden Fellowship Dinner.
Each year, the Chicago Urban League, 4510 S. Michigan Ave., honors those who have left a positive and lasting impact in the African American community. For Black, the Urban League has had a huge impact on his own life.
“The Urban League was one of the sources my father used to get a job when he was looking for work,” Black said. “When I was graduating from high school during the Great Depression, I was looking for a job and the Urban League was responsible for finding me a job in a road cleaning company in the Lake Shore area.”
Black has lived on the South Side since he was 8 months old, which for him, is almost 97 years of seeing change and transformation in his neighborhood.
“It was in Hyde Park where people helped me to realize that even though my family had fled the south to come north, that these people represented the possibilities of the future,” Black said.
He is well known for his political influences and his activism on civil rights and liberties. The Urban League is honoring Black for not only his lifelong work, but for his service to the community.
“We thought it would be appropriate as we approach our 100th year to talk about [Black] and his legacy and what he’s done and how he has impacted our community,” said Sherri Runner, the Interim President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League.
The theme for this year’s Fellowship Dinner is “Inspiration for the Next Generation.” Black’s experiences with history, philanthropy and philosophy in the South Side over a span of decades make him someone that younger people can look up to as an inspiration.
Along with Black, author and Pulitzer Prize Winner Isabel Wilkerson will also be receiving the award. In the past, people such as Jesse Jackson, actor Louis Gossett and civil rights leader Rev. Addie Wyatt have received the Edwin C. Berry award.
Berry was the fourth president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, and Runner said that he was a transformative person and one of the strongest leaders the league has had.
“[The award] is honoring Bill’s name, honoring the work of the Urban League and honoring their work as it relates to and parallels with our work in terms of what we do and impacting the lives of African Americans every day,” Runner said.
“Being recognized by the Urban League is quit an honor that I can carry on for the rest of my time and leave for others,” Black said.
The award will be given at the annual Golden Fellowship Dinner on Nov. 7 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. Grammy Award-winning R&B artist, Brandy, will perform at the event hosted by Chicago comedian Damon Williams. The dinner acts as the Urban League’s major fundraiser of the year.
a.matyus@hpherald.com