The Illinois childhood home of iconic Black Panther Party activist Fred Hampton will now be designated as a historical landmark, the Associated Press reported. Hampton was assassinated in December 1969 at the age of 21 during a police raid of his Chicago apartment.
The landmark status comes following a Tuesday night (April 19) vote by the Maywood Village Board, a press release from the Save The Hampton House Initiative states.
The Initiative has been a year-long campaign led by Hampton's son, Fred Hampton Jr., and mother, Akua Njeri, who've worked to have the Maywood home receive its historical status and be transformed into a community center in connection with the release of the Academy Award-winning film Judas and The Black Messiah.
The historical designation is a part of a larger push to include monuments recognizing the efforts and legacy of the Black Panther Party alongside other celebrated Civil Rights Movement landmarks.
"The fight to save and maintain the Hampton House is bigger than a building and more significant than a structure," Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr. said in a statement. "Amongst other purposes, it serves as a major aspect of preserving the extraordinary legacy of Chairman Fred Hampton, the Black Panther Party, and that of service to the people in general."
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