Civil Rights Activist Bickham's Papers Available in Special Collections
The papers of Martin Hayes Bickham (October 7, 1880 - May 1976), civil rights activist, sociologist, and minister, are now available in the Daley Library's Special Collections department. The collection is searchable using an online finding aid.
Bickham was a Methodist minister and sociologist whose work ranged from advocating temperance to fighting for open housing in Chicago. During World War I he worked for the YMCA, then later, during the Depression, with the Illinois Emergency Relief Commission's Work Relief Committee. When the U.S. entered World War II Bickham served as a military chaplain. In the postwar period, Bickham worked tirelessly in support of the civil rights movement and challenged restrictions on housing in the Chicago area. He later joined the board of directors of the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The photo shows Martin Bickham (left), Richard Nelson and Martin Luther King Jr. at a meeting of the United Citizens' Committee for Freedom of Residence in 1962.
For more information, please contact the Special Collections Department at 312-996-2742 or visit the Web site.
