Former CVL gang members are working with the Hull-House Museum to create exhibits and, eventually, a museum to tell the history of the gang.
The Conservative Vice Lords (CVL) were a part of Chicago’s African American community in the 1960s. They rose up, rejected violence, drugs, and demanded their human rights.
Today, young people understand gangs as being synonymous with drugs and violence. But in the 1960s, some gangs tried to shed their criminal identities and mobilized young people for social change. Major gang leaders worked to redirect the activities of their organizations toward peace, community development, and racial equality.
The museum will not glorify gangs but, instead, will show how gang members can and have worked for change, justice, and healthy communities.
The stories of the CVL remind us that youth need to join social movements as an answer to the problems of drugs and violence. The story of the CVL is as relevant today as ever.
This project is a partnership between CVL and the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.
Do you remember the CVL?
Were you a Vice Lord or Lady?
Do you have stories to tell?
Do you have photographs, t-shirts, notes, documents, or other objects relating to the history of the gang?
If so, contact Lisa Junkin at (312) 355-5301 to find out how you can be a part of this community-led project.
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This program is made possible in part by the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at UIC and by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
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* All views expressed are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum or the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Architecture and the Arts.