The nation’s first African-American president heads the list of minority trailblazers selected in the Illinois Top 200 project. Barack Obama was the top pick in online voting conducted as part of the celebration of the state’s 200th birthday. He was followed by Black Hawk, the Sauk warrior who fought American expansion into Illinois, and Chief Keokuk, a rival who gave up land to avoid bloodshed as settlers arrived. The top five also includes Harold Washington, Chicago’s first African-American mayor, and Patricia Roberts Harris, the first African-American woman to become an ambassador or serve in a presidential cabinet. Voting in the next category, top leaders, is underway at www.IllinoisTop200.com.
Barack Obama Tops List of Illinois Minority Trailblazers
Oct 30, 2018 | 4:30 AM