It was a day of high winds and snow flurries in South Chicago, but Congressman Bobby Rush was willing enough to dodge cars and brave the cold with me to make this tintype portrait in front of the Statue of the Great Northern Migration. Bobby Rush has been a pastor, activist and / or congressman in Chicago for decades. He co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and after chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated by the local government and police, Rush advocated for returning the favor saying, "Black people have been on the defensive for all these years. The trend now is not to wait to be attacked. We advocate offensive violence against the power structure." In 1974 he left the Black Panthers stating, "We started glorifying thuggery and drugs... [but] I don't repudiate any of my involvement in the Panther party—it was part of my maturing." He has since become a born-again Christian and dedicated much of his life to non-violence.
