From the 1982 start using reggae music as the anchor in the struggle to end global apartheid which freed Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and for equal rights, freedom and democracy, to the fight to end systemic racism and bring forth social justice in America, Martin’s International has been working on the forefront of the movement for more than 35 years to bring forth meaningful and equitable change.

Martin’s International, in conjunction with several organizations, such as the DuSable Heritage Association, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, African Global Chamber of Commerce and the more than twenty attached/below organizations and community leaders, will host a peaceful march-rally calling for a new holiday for the City of Chicago called, “DuSable Day”, a street and a major monument in honor of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the founding father of Chicago.

The rally will take place on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, 2020, at 12 p.m. with protesters gathering at the bust of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable/DuSable Bridge, on North Michigan Avenue near Tribune Plaza.  Marchers will walk seven blocks south on Michigan Avenue to Monroe Street, then one block east of Monroe to Columbus Drive and hear from speakers, including elected representatives, addressing DuSable’s legacy, systemic racism and police abuse.  All participants/protesters will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing protocols.

Martin’s International and the other organizations will publicly propose the renaming of Columbus Drive to “DuSable Drive” during a July 4th Independence march in the honor of the city’s first permanent resident and settler, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, a Black man from Haiti who founded Chicago in 1779. The drive which was originally named for Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus runs north-south along the lake shore and through the territory where DuSable first arrived and set-up a prosperous fur trading post and farm, which was later to become Chicago.

“As the late author and noted historian Dr. Lerone Bennett once said, the story and legacy of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable is Chicago’s best kept secret. Bennett and leaders such as the late Dr.  Margaret Taylor Burroughs, who founded the DuSable Museum of African American History in 1961, advocated for proper recognition of DuSable’s many achievements.  As a result, we now have DuSable Harbor and the DuSable Bridge which were dedicated only within the last 10 years, but we cannot stop there. We must bring this long-awaited issue to the attention of Mayor Lightfoot and our city alderman to correct a historic wrong against the legacy of DuSable and members of the Black immigrant community who equally contributed their talents and hard work to Chicago’s rich history and culture,” said Ephraim Martin.”

“Columbus Drive is an inaccurate appropriation of the city’s landmarks because the territory is precisely where DuSable first set foot. It simply must be renamed.”         

Although it is well known that DuSable, a Black man from Haiti was the first settler to discover and set up a trading post in Chicago, by the virtue of his color and nationality, he has not been given full credit and recognition while at the same time a white man, John Kinzie, who ended up acquiring DuSable’s properties has been given more notoriety.

“There are massive monuments, major streets, holidays in honor of those who oppressed Blacks in America on display throughout the Chicagoland region. Meaningful public recognition for this outstanding Black man who established this great city must also be recognized without question!

The event calls for Mayor Lightfoot and the entire city council to move swiftly, within the next three months to set aside a day in the year for a “city holiday” in observance of DuSable, and to rename Columbus Drive which runs through the land he discovered as the Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable Drive.

Organizers also want the mayor and city council to support a 25 feet Monument of DuSable to be installed by 2021. Corporations will be able to support the project through sponsorships and donations.  

Now more than ever before, as the country is witnessing its biggest systemic, police abuse and systemic racial discrimination protests following the gruesome killing of George Floyd, and as the Black Lives Matter movement is in full force for change in policing, we see the removal of monuments of those who oppressed Blacks in America over the years. It is most important for monuments of some Blacks who have contributed greatly to this country to be put on display in cities where it matters. A representative statue of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, Chicago's founding Father, welcoming one and all to our country's 3rd largest city is well overdue.