Events honor civil rights leader and teacher who fought for justice and bridged Chicago’s street gangs through art
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jean Birkenstein Washington (1926–2003), a Chicago artist, educator and civil rights organizer whose work helped shape the city during the 1960s and beyond.
An art teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, Washington was a leader in Chicago chapters of the NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality. She also co-founded — in her living room — Teachers for Integrated Schools and the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, which brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the city to lead the Chicago Freedom Movement.
Concurrently, Washington was an ambassador to and between two of Chicago’s most prominent rival street gangs, the Vice Lords and the Cobras, opening her Near North Side home as neutral ground where members could gather and express themselves through art. Her work was profiled in a 1961 Jet magazine feature.
Throughout her life, she created a wide-ranging body of artwork reflecting the communities around her, including powerful portraits of gang members and others she touched, cats and idyllic landscapes, and gritty industrial and neighborhood scenes. Working in multiple media, she used whatever materials were available — even cardboard — when canvas was out of reach.
The Centennial will include exhibitions of her artwork and a series of public forums exploring the influence of her work in civil rights organizing, teaching and mentorship.
EXHIBITS:
Art On Sedgwick, 1404 N. Sedgwick St., Chicago. Opens May 2026; by appointment: create@artonsedgwick.org Opening Reception: Friday, May 8, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Duluth, 835 W. College St., Duluth, MN Opens April 12, 2026. Opening Reception: Sunday, May 24, 2-4 p.m.
FORUMS: At Near North Branch Chicago Public Library, 310 W. Division St., Chicago
Saturday, May 2, 1-4 p.m.: Civil Rights Struggles & Strategies: Old Town, Chicago, and the Nation
Thursday, June 11, 3-5:30 p.m.: Hacko’s Wackos: Joan Mitchell, Edward Gorey, and Their Remarkable Mid-Century Chicago Art Circle
September, Date TBA: The Jean-ius of Mentoring: How $25 Changed Thousands of Lives
For exhibit and forum information, contact:
Robin Washington
robin@robinwashington.com
218-428-0004
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