Uptown Black culture event kicks off with argument over exhibit

A Humboldt Park actor didn’t let a verbal dispute over a white culture exhibit stop his speech about love during a Saturday afternoon Uptown Black culture event.

The Haitian American Museum of Chicago, or HAMOC, co-hosted “We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community” with 11 Uptown organizations. Black artists, musicians and historians displayed their works and performed musical arrangements outside the museum, 4654 N. Racine Ave., and on the street’s sidewalks.

Jaegen Ellison a 28-year-old actor, kicked off the event by reciting a Martin Luther King Jr. speech titled “Levels of Love” to a crowd of five. During the speech, a Black male said a white male’s signs were disrespectful to the Black exhibitionists. The confrontation started an argument between the men.

Elsie Hernandez, HAMOC’s director, said Ellison could pause the speech until the situation was resolved. However, Ellison instead spoke louder and walked toward the two fighting men. After the speech, Ellison said he didn’t stop because the men needed to hear the speech’s message.

“My rationale was to get louder over the confusion and to let the word ‘love’ come through more,” Ellison said. “My main thing was to overpower them and to grasp the audience’s attention.”

HAMOC Executive Director Carlos Bossard, a 25-year-old from North River, said he didn’t know what prompted the altercation or the content of the white male’s signs. However, Bossard said the museum “knew some things may come up” since the event discussed race and racism, which he said are controversial topics.

“Any project, talk or exhibition about race and identity can be tricky,” Bossard said. “That being said, I hope those folks were able to voice their opinions and that others took that into account. It is important to speak up, ask questions and listen.”

Illinois Assistant Attorney General Kristin Lindemann, 46, was walking her dog but stopped to listen to Ellison’s speech. The Uptown resident said Ellison’s reaction to the altercation underscored the speech’s message of not letting hate triumph over love.

“I thought he had done exactly what he should have done,” Lindemann said. “More people became aware of what was happening and were joining to be supportive and hear the message that he was actually trying to share.”

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Originally written for a Medill class on Oct. 6, 2020.