Twentieth Century Chicago, post-Great Migration, faced a racial divide that bore a white power structure. As an influx of Blacks increased the population of African diasporic people in Chicago from 109,000 in 1920 to 1.2 million in 1982, white Chicagoans reacted by moving out of their respective homes in the city, especially on the south side, towards the suburbs. This was followed by forming a "Black metropolis" in which Blacks were confined to well-defined black areas and a physical line was drawn between races. Blacks found themselves subjected to substandard housing, low-salary jobs, and no political representation. White Chicagoans knew that "corporate control of the economy [was] managed by and serve[d] the interest of a predominantly white ruling class" and maintained the status quo. As stated by authors
Abdul Alkalimat and Doug Gills, "racism operated in the [democratic] party to hold back Blacks from being incorporated equitably with anything approaching democratic representation." By preventing the Black vote in a physically divided city, led more Blacks to doubt their government and demand more political representation. Up to 1982, Black Chicagoans faced a dilemma in which the "older and higher-income categories were overrepresented among black registrants…[and] voter-registration requirements had their greatest effect on poorly educated, low-income, and young voters". The majority of Blacks in Chicago were not being represented in the voting process in a manner where their influence was felt, yet when factional struggles existed between the dominant political parties, Blacks would have had an opportunity to capitalize on this competition to satisfy their interests. However, Paul Kleppner notes in his research that the "leaders of Chicago’s Machine factions were simply unwilling to risk white ethnic support by representing black racial interests." Having grown up in politics as the son (and successor) of a precinct captain, Washington's familiarity with the politics of the Chicago Democratic Party allowed him to give it the most criticism. His life accomplishments allowed him to transcend society's image of "Blackness", enabling him to appear as a serious and well-qualified candidate, as "scholar, athlete,
Civilian Conservation Corps worker, soldier, lawyer, [or] U.S. Congressman." With his "ability to engage in straight, no-nonsense dialogue with the ‘masses’ and the ‘elites’," Washington would gain deep support and appreciation from the Black community.
Exit polls showed Washington received overwhelming support among Blacks, affirming a movement for proper representation of them. He represented a "symbol of black pride and progress," exposing the vulnerability of the institutionalized white power structure. ==Lawrence’s mural==