Chicago History Museum: The Hidden Work Of Everyday People In The Afro-American Patrolmen's League

Press release from the Chicago History Museum:

Guest Author

2021-10-12

In this blog post, CHM intern Kirsten Lopez shares what she learned while preparing to interview a retired Afro-American Patrolmen’s League member as part of an ongoing CHM oral history project.

During my summer 2021 internship, I had the opportunity to work on CHM’s ongoing Afro-American Patrolmen’s League (AAPL) Oral History Project, which is focused on collecting the stories of former AAPL members to create a more diverse collection. In preparation for the culminating interview with a retired AAPL member, I spent the first few weeks of the internship learning about the organization and acquainting myself with the digitally available material from the AAPL archive housed at CHM. While I became familiar with the names of AAPL founders and Chicago political players, I did not come across the name Wylola Evans, the civilian member I would be interviewing. I wondered how she was connected and what type of work she did.

The Grapevine Instructions to “ask for Miss Evans” at the AAPL office. , 1972. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 164.8. Announcement for the 3rd Annual National Black Police Association (NBPA) convention in Boston, Oct. 10–14, 1975, with a reminder to “ask for Miss Evans.” African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 64.8. Guest editorial in the February 1974 issue of . The bold text between segments reads “AAPL Thanks to you it’s working.” This issue featured the transcript of CPD Deputy Chief of Patrol George T. Sims’s testimony regarding discriminatory practices under Superintendent James M. Rochford. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 64.8. Excerpt from the AAPL’s Newsletter #1, published November 14, 1968. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 164.8. Collection Donation Form

Additional Resources

• Read more blog posts about the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League
• Visit the Chicago History Museum’s Abakanowicz Research Center

This press release was produced by the Chicago History Museum. The views expressed here are the author’s own.