Fred Hampton - Legacy

Legacy

The families of Hampton and Clark filed a US$47.7 million civil suit against the city, state, and federal governments. The case went to trial before Federal Judge J. Sam Perry. After more than 18 months of testimony and at the close of the Plaintiff's case, Judge Perry dismissed the case. The Plaintiffs appealed and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed, ordering the case to be retried. More than a decade after the case had been filed, the suit was finally settled for $1.85 Million. The two families each shared in the settlement.

A 27 minute documentary entitled Death of a Black Panther: The Fred Hampton Story was used as evidence in the civil suit.

Bernardine Dohrn of the predominantly white Weather Underground group, which had a close relationship with the Black Panthers in Chicago at the time of Hampton's death, said in the 2002 documentary The Weather Underground that the killing of Fred Hampton caused the them to "be more grave, more serious, more determined to raise the stakes, and not just be the white people who wrung their hands when black people were being murdered."

In 1990, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution declaring "Fred Hampton Day" in honor of the slain leader.

The Chicago City Council unanimously approved a resolution introduced by former Alderman Madeline Haithcock commemorating Dec. 4, 2004, as "Fred Hampton Day in Chicago." The resolution read in part: "Fred Hampton, who was only 21 years old, made his mark in Chicago history not so much by his death as by the heroic efforts of his life and by his goals of empowering the most oppressed sector of Chicago's Black community, bringing people into political life through participation in their own freedom fighting organization."

A public pool has been named in his honor in his home town of Maywood, Illinois. On Saturday September 7th, 2007, a bust of Hampton was erected outside the Fred Hampton Family Aquatic Center.

Jeffrey Haas, author and attorney for the plaintiffs in the federal suit Hampton v. Hanrahan, posited that Chicago was worse off without Hampton.

Haas wrote an account of Hampton's death entitled The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther.

Fred Hampton has become very popular in rap music. Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar have made references to him. On "Watch the Throne," Jay-Z raps, "I arrived on the day Fred Hampton died." This is true, Jay-Z was born the same day that Hampton was killed. On his song "HiiiPower" Kendrick Lamar raps, "This is Fred Hampton on your campus, you can't resist his hiiipower."

Tyler, The Creator and Hodgy Beats reference Fred Hampton in rap songs.

Hip Hop artists Dead Prez mention Fred Hampton frequently in their lyrics and use samples of his speeches in their songs.

Hampton is referred to in Rage Against the Machine's "Down Rodeo."

Hampton is referred to in Street Sweeper Social Club's Clap for the Killers with the line "They whacked Fred Hampton Jnr's pappy".

Hampton is referred to in the 2011 Stephen King novel "11/22/63," where a character discusses the ripple effect of traveling back in time to prevent JFK's assassination, which the character postulates would give rise to a series of events that could prevent Fred Hampton's murder, as well.

A sound clip of A speech made by Hampton is featured in "Suffering to live, scared to love" by Political hardcore punk band Verse.