The Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago and the Desegregation of Skokie, Illinois

abstract: In 1961, Lois and David Jones became the first African American homeowners in Skokie, a nearly all-white suburb of Chicago. The Jones family was aided in their move by the Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago (CIC), whose leadership believed middle-class suburban desegregation was needed to produce stable integration throughout the Chicago region. The CIC's intervention into Skokie revealed the evolution of their approach towards residential desegregation. The Skokie campaign reflected both a continuation of older interracial trends as well as a shift towards direct action. As it had in the 1950s, the CIC relied on respectability and education to convince white residents to accept black neighbors. However, Skokie was also one of the first instances where the CIC used direct action in support of housing desegregation. As such, this campaign provides insight into what is counted as direct action for the CIC. While the CIC's larger goal of metropolitan integration remained elusive, the Skokie campaign revealed direct action could effectively desegregate suburban communities.