The story begins in 1976 with the unexpected death of Mayor Richard J. Daley, who ruled every aspect of life in the city for over 20 years. His name was synonymous with the concept of the political machine. But by the 1980s, in a city with over one million Black residents — many of whom came north during the great migration seeking safety, political freedom, and a fair shot at the American Dream — a change seemed long overdue. They hoped to shun the old lines of patronage and ethnic politics and to represent the changing demographic landscape…

Read my review of Punch 9 for Harold Washington in the October issue of Planning Magazine.