Harold Washington Quotations

Let's not be overconfident, we still have to count the votes.

Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the federal government.

Chicago is one city. We shall work as one people for our common good and our common goals.

That fallacy flies in the face of studies that show, every day, in every way, things are getting a little worse for America's minorities relative to the progress made by those in the top percentiles of assets and income.

Our concern is to heal. Our concern is to bring together.

Affirmative action works but we're going to need to muster all our political resources if we are to keep it in place.

Business as usual will not be accepted by any part of this city.

I want to be a mayor who helped, really helped.

I am not interested in splitting the white vote.

The third fallacy is that affirmative action doesn't work.

What is so remarkable about the success of affirmative action is that it has been accomplished despite the Justice Department and the policies of the federal government.

Business as usual will not be accepted by this chief executive of this great city.

Business as usual will not be accepted by the people of this city.

Our government will be moving forward as well, including more people and more kinds of people than any government in the history of Chicago.

I have been urged by the earnest pleas of thousands of people to enter this race. Therefore, I hereby declare my candidacy for Mayor of Chicago.

Chicago has been characterized as the most segregated city in the United States, a city they said could never change.

I cannot watch the city of Chicago be destroyed by petty politics and bad government.

I am interested in garnering the white vote, and the black vote, and the Latin vote, and the Asian vote, and the business vote, and the labor vote.