The Good Fight: Life Lessons from a Chicago Progressive - Softcover

Simpson, Dick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0998442941 ISBN 13: 9780998442945

Publisher: Golden Alley Press, 2017

Synopsis

What brings real change?

Dick Simpson's passion for democracy and justice earned him a place in line at a 1960 civil rights stand-in, a top spot in Eugene McCarthy's presidential run, and four grueling campaigns for Chicago alderman and U.S. Congress. But his quest for social justice also produced a lifelong struggle to find balance between the private man and his public persona.

With great candor, this progressive politician and activist professor shares stories of his early life in Texas, his arrival in Chicago just in time for the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and moving accounts of his romances, marriages, and divorces. Simpson has many stories to tell from 50 years in the trenches of Chicago politics and as colleague, friend, and adviser to such personalities as Mayor Harold Washington, Studs Terkel, Don Rose, and Mike Royko.

A breath of fresh air in today’s divisive political climate, Simpson’s memoir teaches important lessons in real-world politics. He reminds us not to get so caught up in the fight that we forget what we’re fighting for. Striking the perfect balance between historical context, autobiography, and lessons learned, Simpson chronicles what worked, what didn’t, and why.

“Dick Simpson was one of those reform aldermen and political opponents who got under Boss Richard J. Daley’s skin.” -Studs Terkel

Includes 73 pictures and index

About this title

About the Author:

Dick Simpson is a long-time activist professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a former Chicago alderman. An expert on Chicago politics, political reform, and elections in general, he has published widely and affected public policy.

Simpson is a progressive thinker whose values were shaped by early civil rights struggles. His passion for social justice and democracy earned him a place in line at a 1960 stand-in and a top spot in Eugene McCarthy’s presidential run. Simpson demonstrated at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention and protested Reaganomics in a march on Washington. In the 1970s, this young and independent-minded Chicago alderman angered boss Mayor Daley so much that he ordered the sergeant-at-arms to force Simpson into his seat. He didn’t bow to the machine then, and hasn’t done so since.

Colleague, friend, and adviser to such Chicago personalities as Mayor Harold Washington, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Jesús García, Studs Terkel, and Don Rose, Simpson is called on to do over 100 media interviews a year. He is also an accomplished Africanist.

Over his 50-year career as a political science professor and politician, Dick Simpson has devoted much of his energy to advancing the cause of democracy and participatory politics. He resides in Chicago, where he continues to oppose the power of the political machine.

Review:

"An uplifting and fascinating portrait of life-long dedication to progressive causes . . . moving and enlightening . . . artfully links the personal with the more abstract fight for social justice.

"Although activism sometimes comes at some personal cost, one lesson to be drawn from [Simpson's] book is that a principled devotion to social change is the means of personal growth and satisfaction precisely because it is a means of helping others."

-- Dennis Judd, Political Science Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Chicago
Recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban Politics Section of the American Political Science Association

About this edition

• Publisher: Golden Alley Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0998442941
• ISBN 13: 9780998442945
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 278