Clyde Ross
An older Black man who grew up in Jim Crow Mississippi and moved north to Chicago after he grew up, like many other African Americans at the time. Although decently employed, Ross's financial stability was put in jeopardy because of having been sold a home on contract, an abuse which led him to join the Contract Buyers League.
Lou Fushanis
A contract seller who made millions off of selling homes to vulnerable populations
The Contract Buyers League
An organization formed by the Black community to fight against contract sellers through a variety of means, with a particular focus on educating others on the dangers presented by contract sellers as well as seeking legal recourse for damages done.
Belinda Royall
A former slave kidnapped from Ghana, then released after 50 years of enslavement upon the death of her master, she was one of the earliest Black people to successfully petition for reparations.
John Conyers Jr.
A Congressman who represents the Detroit area and who, every session of Congress for the past 25 years, has introduced a bill calling for the congressional study for slavery and its lasting as effects, as well as possible remedies.
Mattie Lewis & Ethel Weatherspoon
Two neighbors who bought their homes in North Lawndale at a similar time as Clyde Ross, and who were also involved with the Contract Buyers League.
Billy Lamar Brooks Sr.
An activist since his youth in the Black Panther Party, Brooks works at the Better Boys Foundation in North Lawndale and was personally affected by Chicago's violence when he lost his 19-year-old son, Billy Jr., in a shooting.
Winter Ross
Clyde Ross's older brother who died under unknown circumstances after being imprisoned because of a seizure.
