My favorite CPL location named after a person is the Mabel Manning Branch on Chicago's near west side. While other people whose names appear on CPL locations—Bessie Coleman, Frederick Douglass, George Cleveland Hall, Harold Washington, etc.—are unlikely to be lost to history, Mabel Manning might be if not for the branch. There's very little about her in the written record. And if she were lost to history, it would be a shame. To understand why, you only need to check out the few stories about her that have made it in to print:
Mabel Manning, Mayor of West Side [Obituary]
By Kenan Heise
Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1991
Mabel Manning, West Side Activist Who Fought Stadium [Obituary]
Chicago Sun-Times, July 30, 1991
[Ed Shurna Remembers Mabel Manning] – Available online via Google Books Preview
From Fire in the Heart: How White Activists Embrace Racial Justice by Mark R. Warren
Do you remember Mabel Manning? Share a story about her in the comments below. Or tell us about someone in your neighborhood that ought to be written about but perhaps won't be?
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