The exhibit Rev. Martin L. Deppe Papers: A Collection Preview was previously on display in the Special Collections Exhibit Foyer on the 9th floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
Spanning six decades, Rev. Deppe’s social justice activism began in the 1960s when he aligned his church with the civil rights and anti-war movements. He joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as one of the founding ministers with their Operation Breadbasket program to negotiate fair economic practices in Chicago’s African American communities. His work with the Chicago chapter of Clergy and Laity Concerned began with his opposition to the war in Vietnam and went on to address a wide range of human rights and disarmament causes. All the while, Rev. Deppe was active at all levels of the United Methodist Church and championed numerous other groups and causes including the United Farm Workers, the Alliance to End Repression and opposition to the Gulf War.
The exhibit draws on and coincides with the opening of the Rev. Martin L. Deppe Papers in Special Collections at Harold Washington Library Center.
