Fred Hampton was building a Rainbow Coalition uniting Black, Brown, and poor white communities when the FBI and Chicago police assassinated him in his bed at age 21 in December 1969.
The Story of Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was born in 1948 in Maywood, Illinois. By age 20, he was chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, transforming the Chicago chapter through his extraordinary gifts as an organizer and orator. He organized free breakfast programs for children, led health clinics, and negotiated truces between Chicago street gangs.
What made Hampton uniquely dangerous to the FBI was not violence but coalition-building. He was creating the Rainbow Coalition — a multi-racial alliance that included the Black Panther Party, the Young Patriots Organization (poor white Appalachians), the Brown Berets (Chicano activists), and the Young Lords (Puerto Rican activists). The idea that poor people of all races could unite across racial lines was the FBI's nightmare.
The FBI's COINTELPRO program targeted Hampton specifically. An FBI informant infiltrated his inner circle and provided floor plans of his apartment. On December 4, 1969, Chicago police — with FBI coordination — raided Hampton's apartment at 4:45 AM while he was sleeping. Hampton was shot twice in the head at close range. He was 21 years old and his pregnant girlfriend lay beside him.
A subsequent investigation found that of the nearly 100 shots fired, only one came from inside the apartment. Fred Hampton's daughter was born 25 days after his assassination. The city of Chicago eventually paid a $1.85 million settlement. His legacy continues in every multi-racial organizing effort built on the principle that working-class solidarity across race is the most powerful force for change.
Color Fred's Portrait
The Alphabet Book of Generals — Who Resisted White Supremacy and Won features a full-page coloring portrait of Fred with a color guide and fun fact. Perfect for children ages 4–12 and Black history education.
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