Cooper (Jack) Park

In 1966, the Chicago Park District acquired 4.3 acres of land in the West Pullman neighborhood with the help of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1975, the park district officially designated the site Cooper Park for Jack L. Cooper (1888-1970), the nation's first African-American radio personality. Cooper began his professional career as a boxer, semi-pro baseball player, and writer for the Chicago Defender. After breaking into radio at a white-owned station in Washington, D.C., Cooper returned to Chicago to make his mark. His ground-breaking show, "The All-Negro Hour," debuted on Chicago's airwaves in 1929. Over the subsequent thirty years, he became the city's first black sportscaster, newscaster, and radio executive. Cooper's enthusiasm for radio was matched by his commitment to African-American youth. A resident of the nearby Morgan Park neighborhood, Cooper actively supported community groups including the South Side Boy's Club and the Morgan Park Youth Association.