January 27, A Day That Will Be Etched in History

It’s been years since President Donald Trump signed an executive order that banned refugees from entering the US for 120 days and suspended Syrian refugees indefinitely. The move was met with widespread criticism from Chicago immigration reform advocates and Muslim leaders, who called it an effective ban on Muslims in America.

A History of Controversy

The order, which also imposed a temporary moratorium on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, was touted as a measure to protect the nation from terrorist attacks. But critics argued it was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to discriminate against Muslims.

On the same day in 1966, the city was granted an NBA franchise – the Chicago Bulls. Dick Klein became the team’s first general manager. It’s funny how two completely different events can occur on the same day, isn’t it?

Other Notable Events

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. met with Chicago police Superintendent O.W. Wilson in 1966 to discuss his plan to address slum conditions in the city. King’s plan included educating people about the issues, organizing slum dwellers into a union, and mobilizing tenants for nonviolent demonstrations.

In other news, the Chicago Cubs traded Ivan DeJesus to the Philadelphia Phillies for Larry Bowa and a young Ryne Sandberg in 1982. And in 2021, the Chicago City Council voted to give landmark status to the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House in the West Woodlawn neighborhood.