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50-528: The company was founded in January 2003 by a consortium of Chicago and Detroit business leaders to take over the assets of Sengstacke Enterprises Inc. , the longtime owner of five of the papers. Robert Sengstacke Abbott founded the Chicago Defender in 1905, billing it the "World's Greatest Weekly". The Defender served the growing African-American community of Chicago, which was often ignored by

100-567: A law degree from Kent College of Law , Chicago , in 1898. Abbott became a Prince Hall Freemason at the Oriental Lodge, No. 68, in Chicago . Abbott tried to set up a law practice, working for a few years in Gary, Indiana , and Topeka, Kansas . He returned home to Georgia for a period, then went back to Chicago, where he could see changes arriving with thousands of new migrants from

150-808: A celebration for youth, education and African–American life in Chicago, Illinois, is the second largest parade in the United States. Abbot was born on December 24, 1870, in St. Simons, Georgia (although some sources state Savannah, Georgia ) to freedman parents, who had been enslaved before the American Civil War . The Sea Islands were a place of the Gullah people , an African-descended ethnic group who maintained African-inherited cultural traits more strongly than many African Americans in other areas of

200-519: A church, man made denominations. God gave us a Holy Bible, disputing men made different kinds of disciples.". Industrialization underway in the United States, Abbot studied the printing trade at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), a historically black college in Virginia, from 1892 to 1896. At Hampton, he sang with the Hampton Choir and Quartet , which toured nationally. He earned

250-419: A concert. The 2006 parade featured Yung Joc , and the 2007 parade featured Pretty Ricky . However, it seems neither "after-parade-activities" included a concert. The 2003 parade featured B2K . The concert was free with virtually unlimited space in the park for viewing. However, the crowd became unruly causing the concert to be curtailed. Over 40 attendees were taken to hospitals as a result of injuries in

300-403: A fictional character created in 1923 by Abbott, who had been considering adding a youth section to the Chicago Defender newspaper. While dining at a Chinese restaurant he noticed a Billiken . Some of the early Billiken columns were written by Willard Motley , who later became a prominent novelist. During the early 1930s, names of international youth were listed in the "Bud Billiken" section of

350-453: A locally sponsored event to one with major corporate presence and is seen as a signal of the impending end of summer and beginning of the new school year. As such the parade sponsors raise money for college scholarships for local youth. The parade route has changed over the years. The original route was along Michigan Avenue beginning at 31st Street, then turned east into Washington Park. Complaints for north–south traffic flow caused rerouting

400-410: Is a picnic and festival. Robert S. Abbott , the founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender newspaper, created the fictional character of Bud Billiken, which he featured in a youth advice column in his paper. David Kellum, co-founder of the newspaper sponsored Bud Billiken Club and longtime parade coordinator suggested the parade as a celebration of African-American life. Since its beginning,

450-599: Is an annual parade held since 1929 in Chicago, Illinois . The Bud Billiken Day Parade is the largest African-American parade in the United States. Held annually on the city's south side on the second Saturday in August, the parade route travels on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive through the Bronzeville and Washington Park neighborhoods. At the end of the parade, in the historic Washington public park

500-666: Is now published weekly – merged with Real Times; its publisher said the sale would give the World more multimedia resources, calling it "truly a new beginning for the paper." In June 2024, influential Real Times Media co-owner William Pickard died. The company has its headquarters in Midtown Detroit . At one time its headquarters were in the Globe Tobacco Building in Downtown Detroit , and later

550-724: The Atlanta Daily World , founded in 1928). It published as a daily until 2003, when new owners converted the Defender back to a weekly. Sengstacke also built his newspaper into a chain. He had previously established the Michigan Chronicle in Detroit in 1936, and turned the Chicago paper's Memphis bureau into the Tri-State Defender weekly newspaper in 1951. In 1965, he purchased the assets of

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600-751: The Baháʼí Faith , through covering a talk of his during his stay in Chicago during his journeys in the West . By 1924 Abbott and his wife were listed as attending Baháʼí events in Chicago. After inventing the fictional character "Bud Billiken" with David Kellum for articles in the Defender , Abbott established the Bud Billiken Club . In 1929 Abbott and Kellum founded the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic . It became an occasion for African Americans to celebrate their pride and connections. Abbott

650-618: The Buhl Building in Downtown Detroit. Real Times publishes seven newspapers in five different markets: The company also owns RTM Digital Studios, a videography company, and a large archive of newspaper clippings, artifacts and photographs connected with African-American history. In 2009, Real Times purchased Who's Who Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio , which publishes biographical and networking guides for and about African American businesspeople in 25 cities across

700-829: The Chicago Commission on Race Relations . The commission conducted studies about the changes resulting from the Great Migration; in one period, 5,000 African Americans were arriving in the city every week. The Commission collected data to assess the population and published the book, The Negro in Chicago . Though some of his stepfather Sengstacke's relatives in Germany became Nazis in the 1930s and later, Abbott continued correspondence and economic aid to those who had accepted him and his father's family. He also assisted descendants of Captain Charles Stevens,

750-589: The Chicago Defender , expressed those stories and encouraged people to leave the South for the North. He even set a date of May 15, 1917, for what he called 'The Great Northern Drive' to occur. In his weekly, he showed pictures of Chicago and had numerous classifieds for housing. In addition, Abbott wrote about how awful a place the South was to live in comparison to the idealistic North. Abbott's words described

800-625: The Douglas community area , south of the landmark Victory Monument . It continues south to 55th Street in Washington Park . This route covers approximately 2 miles (3.2 km). This route takes the parade through the Grand Boulevard and Washington Park community areas. A notable person or persons are invited each year to serve as Grand Marshal , often featuring politicians, musicians, or entertainers. Chicago native Chance

850-602: The Chicago Defender Charities, Inc., organized the parade for over 50 years. Numerous high-profile celebrities and dignitaries have attended the parade over the years, including U.S. President Harry S. Truman , Michael Jordan , Barack Obama , Joe Louis , Muhammad Ali , Duke Ellington , Adelaide Hall , Oprah Winfrey , Aretha Franklin , Diana Ross , Lena Horne , James Brown , Ethel Waters , Cab Calloway , Paul Robeson , Chaka Khan and Billie Holiday . Truman rode alongside John H. Sengstacke, who

900-635: The Georgia port city in 1847, where, after becoming distressed at a slave sale, he bought and freed her. They married in Charleston, South Carolina , before returning to Georgia, where their interracial marriage was prohibited . Their son, John, was born the next year. Tama died soon after their second child, a daughter, was born, and Herman took the children back to Germany to be raised by family. John Sengstacke cared for Robert as if he were his own, and with Flora Abbot had seven additional children. Robert

950-413: The North as a place of prosperity and justice. This persuasive writing, "thereby made this journal probably the greatest stimulus that the migration had." Abbott was a fighter, a defender of rights. He listed nine goals as the Defender 's "Bible": The Chicago Defender not only encouraged people to migrate north for a better life, but to fight for their rights once they got there. The slogan of

1000-538: The Rapper served as the Grand Marshal for the 88th annual parade in 2017. Chicago native and singer Chaka Khan served as the Grand Marshal at the 2014 parade. Rapper T.I. served as Grand Marshal for the 83rd annual parade in 2012. Bud Billiken Parade is themed every year by the parade committee. The tradition began in 1940 when the parade organizers themed the parade "Americanism" to demonstrate patriotism in

1050-463: The South. His father, Thomas Abbott, died when Robert was a baby, and his widowed mother Flora Abbott ( née Butler) met and married John Sengstacke, a mixed-race man of unusual background who had recently come to the US from Germany. Sengstacke's parents were Tama, a freed slave, and her husband Herman Sengstacke, a German sea captain who had a regular route from Hamburg to Savannah. Herman had met Tama at

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1100-515: The US within the African-American community. Other themes over the years: The parade has been televised for over 40 years, beginning in 1978 on WGN-TV ; which broadcast the parade until 2012. WCIU-TV covered the parade beginning in 2012 after it was canceled from WGN-TV but later canceled it in 2014. WLS-TV has been broadcasting the parade since 1984. The 89th Annual Parade took place on August 11, 2018. BET and Centric premiered

1150-481: The US's expanding population as well as the war in Europe, which started in 1914. The Pennsylvania Railroad and others were expanding at a rapid rate across the North, needing workers for construction and later to serve the train passengers. The Defender told stories of earlier migrants to the North, giving hope to disenfranchised and oppressed people in the South of other ways to live. Abbott, through his writings in

1200-470: The character was created in 1923, the parade did not begin until 1929, when David Kellum initiated it as a celebration of the "unity in diversity for the children of Chicago". It has since grown to become a locally televised event and the second largest parade in the nation. The parade, which began on August 11, 1929, now includes politicians, beauty queens, celebrities, musical performers, and dozens of marching, tumbling and dancing groups. It has grown from

1250-615: The cities and became an urbanized, northern population. From the early 20th century through 1940, 1.5 million Black people moved to major cities in the Northeast and Mid-West . They were eager to know about conditions, to find housing, and to learn more about their new lives in cities. Most were from rural areas of the South. From 1890 to 1908 all the southern states had passed constitutions or laws that raised barriers to voter registration and effectively disenfranchised most Black people and many poor whites . They were utterly closed out of

1300-421: The country. Robert Sengstacke Abbott Robert Sengstacke Abbott (December 24, 1870 – February 29, 1940) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher and editor. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender in 1905, which grew to have the highest circulation of any black-owned newspaper in the country. Abbott founded the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic in August 1929. The parade, which has developed into

1350-517: The early 1920s. Credited with contributing to the Great Migration of rural southern Black people to Chicago, the Defender became the most widely circulated black newspaper in the country. It was known as "America's Black Newspaper." Its success resulted in Abbott becoming one of the first self-made millionaires of African-American descent; his business expanded as African Americans moved to

1400-495: The feelings of those who resent the injunction of racial distinction in their private and personal affairs." He believed that laws restricting personal choice in a mate violated the constitution and that the "decision of two intelligent people to mutual love and self-sacrifice should not be a matter of public concern." Abbott also published a short-lived periodical called Abbott's Monthly , whose contributor included Chester Himes and Richard Wright . The Defender actively promoted

1450-773: The former owner of his enslaved birth father before emancipation. With his wealth, Abbott aided the Stevens descendants in Georgia during the Depression , and paid for the education of their children. Abbott died of Bright's disease in 1940 in Chicago. He was buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island , Illinois . His will left the newspaper in the control of his nephew, John Henry Sengstacke . Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic (also known as The Bud Billiken Day Parade )

1500-482: The mainstream newspapers of the day. Sengstacke also used the Defender as a means to grow the community, writing stories about Northern city life that enticed African-American residents of the Southern United States to move to Chicago, a phenomenon that came to be known as the Great Migration . Like other giants of the contemporary black press , the Defender enjoyed substantial circulation across

1550-690: The nation. Abbott's nephew John H. Sengstacke , who became publisher in 1940, was a founder of the National Negro Publishers Association, later renamed the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which now has 200 member black newspapers. On February 6, 1956, the Defender became a daily newspaper and changed its name to the Chicago Daily Defender , the nation's second black daily newspaper (after

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1600-686: The newspaper every week. Between 1930 and 1934, approximately 10,000 names appeared and were archived in the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library of the Chicago Public Library . During the Great Depression , Abbott featured the Bud Billiken character in his newspaper as a symbol of pride, happiness and hope for black residents. The character gained prominence in a comic strip and the Chicago Defender newspaper. Although

1650-416: The newspaper then went on to celebrate this character by starting the “Bud Billiken Parade” in 1929. This parade is an annual parade held in Chicago, IL. It is the largest African American parade in the United States. The parade has since featured celebrities, politicians, businessmen, and many others. It is considered the second largest parade in the United States. In 1912, Abbott met ʻAbdu'l-Bahá , head of

1700-548: The northward migration of Black Southerners, particularly to Chicago; its columns not only reported on, but encouraged the Great Migration. Bud Billiken is a fiction character created by Abbott in 1923. During the Great Depression, Abbott featured Bud Billiken in the youth column of his newspaper, the Chicago Defender, as a symbol of pride, happiness, and hope for black residents. David Kellum, co-founder of

1750-470: The paper and the first goal was "American race prejudice must be destroyed." Sengstacke openly discussed African-American history in his articles, including its difficult issues. He wrote, " Miscegenation began as soon as the African slaves were introduced into the colonial population and continues unabated to this day.... What's more, the opposition to intermarriage has heightened the interest and solidified

1800-619: The papers were to be sold upon his death, but the search for the right buyer took six years—longtime Michigan Chronicle publisher Sam Logan left the paper in 2000 and in May of that year formed a competing weekly, The Michigan FrontPage . Logan was one of the investors in Real Times, and the company continued to publish FrontPage alongside the four Sengstacke titles. In 2012, the Atlanta Daily World – which, despite its name,

1850-400: The parade has featured celebrities, politicians, businessmen, civic organizations and youth. It is considered the second largest parade in the United States, whose focus is on celebrating youth, education, and African-American life. The parade is also cited as the "back-to-school" celebration, marking the end of summer vacation and resuming of school for Chicago's youth. Bud Billiken is

1900-466: The parade on their networks in 2012. On August 8, 2020, WLS-TV aired a television special for the 91st Annual Bud Billiken Parade in place of the 2020 parade which was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. The parade begins at 10 A.M. After the parade, visitors are welcomed to stay in Washington Park for the "after-parade-activities". The "after-parade-activities" has various festivities and vendor booths. The post–parade festivities often include

1950-628: The parade route to South Parkway (now named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive), which runs directly into the park. At various times, street repairs have necessitated use of the Michigan route, but the current route is now the King Drive route. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll of Amos 'n' Andy were the first guests in the first parade. Robert S. Abbott led the first parade in his Rolls-Royce . Dr. Marjorie Stewart Joyner, president of

2000-476: The parade the following year. The 2020 parade, marking its 91st year, saw the first-ever cancellation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . A "scaled down" event was held in 2021. The parade has categorized contests for participants such as best float , and best marching band . It takes place in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, starting at 35th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive at the southern border of

2050-772: The political systems. Schools and other public facilities reserved for Black people were typically underfunded and ill-maintained. Legislatures imposed Jim Crow conditions, producing facilities for Black people that were "separate" but never "equal" (referring to the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) case, in which the US Supreme Court ruled that segregated facilities, such as railroad cars providing "separate but equal" conditions, were constitutional). The northern and midwestern industrial centers, where Black people could vote and send children to school, were recruiting workers based on expansion of manufacturing and infrastructure to supply

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2100-580: The recently defunct Pittsburgh Courier and started the New Pittsburgh Courier This chain became known as Sengstacke Enterprises Inc., or SEI. Following Sengstacke's death in 1997, SEI was held in a family trust until 2003, when it was sold for nearly $ 12 million to Real Times, a group of investors with several business and family ties to Sengstacke. Amid the uncertainty over the SEI papers' futures—Sengstacke had left instructions that

2150-439: The rural South as a part of the Great Migration . After settling in Chicago, in 1905 Abbott founded The Chicago Defender newspaper with an initial investment of 25¢ (equivalent to $ 8 in 2023). He started printing in a room at his boarding house; his landlady encouraged him, and he later bought her an 8-room house. He wanted to push for job opportunities and social justice, and was eager to persuade Black people to leave

2200-465: The segregated, Jim Crow South for Chicago. A key part of his distribution network was made up of African-American railroad porters , who were highly respected among Black people, and by 1925 they organized a union as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters . They often sold or distributed the paper on trains. Defender circulation reached 50,000 by 1916; 125,000 by 1918; and more than 200,000 by

2250-438: The son of Danell Nicholson . The Chicago Bulls ' mascot made a guest appearance. The Chicago Defender Charities underwent a major restructuring in 2017. Myiti Sengstacke–Rice is board president of the Chicago Defender Charities and Bud Billiken Parade Chair. Sengstacke–Rice is the great-grandniece of Robert Sengstacke Abbott, granddaughter of John Herman Henry Sengstacke, founder of the Chicago Defender Charities and daughter of

2300-584: The violence, including two teenagers who were shot. At the 78th annual parade in 2007, then– U.S. Senator Barack Obama served as the Grand Marshal for the second year in a row. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley attended, and march participants included U.S. Senator Dick Durbin , Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn and the Rev. Al Sharpton . One float represented the Chicago 2016 Committee and included past Chicago Olympians Bob Pickens , Willie May , Diane Simpson-Bundy and Kenny Johnson as well as

2350-431: Was Abbott's nephew and took over the Chicago Defender in 1948, and Mayor Richard J. Daley in the 1956 Parade. Recent parades have featured popular musical acts as concert performers at the post-parade picnic. In 2006, approximately 26 million people saw the parade, including 25 million television viewers and 1.2 million attendees. The 2006 parade included 74,000 participants and 160 floats and vehicles. The 2008 parade

2400-474: Was dedicated to actor and comedian Bernie Mac (star of The Bernie Mac Show ) and a native of Chicago; he died an hour before the start of the parade. In 1993, a request by a black LGBT group to participate in the parade was declined by the organizers. Following legal action and the involvement of Lambda Legal , the Ad Hoc Committee of Proud Black Lesbians and Gays was allowed to participate in

2450-559: Was given the middle name Sengstacke to mark his belonging in the family. John Sengstacke had become a Congregationalist missionary as an adult, a teacher, determined to improve the education of African American children, and a publisher, founding the Woodville Times , based in Woodville, Georgia, a town later annexed by Savannah, Georgia ; he wrote, "There is but one church, and all who are born of God are members of it. God made

2500-500: Was seeking an atmosphere free of race prejudice. Even in religious communities, he sometimes found that mixed-race African Americans who were light-skinned sometimes also demonstrated prejudice against those who were darker. Abbott officially joined the Baháʼí Faith in 1934. He had found that its convention to elect its National Spiritual Assembly seemed free of prejudice. In 1919, Illinois Governor Frank Lowden appointed Abbott to

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