Lu Palmer, journalist, dead at age 82

By Theresa Fambro Hooks
The Chicago Defender

Lutrelle F. "Lu" Palmer, award-winning print and broadcast journalist and political pundit who was often referred to as "the godfather of Chicago's Black politics," died Sunday morning from pneumonia in his Bronzeville home on 37th and King Dr. He was 82.

An avid and outspoken supporter of Harold Washington, a close personal friend, Palmer was instrumental in Washington becoming Chicago's first African American mayor.

Born on March 28, 1922, in Newport News, Va., Palmer received a journalism degree from Virginia Union University in 1942 and a master's degree from Syracuse University. He arrived in Chicago in 1950 with a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He joined the Chicago Defender as a reporter and was known as "the panther with a pen."

He spent 50 years stimulating and informing the Black community as a reporter, syndicated columnist, newspaper publisher and radio commentator.

From 1983 until his retirement in 2001, Palmer hosted an issues-oriented talk show, "Lu's Notebook" on WVON Radio. He also was host of "On Target."

In 1983, Illinois Bell canceled its sponsorship of Palmer's 12-year-old radio show when he became an outspoken supporter of Washington. Palmer wrote for the Chicago Courier and the Chicago Daily News, where he also served as a syndicated columnist and editor for the Chicago Defender’s sister publication, the Tri-State Defender. He later published the Black X-Press Info-Paper in Chicago.

As a community activist, he founded the Chicago Black United Communities (C-BUC) in 1979 and the Black Independent Political Organization (BIPO) in 1981.

"Lu was a huge figure in Chicago and Black journalism," recounted his friend and political ally, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

"His reputation extended far beyond the people he wrote for on his commentaries. When Lu Palmer wrote, people read intensely. When he did commentaries, they listened intently. He was a classic journalist with a mission, not just a journalist with a job. He and Vernon Jarrett brought the journalism downtown where it was needed, and both ultimately lost their jobs because they had non-negotiable principles. But they were exalted in the process. They saw themselves as freedom fighters. Journalism was simply their skill and the pen was their weapon.

"Lu Palmer believed that the government killed Fred Hampton and Mark Clark and that they sought to kill Bobby Rush," Jackson continued. "Lu was proven to be right. His community paper, the Black X-Press Info-Paper, was dedicated to an alternative point of view. He was a driving force with his popular radio commentary, in the climate that elected Harold Washington mayor . . . Lu's independence as a journalist and integrity as a warrior are unmatched. And he will sorely be missed. Lu was a part of the essence of the soul of Chicago and our liberation struggle."

His scores of honors include the Chicago State University Black Writers' Hall of Fame, induction into the Black Journalists' Hall of Fame, the Jomo Kenyatta Award for Political Activism, the Outstanding Service/Community Information Award, Grambling State University's Outstanding Service Award, Bell Labs' Black Achievement Against the Odds Award, and the Proclamation of Unity Award.

Additionally, Palmer was a recruiter, organizer and preceptor for the Associated Colleges of the Midwest from 1970 to 1990. He served as chairman of the Extended Services Program for the Group Living Facilities for Boys in 1998.

Besides his wife, Jorja, he is also survived by their seven children. Funeral services are pending.

Chicago Defender Staff Writer Roland S. Martin contributed to this report.