Diggs and Baraka, along with Richard Hatcher, African American mayor of Gary, Indiana, coordinated a number of meetings among black politicians, elected officials, organizational leaders, and other prominent black figures from cities across the country. The most decisive of these occurred in Northlake, Illinois, in September 1971, where agreement was reached to hold the first “National Black Political Convention” the following March. Gary—a seat of black political power under Mayor Hatcher—was chosen to host the event.
