From Chicago Sun Times

Repost from Chicago Tribune

Edna Stewart, 1938-2010

Proprietor of successful soul food restaurant

June 13, 2010|By Serena Maria Daniels, Tribune reporter

Edna Stewart's legendary soul food restaurant on Chicago's West Side served as a meeting place for leaders of the civil rights movement during the 1960s.

Among her patrons were the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and an aide, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who came to eat for free while they organized for equal rights. King and his colleagues also held meetings in the eatery to launch a campaign to end housing discrimination.

Her daughter Marguerite Banks said she's not sure whether her mother knew the significance of their presence when organizers with King approached Mrs. Stewart about holding their meetings at Edna's.

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