Anjanette Young said Thursday she was hesitant to allow the release of footage of a botched police raid on her home that showed her naked and handcuffed.
But, Young said, she knew it would benefit others in the long run.
Young recounted the toughest moment of her life to attendees at a fundraising event for the Ida B. Wells Legacy Committee, a political action committee, at Truth Italian restaurant in Douglas on the South Side.
Young also received an award for carrying on the legacy of Wells, the crusading journalist and activist who was born into slavery and battled racism, sexism and violence.
“I can remember that decision very well. My attorney was, like, are you sure you want to do this? And I was like I’m absolutely not sure that I want to do this, but I felt it was very necessary to do,” Young said. “Because of that, I am now on the local stage, on the national stage, speaking my truth to power.”
Young, a social worker, was presented with the award for the “selfless courage” she displayed when she allowed footage of the raid to be shown to millions, placing the public’s need to know above her own privacy, said Delmarie Cobb, a political consultant and founder of the committee.
Cobb grew emotional as she presented Young with the award, describing the pain she felt when she first saw the footage of Young surrounded by uniformed officers.
“As a Black woman, I was transported to a time in history where I saw myself standing on an auction block, with white men walking around me determining my worth,” Cobb said.
She also said she was reminded of Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to have an open casket funeral for her son, Emmett, who was brutally beaten and lynched in Mississippi.
“I think what she did was absolutely selfless, and brave,” Cobb said of Young’s decision.
Young credited her grandmother for giving her the strength to persevere through that traumatizing moment, which she said she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
“It took me a long time to get to a place of understanding that that moment was so much bigger than I,” Young said. “It meant so much more for so many people because we know that I wasn’t the only person that happened to.”
Young was the victim of a wrongful raid of her home by Chicago police who, looking for a man with an illegal gun, entered her home and forced to stand unclothed for minutes until officers realized they were in the wrong apartment. The incident prompted the police department to change its search warrant policy in early 2021.
In December 2021, the City Council approved a $2.9 million settlement to Young after she filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court earlier that year.
Previous winners of the Wells Legacy award include former presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Northwestern University professor and sociologist Mary Pattillo was also presented with the commitment to justice award at the event Thursday.
The Ida B. Wells Legacy Committee aims to develop the next generation of progressive African American women candidates. Its website says it is “not affiliated with the Ida B. Wells family or any other endeavor bearing her name.”
