Editing Harold Washington (section)

===Roosevelt College===
In the summer of 1946, Washington, aged 24 and a war veteran, enrolled at [[Roosevelt University|Roosevelt College]] (now Roosevelt University).<ref name="levinsohn_42-43">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 42–43.</ref> Washington joined other groups of students not permitted to enroll in other local colleges. Local estimates place the student population of Roosevelt College at about 1/8&nbsp;black and 1/2&nbsp;Jewish. A full 75% of the students had enrolled because of the "nondiscriminatory progressive principles".<ref name="levinsohn_42-43" /> Washington chaired a student fundraising drive, and then was named to a committee that supported citywide efforts to outlaw "[[restrictive covenants]]" in housing, the legal means by which members of ethnic minority groups (especially blacks and, to a lesser extent, Jews) were prohibited from purchasing real estate in predominantly white neighborhoods of the city.<ref name="levinsohn_44">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), p. 44.</ref>

In 1946, Washington was elected the third president of Roosevelt's student council; he was also the first black student to win that office.{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|p=45}}<ref name="levinsohn_51-53"/> Washington saw [[Henry A. Wallace]] as an influence.{{sfn|Rivlin|1992|p=45}} Under his leadership, the student council successfully petitioned the college to have student representation on Roosevelt's faculty committees. At the first regional meeting of the newly founded [[National Student Association]] in the spring of 1948, Washington and nine other delegates proposed student representation on college faculties, and a "Bill of Rights" for students; both measures were roundly defeated.<ref name="levinsohn_51-53">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 51–53.</ref> The next year, Washington went to the state capital at [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]] to protest [[Illinois State Legislature|Illinois legislators']] coming probe of "subversives". The probe would outlaw the [[Communist Party USA|Communist Party]] and require "[[loyalty oath]]s" for teachers. Washington led students' opposition to the bills, which would pass later in 1949.<ref name="levinsohn_51-53"/>

During his college years, Washington came to be known for his stability. His friends said that he had a "remarkable ability to keep cool", reason carefully and walk a middle line. Washington intentionally avoided activities considered extremist, including street actions and [[sit-in]]s against racially segregated restaurants and businesses. Overall, Washington and other radical activists ended up sharing a mutual respect for each other, acknowledging both Washington's pragmatism and the activists' idealism. With the opportunities found only at Roosevelt College in the late 1940s, Washington's time at the Roosevelt College proved to be pivotal.<ref name="levinsohn_54-55,59,62">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), pp. 54–55, 59, 62.</ref> Washington graduated in August 1949, with a [[Bachelor of Arts|Bachelor of Arts]] degree. In addition to his activities at Roosevelt, he was a member of [[Phi Beta Sigma]] fraternity.<ref name="congbio" /><ref name="levinsohn_63">Hamlish Levinsohn (1983), p. 63.</ref>