This very special collection, donated by Rev. Dr. Evans, chronicles his extraordinary work as an advocate and activist in Chicago and across America. It will feature his 50-year leadership of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, civil rights work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, pioneering productions in radio and television broadcasting and voice in Gospel music. Over the course of 2016 the Chicago Public Library will catalog this wide-ranging collection and mount an exhibition in 2017.

Earlier this month, City Council honored Rev. Evans with a resolution for his life’s work and last year he was the recipient of the Chicago Champion of Freedom Award at the City’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Breakfast.