Keith Cooper, a long-time Hyde Parker, father and grandfather, Vietnam War veteran, jazz lover, and a very active member of Augustana Lutheran Church, was killed in July, 2021, in the Kimbark Plaza strip mall during an attempted carjacking.
Since the killing, to honor his memory, congregation members and friends have partnered with Hyde Park community leaders and family members to create a grant program, The Keith Cooper Fund.
Keith was such a good guy, but he was very aware that his life had been shaped and formed for the worse by racism. The way he dealt with that was to embrace the hope of transformation. Keith actively and continually faced racism and used that confrontation to strengthen his inner life. He felt empowered by continually learning about slavery and Jim Crow and the civil rights movement. He liked learning about African culture and he was proud of his African heritage. Because he had successfully navigated his way through barriers, he helped others do the same. He was a mentor to several young men, trying to help them turn their lives around. As one of his friends said, Keith made lemonade out of lemons. He actively practiced transformation in the face in a world that was built to ensure his failure.
There’s a direct line between extreme, systemic poverty in so many neighborhoods and public violence that telegraphs frustration and despair. This is the line that the Keith Cooper Fund seeks to address. It’s a project to reach out to individual young neighbors who face significant barriers in launching themselves in a satisfying life. It connects poor communities with the considerable resources of Hyde Park and wealthier Chicagoans.
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park 
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