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Jamaal510

(10,893 posts) Fri Feb 13, 2015, 10:32 PM Feb 2015

"President To Protect Historic Chicago District As Newest National Monument"

More: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/02/10/3621534/south-side-monument/

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Late Monday night, the Chicago Tribune reported that President Obama will designate a historic district on the south side of Chicago as a national monument.

The president will travel to Chicago next week to officially announce Pullman Historic District as a National Monument, according to the Tribune. The designation, which will be the President’s 14th under the Antiquities Act, could put the site under management of the National Park Service — a move supported by a large, bipartisan coalition of surrounding communities, businesses, members of Congress, and state and local leaders, including Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Kirk (R-IL), and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The country’s first planned industrial town, Pullman Historic District, became well known after a violent factory strike in 1894, which sparked an industry-wide strike and is now seen as a pivotal moment in the history of the labor and civil rights movements — leading to the creation of the first African American labor union. The site was determined to be of “national significance” by the National Park Service in 2013 and was identified as a “national treasure” last year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“The people who are part of the Pullman legacy helped to shape America as we know it today. Pullman workers fought for fair labor conditions in the late 19th century and the Pullman porters helped advance America’s Civil Rights movement,” said Lynn McLure, Midwest Senior Director at the National Parks Conservation Association in a statement. “Thanks to the President, Pullman’s story will soon be remembered and recounted for the millions of people that visit America’s national parks each year.”