Dick Durbin: “a Chicago neighborhood that has played a significant part in our country's African-American and labor history is being…”

“a Chicago neighborhood that has played a significant part in our country's African-American and labor history is being recognized next week in an exciting way. Next Thursday President Obama is going to declare the Pullman Historic District on the South Side of Chicago a national monument. This is the first time a unit of the National Park Service would be established in Chicago. This designation is the result of a collaborative effort by the businesses, residents, and organizations of the Pullman area in Chicago to restore and preserve this unique community. The people who are part of the Pullman legacy helped shape America as we know it. The Pullman neighborhood includes almost 90 percent of the original buildings the railcar magnate George Pullman built a century ago for his factory town to build railroad cars. It was the birthplace of the Nation's first black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Pullman workers fought for fair labor conditions in the late 19th century, and Pullman porters helped advance America's civil rights movement. During the economic depression of the 1890s, the Pullman community was the catalyst for the first industry-wide strike in the United States, which helped to lead to the creation of Labor Day as a national holiday. The Pullman porters are credited with creating the African- American middle class.…”