President Obama is set to visit Chicago in the coming days and formally designate the Pullman district on the Far South Side — the site of the nation’s first black labor union — as a national monument.
A White House official confirmed the president’s plans to the Chicago Tribune. He’s due to make the on-site designation just five days before the city heads to the polls to vote for mayor.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff for Mr. Obama, will be at the event, the White House officials said.
Illinois lawmakers have been pressing for the designation for some time, saying the site’s history and architecture will prove a draw for tourists, the Chicago Tribune said.
The area used to be the home of the Pullman Palace Car Co. and was touted as one of the nation’s first “company towns,” the newspaper said.
The site is also known as the birthplace of the country’s first black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Chicago Tribune said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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