So, very happy to get this thing started today.
Again, I want to thank the very awesome Jesse White Tumblers.
Let's give them a round of applause.
And I also want to thank the very awesome West Point School Band.
Shout out to you all.
And we're going to hear from them again very, very, very soon.
So, ladies and gentlemen, for the Pledge of Allegiance,
please welcome young people representing student government at Aldrich Elementary School.
Are the young kids ready to lead us for the Pledge of Allegiance?
Where are the little young kids at?
Y'all ready?
Come on, young folks.
I remember my headlines.
My smiles as bright like y'all before I had bills.
Come on up here.
Lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
If you please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Right here, right here.
You want to know if the answer is the five, seven?
Three, one, two, seven, four.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Young people, one of the hardest things to do ever is public speaking. Y'all just rocked that. So, round of applause for the young folks from Aldrich Elementary School.
Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Dilla. I'm a Chicago historian. Very happy to welcome you all to the far south side of Chicago. In my opinion, the best side of Chicago. Right here on 115th and Michigan Avenue.
Now, as a historian, I was very honored when they asked me to host this
because I spent a lot of my time talking about the history of these spaces.
If you've ever taken my Roseland tour, we load documents on screens.
It was in 1967, the last time they fully tried to extend the red line out this way.
But because of, quite frankly, racist practices,
they didn't want people of color having any more access to Roseland.
and they didn't want the people of color in Roseland to have access downtown.
And today, we're getting ready to change that.
For decades, right, for decades, far south side residents have envisioned this day.
Folks from Roseland and Washington Heights and Pullman and West Pullman and the Riverdale community,
full of hardworking Chicagoans that deserve connections to the rest of the city.
If they deserve to be able to take the train to Fulton Market to pay $21 for a burger like the rest of us.
But let's make one thing clear.
This day doesn't happen without the people.
The elected officials that are here that have the courage to push this through,
so we want to thank them for their support.
The transit professionals, right, those who are going to be here doing the actual physical work,
to future train conductors and so many employees, this is getting ready to be a job creator.
So we want to thank them. We want to thank the transit advocates.
But most importantly, we want to thank the community, the people that live in this area.
Sometimes you're thinking about selling that house on Wentworth or on Harvard and moving out to Woodridge.
Well, they working on it, but their sewage ain't as good as ours, so you might as well just stay right here in Chicago.
But it's the community members, those of you who didn't give up on your communities,
those of you who remember when the guy was making donuts on Michigan Avenue before he had gray hair, right?
We want to thank you because this day is not possible without you.
So can we please make some noise for everyone involved for this day?
All right, Chicago, we got a big afternoon with us.
I don't even know why I'm getting ready to say this.
wonderful elected officials who have done amazing things for our city, our state, and our county.
If you will, can you please limit your remarks to about three minutes a person?
It's a lot of y'all.
So that means they're going to all go eight minutes.
But please, we have a very lengthy program, so if you can keep it between two.
Two and three minutes. That'd be very, very awesome. And with that, to lead us off, I want to welcome to the stage the chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Lester Barclay. Let's give it up for Brother Lester.
Thank you, Brother Thomas. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for this historic moment. I want to acknowledge our Mayor, Mayor Johnson, Lieutenant Governor Stratton, President Preckwinkle, and my fellow CTA board members, Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Illinois General Assembly, and Cook County and City Council members.
Most importantly, I want to thank the residents and community advocates of the Far South Side who helped make this day possible.
Today is groundbreaking because it is the day that now becomes our reality.
Nearly 60 years ago, the Red Line Extension was promised to the Far South Side.
And for nearly 60 years, the community has been waiting for connection, for investment, for access to opportunity.
Far too long, that promise has been delayed.
But today, we declare that a promise delayed is not a promise denied.
And today, we prove that the Red Line Extension is a promise that the city of Chicago is keeping.
This moment belongs to the community who never stopped pushing for it.
Many have passed on, but somehow I think they're up there looking down saying, good job, you made it to the finish line.
This moment belongs to the people who believed in it long before it became a reality.
I want to recognize the leadership past and present of our board, the CTA.
And I would like the present board members to stand and be acknowledged at this time,
along with the Community Advised Citizens Advisory Board and Disabled Advisory Board.
These are the board members that make this possible.
Thank you. Thank you.
They stayed committed to this promise, even when the path was uncertain.
Because this project has faced real challenges, skepticism, even opposition,
and most recently freezing a critical federal funding which threatened to stop this day from ever coming.
But, despite of those challenges and those who sit high but sometimes should be looking low, CTA's commitment has never unwavered because equitable access is not optional. It's our responsibility. This is transformative.
So when our federal funding was threatened, we didn't step back, we stepped up.
We looked the giant straight in the face, and we got the funding restored so the project continued to move forward.
Our work continues in that process, and we will keep advocating for every dollar and every promise tied to this project until it is fully delivered.
Because the Red Line Extension is about more than transit,
it's about ensuring that where you live does not limit your access to opportunity.
No community should have to wait generations to connect to its own city.
No community should have to wait 60 years to access all its city has to offer.
We're changing that starting today.
So today, as we break ground, we also move forward with purpose,
with accountability, and with an unwavering commitment to the far south side of Chicago.
This is your investment. This is your future. Your time has come. It begins today. Today we
are building not just a transit line, but a more connected, more equitable Chicago for everyone
to enjoy. Thank you, and at this time I'd like to introduce Reverend Alvin Love. I am honored today
to be a part of this momentous occasion, representing 60 years in the making and 21 years of personal
involvement. And let me begin, first of all, as a pastor in this community and a preacher
of the gospel by thanking God for this day.
Let me also acknowledge the members of the Federal Transit Authority who are here,
our Illinois congressional delegation, members of the Illinois General Assembly,
President Preckwinkle, and members of the Cook County Board, the chair, the CTA Board,
Brother Lester Barclay, and our acting president, Nora Leisham, and all board members,
and to our illustrious mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and each community stakeholder.
From the very beginning, this project has been driven by the community and shows what happens when the community and elected officials form mutual partnerships for success.
I'd like also to acknowledge the Lillydale First Baptist Church where I serve and all other churches in whose basements we met.
The pods who worked so diligently to make this happen.
President Barack Obama, who as a junior senator, took the risk of submitting the proposal to a skeptical Congress.
and the members of Developing Communities Project who took the initial proposal to the federal government in 2005.
And I want to call the names of those folks who were there that day.
Deborah Strickland, our executive director then,
the Lou Turner, the project coordinator,
Desta Houston, secretary, and Brother Eugene Rogers, treasurer.
Won't you join me in prayer?
God of glory, God of grace, we gather here today to witness an urban myth become a reality.
We thank you for this groundbreaking moment for the Red Line Extension.
Thank you for the community members who never lost hope.
Thank you for the elected officials who stood with this community to make this dream become a reality.
Thank you for those who had both patience and persistence to wait upon you
Now we ask your blessings on this groundbreaking
Bless this moment with the power of your spirit
Let this be a reminder of the strength of a people who have a mind to work
We ask you to bless not only this moment and its participants
But bless all this project's moments to come
Bless those who will work to build the extension.
Bless the jobs that will be created and those who will fill them.
Bless the development of communities along each station corridor.
But above all, bless the citizens of Chicago who will ride this train with reduced commute times,
better connections to jobs and opportunities, safer and stronger communities.
We love you. We praise you. And we ask all of these blessings in the name of our redeeming Lord. Amen.
And now I'd like to turn the program over to the to the acting CTA president, Nora Leisham.
Way, way, way before we bring up the very awesome sister, Nora, let me give her her flowers.
She got the most thankless job around here, man.
I would not want your job.
I would want your vacation days, but I wouldn't want your job.
But I have had the pleasure to take CTA and legislators on neighborhood tours to show them the value of these spaces.
I got a chance to be a guest on the CTA podcast with Ms. Nora.
It was very plain that she cares about Chicago and she understands why this day is needed.
And so before we bring her up, let's just give her a round of applause for the hard work she's doing day in and day out.
So come on up, boss lady.
Thank you, Dilla, and good afternoon, everyone.
This is an absolutely monumental day for the Chicago Transit Authority,
for the communities of the far south side, for our great city and our entire region.
It's not every morning you wake up knowing you'll watch history being made.
And in fact, this project doesn't just make history.
it corrects it for too long the far south side has not been provided the transit service it
truly deserves. And today, that ends. In this way, as much as today is a beginning, it's
also an end. An end to the wait. An end to the speculation that this project might not
be a reality. The end of wondering if what is right and what is just would actually come
to be. As a transit agency leader, my role here in part is to tell you all the facts
and figures about the impact of this project, and the numbers are stunning. The project
is estimated to create more than 12,500 construction jobs, an additional 60,000 jobs supporting
that work, and another 25,000 jobs that will become available with the access to transit
for this community. It will foster economic development across the project area, where
new stations are expected to serve as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization and help reverse
decades of disinvestment in local business districts. The extension is expected to save
commuters up to 30 minutes during their trips between the far south side and the loop. And
And the extension is expected to provide over 40,000 trips per day upon opening and will
serve this community for generations to come.
But what's missing from that list are the things that can't be measured with a number
or a statistic.
And those are so often the more powerful things to consider.
Shortened travel times aren't just a number.
They mean things like the opportunity to get home early on a beautiful spring night like
we had last night, and go to the park with your kids.
With the demands of life, a 30-minute time savings each way literally provides the opportunity
to be a parent to your children, to be a friend to your neighbor, and to go for a run and
establish a lifestyle and routine that extends your lifespan.
And even just the mere presence of a rumbling L train out your window means you can picture
how you'll reach your dreams.
It means you'll apply for a job that you didn't think you could get to before.
You'll go visit that family member with whom you've been out of touch.
And with that, your entire life experience and life trajectory changes with the construction of these tracks.
In our city and in our nation, we are plagued by a long past of decisions that deepened our divisions
and entrenched inequality, especially like big cities in Chicago.
Until now, the map of CTA's train lines told that story, as our rail lines each extended to the north and west sides, but stopped short of extending through the south side.
In this way, the construction of the red line extension is a historic moment, not just for our city, but for our nation.
And each of you are here today witnessing that history.
And while there have been a lot of twists and turns to get to this moment,
even in our last battle in court just weeks ago
to ensure payments continued and the project's proceeds interrupted.
I'm not sure they knew exactly who they were dealing with.
This isn't just any project.
This project is defined by resistance to opposition
and by the fervor and the spirit and hope of its supporters.
We know Chicago and the CTA will not back down from this project.
So when we got the news that we'd prevailed and the money was flowing, we got busy making plans to pick up our shovels.
There are many people here to thank, and thankfully so many of them are actually present today.
I want to acknowledge the tremendous dedication and contributions from so many elected officials, past and present,
from the CTA, the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Illinois General Assembly, Cook County Government, and the City of Chicago.
Also, my thanks to the CTA Board of Directors, past and present,
for their continued and unwavering support of this project.
I also want to specifically mention members of the community
who have carried this project forward over the years.
They include the members of Developing Communities Project, or DCP,
and former Executive Director Gwendolyn M. Rice.
If you've never heard of DCP, you should know they were the first to fight for this day.
Not only does DCP have a rich history in this community,
but it's also worth noting that when you hear discussions of President Barack Obama's grassroots work,
this is...
is one of the organizations they're talking about. He was once director of this organization.
Thank you, DCP. We're also joined by the Redline Community Stalwarts.
They include Andrea Reid, Executive Director of the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce,
Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director of the People for Community Recovery,
Abraham Lacey, President of the Far South Side Community Development Corporation,
Bernadette Williams, President of the Local Advisory Council
David Doy, President of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives
Shanita Muse, Executive Director of the Hope Center Foundation
Jalen McClinton, Youth Representative for the RLE Project Advisory Council
President and CEO, TCA Health
and Roger Jones, Project Coordinator, Youth Peace Center of Roseland
Upon mentioning their names, I'd like to think about the characteristics they share, a belief in what they cannot yet see, a tolerance for being considered even naive to think this would happen.
It's so easy in life to take the pessimistic view, but this project is a reality because of the people over the last 60 years who thought maybe, just maybe, we can all do the right thing.
There's also key CTA staff I'd like to acknowledge,
including Tanisha Marshall, Vice President of the Red Line Extension Project,
who will lead this effort day to day,
alongside Bill Mooney, CTA's Chief Infrastructure Officer.
I'd also like to acknowledge Walsh Fincie Transit Community Partners and team
who will build the extension.
Let me tell you something.
We're very, very good at this work.
One need only look at the red-purple modernization stations
we opened last summer to see what we will be bringing to you.
We'll be building four brand new fully ADA accessible stations
right here on the far south side.
And to our partners in the disability community,
we are building these stations with you front of mind.
When we build projects, I often like to think of a quote from Winston Churchill.
We shape our buildings, and thereafter, they shape us.
Let's let this project shape us
These stations will not just be buildings
They will be gleaming testaments to providing access, dignity, and promise
To communities who have for so long not been afforded those fundamental aspects of life
This project will not just shape our travel patterns
It will shape our hearts for the better
And with that, it is my great pleasure to introduce a great champion of investment in our neighborhoods across our great city, the leader of Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Thank you, Nora. Good afternoon, Southside.
Listen, there's a lot of things to be excited about, but I'm so grateful that you Southsiders can now take the red line straight to Wrigley Field to watch real baseball.
that's okay nine games in a row all right simmer down simmer it out okay fine uh i'm so excited
about the south side my wife and i have committed that we're going to build our vacation home
in alt gale gardens how's that you know and that then that's privately funded that is not public
money by the way but you know the red line extension project has been an idea and it's been
idea that has been around for decades, and advocates from across this city for generations
have fought for this day. Today, we will finally break ground and deliver a promise made to
Roseland Pullman and West Pullman, Riverdale, and all of Chicago, a promise that was made 60 years
ago. The $5.7 billion project is the single largest transit infrastructure investment in
in the history of the Far South Side and one of the most consequential equity investments
in the history of Chicago.
Let's think for a moment about what it means to make one of the most consequential equity
investments in our city's history.
It's a difficult truth that Chicago is one of the most segregated cities in America, and that did not happen by accident.
The stark contrast between the north side and the south and west sides were shaped by decades of policy decisions
that dictated where we built and where we invested and, even more importantly, where we did not.
Entire communities were cut off from reliable transit and intentionally distanced from access to jobs, education, health care, and so much more.
For too long, residents of the far south side have had to travel farther and wait longer
just to reach the same opportunities that other Chicagoans have always readily had available to them.
But all that changes today, Chicago.
The Red Line Extension Project is not just about providing terrain access.
It's about connecting every Chicagoan from every neighborhood to our city's amenities and opportunities.
This is a project that begins to rewrite Chicago's chapter on segregation
and build a safer, more affordable city for all.
With this groundbreaking, we marked the formal start of a construction project
of 5.5 miles of railway and four new stations from 95th to 130th.
As Nora indicated, we're talking about generating more than 12,500 jobs,
and now a 30-minute commute is now in reach.
Altogether, this project will serve all 77 community areas
by creating job opportunities and supporting economic and neighborhood development.
Today is truly a great day for Chicago.
Today we are providing Chicago with an opportunity to demonstrate what it means to fight back against the Trump administration.
So, you know, this project was almost halted by the Trump administration because somehow he believes that investing in black is a criminal act.
But not in Chicago. Investing in black is the right thing to do for the entire country.
He explicitly said that he was going to slash funding for so-called democratic programs.
So, in other words, this was a flagrant foul, Mr. Scottie Pippen.
But everybody knows that if you foul a Chicagoan too hard, you just might get a Bill Cartwright elbow.
So let's be clear. Yeah, Dennis Rodman's job, right.
Let's be clear, the city's commitment to diverse contracting and hiring, that's not a barrier to progress.
It's what drives progress.
And so we will not allow the federal government to dictate our values, and we will not allow them to weaponize funding as a tool to redistribute the wealth throughout the city of Chicago.
Listen, Dillard said we have three minutes. I've already used two and a half.
I do want to thank the Chicago Transit Authority that helped lead this lawsuit and all of the fight that is being pushed by our entire political as well as our community class.
And so thank you to the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the Illinois General Assembly, Cook County Government.
I want to give a special shout-out to the alders who will be most impacted, Alders Anthony Beale, Alderman Peter Chico, and Alderman Ronnie Mosley in the 9th, 10th, and 21st Ward.
And, of course, to all the fine residents of the far south side and the incredible city of Chicago.
We'll be remiss if I do not acknowledge our wonderful hard workers.
Shout out to Penny McCoach, the president of ATU 308,
because we know that Chicago is a union town.
And then, you know, to a brother who, on his last act, moving on to his next excitement,
thank you to the former president of CTA, Mr. Dorville Carter.
Now, coming to the podium, someone who has been fighting 30 of those 60 years, our senior senator, Senator Dick Durbin.
The mayor said I get to use the rest of his time.
So before I say a word, three minutes, I'm going to use one minute to tell you a story.
And the story is when my wife and I went to China 30 years ago,
and we were roaming around the streets of Shanghai as the kids went to school.
and I looked at the sea of Chinese children going to school
and I spotted one kid wearing a Chicago Bulls baseball cap.
And I walked up to that kid and looked in his eye and said,
Michael Jordan.
He looked in my eyes and said, Scotty Pepe.
So, Scotty, I want to tell you, you made history for Chicago.
We'll never forget it.
We're making history today.
I'm glad you're here as a witness.
Let's hear it for Scotty Pepe.
It was 18 years ago when I put a little earmark in a bill as your senator.
There was a junior senator along with me who joined in that effort, and his name was Barack Obama.
He was on his way to the White House, but now he was in the Senate.
And we put in a request, get ready, for $285,000 for the red line extension.
That was 18 years ago.
The price tag's gone up a little bit, but the cause is still very real and very much alive.
And we have taught a president of the United States that in his craziness, he's never going to stop the red line.
We're going to make sure it's part of our future and make sure that it changes the lives for the better for families all across Chicago and Illinois.
On behalf of Senator Tammy Duckworth and our whole congressional delegation, we are one in the spirit and one in the determination to get as much done as possible, as fast as possible.
I've been honored to serve you in the Senate for 30 years.
There are others getting ready to move on and take my place.
I wish them the very best.
I'm with them all the way.
And one of those in the delegation who is a newcomer by our standards, but you know him well and you know his family even better,
I'd like to introduce my colleague, Congressman Jonathan Jackson.
I'd like to thank our senior senator for his outstanding work in leadership.
Also, like in her absence now, she had to attend another event.
Please give a loving round of applause to Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
We are in her congressional district.
To the mayor of this awesome city, thank you for your continued leadership.
Thank you to the board and all members of the CTA.
Ladies and gentlemen, community members that are here today,
We are standing on ground that remembers, ground that has waited, ground that has heard promises spoken 60 years ago, 60 years of my entire life.
Promises that seemed at times to belong to a future always just out of reach.
And that is the trouble with promises made in our country.
The language is often disguised in the language of hope, but postponed in the practice of power.
Let us be honest with one another.
Discrimination in public transportation has never been simply about buses or trains.
It has been about who is seen and who is not, who is carried forward and who is left behind.
Lines were drawn not only on maps, but in the lives of people.
Entire communities like Roseland were told without words that their time could wait.
But people cannot wait forever.
However, transportation is not a luxury.
It is fragile, but necessary bridge between welfare and work, between despair and dignity.
It determines whether a mother can reach a job, whether or not we can close the gap
on black maternal health, whether a student can reach a classroom, whether a dream can
survive the distance between where one stands and where one hopes to go.
It is in truth one of the clearest measures of whether a society intends to lift all of
its people or leave them exactly where they are. So today, as we break ground on this red line
extension, we must understand what we are already doing. We are not merely building tracks. We are
attempting, however late, to build and repair a breach. To say that lives rooted here in the
Roseland, in the South End, truly matter. That this distance imposed by neglect will no longer
define the destiny of this community. I stand here with you today in that spirit, not only as a
keeper of a promise, but as a witness to the delay and to its cruelty that is inflicted upon this
community. Because justice, if it is meant to mean anything at all, it must arrive not only in words
but in deeds. Sixty years is a long time to wait. Too long. I've got 30 seconds left. But let us be
clear, what is built here today must not only carry people across this city, it must carry
this nation a little closer to the truth that is too often it has refused to face. And that
truth is simple. We are bound together. And until we move together, none of us truly move
at all. This line will now connect the south end of the city to Evanston, Illinois, to
to Skokie, Illinois, to Forest Park, Illinois, to Bridgeview, Illinois.
Now we can say we have a Chicago truly connected.
Now I'd like to bring to you a person, many people have done great things, but someone
had to fight in committee. People oftentimes ask, what are you doing, Congress? You haven't
done. You haven't done. I've been cursed out so many times being a congressman. I don't
even know my name sometimes. But this is the beauty of being in the Congress, and I thank
you for letting me participate. There is a man who's gone to bat in the United States
Congress on the Transportation and the Infrastructure Committee that has never stopped fighting
a long time serving congressman the honorable mike quigley who funded this project we thank
you congressman quigley give him a loving round of applause well uh thank you representative
jackson now as part of that kumbaya moment mayor i want to take a slightly different tack on the
whole cub socks things just briefly i became a cub fan 69 which taught me that life is just one
crushing defeat after another which is much more realistic than being like a yankees fan right
but so fans since 69 i live across from wrigley field but god blessed my family i am a grandfather
for the first time and my granddaughter's father is a coach for the white socks so apparently god
God wants us to join together and have a subway series that you would take the red line to.
And you can all come.
I mean, it only happens, what, once every hundred years.
Look, and I appreciate the fact I'm on the committee that funds this.
And a lot of people here are getting credit and they might deserve that.
But the fact is, we are just conduits of your energy.
and it's a hell of a lot more energy
than the third rail that got this one done
so I want to thank you so much for that
and in the essence
my staff wrote this awesome speech
about transit and why it matters so much
it's been covered
this is singularly
about fairness and equity
our job is life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness
I don't know how you're going to pursue that happiness
if the train doesn't go by you
trains coming there so i'm going to give up some of my time to make up for others
but we're moving a little little more fairness got a long way to go a little more justice
got a long way to go and we're all going to be a little more connected and if there's one lesson
for all of us in this city at this time is what my friend john lewis said before he passed
he said we may have come over here in different ships we're all in the same boat now let's
remember that god bless everyone a guy who's taught us all about that and broke down a lot
of barriers been a good friend an extraordinary advocate for all of us my friend representative
chui garcia uh good morning to all or in spanish corrected muy buenas tardes it's of course an
honor to be here with each and every one of you want to congratulate cta leadership past and
present, and of course, the great work of our mayor and the leader of the Illinois
congressional delegation, Senator Durbin, for all of their hard work making this the
momentous occasion that it is.
Today marks an important step in completing a promise that was made just as I arrived
in Chicago in 1965.
and while we may be gathered in an empty lot right now it's just in a few short years this
empty lot will be transformed into a community resource what are we going to see we're going to
see families catching the red line here at the future michigan avenue station to catch a socks
game or even a cup game as the mayor has said on a warm sunday evening we're going to see kids
from Altgale Gardens boarding the Red Line to go to the Shedd Aquarium and other places downtown.
And we're going to see high school seniors that live on 95th Street jumping on the train to tour Loyola
or the great University of Illinois where I got my master's degree in urban planning.
This is a great celebration.
And the possibilities, of course, for all are endless.
And that is made possible by the investments in infrastructure that are being made now.
I'm a firm believer that public transportation is the glue that binds our communities together,
opening up doors and increasing mobility and options for everyone.
And the benefits aren't just limited to folks having an easier time moving around Chicago.
This project is a job creator, a business creator.
It will bring vitality to the South Side for workers who lay down the track
and small businesses involved in project design.
It's a win-win for everyone involved,
and I'm proud to have championed this project in Congress
as a member of the Transportation Committee and an urban planner, of course.
Thank you for having me here today,
and now it's my pleasure to introduce to you the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois,
and if my crystal ball was right this morning,
the next U.S. Senator for Illinois, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.
Well, good afternoon, everyone, and thank you, Congressman Garcia, for that wonderful introduction.
And thank you all for being here as we celebrate a day that has literally been decades in the making.
I certainly want to recognize the leadership of the CTA and the many elected leaders who have made this groundbreaking possible, including our senior senator, Senator Dick Durbin, and the Illinois congressional delegation, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and the members of the Chicago City Council, Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle, and members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
And I specifically want to acknowledge the hardworking members of the Illinois General Assembly who are laser focused on uplifting Illinoisans in every corner of our state, including Senator Napoleon Harris, Senator L.G. Sims, Senator Emil Jones, the third, Representative Justin Slaughter, Representative Bob Rita, Representative Nick Smith, Representative Eva Dina Delgado and Representative Cam Buckner.
Thank you all for your leadership. And of course, in his absence, I want to acknowledge the visionary leader of our state, Governor J.B. Pritzker.
I don't think this is lost on anyone here today, but it hit me that it was redlining that caused us to be segregated in this city, right?
And it is now the red line that is bringing us together and helping us to be connected one to another.
What an exciting day to celebrate what can be accomplished when government listens to community,
centers equity and justice, and works together at every level for the people we serve.
As a proud daughter of the South Side Mayor, I'm especially proud of the state's contribution to getting us to this point.
The Red Line Extension is made possible in part thanks to Rebuild Illinois grants,
carrying our administration's vision of investing billions in infrastructure and transit across the state.
For this project alone, we invested $578 million because we know that the historic Red Line Extension will not only connect people and communities,
it will spur significant economic development that will transform this entire region.
This is the power of collaboration, and this is what happens when government is a force for good.
Government should make people's lives better, and that's exactly what's happening through this expansion.
shorter commute times, better connected communities, greater access to housing, jobs, and education,
accessibility for people with disabilities, and of course enhancing Chicago's reputation as an accessible global city.
This is so much more than just about transportation.
It is about people, and it's not just what this community needs, it's what the far south side deserves.
It's about a working mom being able to scoop up her kids and hit the grocery store on the way home.
It's about our elders making it to their doctor's appointments and getting the care they need.
And it's about a student choosing to continue their education,
maybe at a wonderful institution like Chicago State University,
because there's an easier way to get to and from campus.
So Illinois doesn't just believe in helping people move from point A to B.
We believe in helping families move and their communities move.
forward. And as you can see, we have all hands on deck to get it done. So thank you to everyone
for being here. And with that, I'm going to pass it over to another strong partner and leader in
this work, Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle. Good afternoon. It's an honor to
be here on this historic day for Chicago and for Cook County. We're not simply breaking ground on
transportation project, we're advancing equity, expanding opportunity, and delivering critical
investment to the South Side. For far too long, residents in communities like Roseland and
Riverdale have been asked to travel farther, wait longer, and navigate greater barriers
to reach jobs, schools, health care, and opportunity. I want to recognize the many elected officials
whose partnership and persistence helped move this project forward. I especially want to
thank Acting President Nora Learson, CTA Chairman Lester Barkley, and the leadership
of the CTA Transit Authority for helping guide this vision into reality. I want to thank
and recognize the community advocates, organizers, and residents who fought for this extension
for years. Their voices never, never wavered. Their determination kept this project alive
through every challenge. Today it belongs to them as well. As construction begins, we
share a responsibility to ensure this investment delivers benefits far beyond the tracks through
local hiring, workforce development, support for small businesses, and equitable economic
opportunity in communities this line will serve. Today is a milestone, but it's also
a promise that we will continue to invest in infrastructure that connects people and
strengthens communities across Cook County. Let's get to work. I want to thank, I want
to thank, as
Lieutenant Governor Stratton did, all the
members of the General Assembly who are here with us
and introduce Senator L.G. Sims.
Good afternoon.
It is
a great day to be
here in the 17th District
because there are amazing things happening
across this community. I know
Alderman Beal, you're going to steal
my line when you get there, so I figure I'd say it first.
You know, as I was
mentioned, my name is L.G. Sims. I have the honor and privilege
of being State Senator of Illinois' 17th District.
And when I grew up, not too far from this very spot,
as a young person in West Pullman,
we were promised this back then.
I remember in the early 80s,
we were talking about this moment.
We were talking about the promise that today would bring.
And there have been folks who have been born
and folks who have gone on the glory
before this day came.
But today, this day is here.
Today, we're talking about more than a transit project.
We're talking about long-overdue opportunity, equity, and economic mobility
and the future of the south side of the city of Chicago.
The Red Line extension builds on what is already the backbone of our transit system.
Today, the Chicago Transit Authority moves more than a million people every day.
But at the heart of that is the Red Line, the busiest red line in Chicago,
carrying over 110,000 riders on an average weekday.
That means every single day, tens of thousands of working families rely on the red line
to get the jobs, schools, health care, and opportunity.
But here's the reality.
For a decade, that opportunity stopped at 95th Street.
The red line extension corrects that.
By extending service to 130th Street, we're finally connecting Roseland,
Pullman, West Pullman, Rosenheist, and all communities and surrounding communities
that have been cut off from the rapid transit for generations to the economic engine of this city.
The impact will be significant.
Major transit investments like this consistently generate billions in economic activity.
Let me pause and let that sink in for a moment.
Billions in economic opportunity.
As you heard from our lieutenant governor, the state of Illinois already has made sure that we understand how vital this is, committing nearly half a billion dollars, half a billion, y'all missed y'all shouting moment, half a billion dollars to this program, this project, because that means major transit investments like this consistently, you know, and this multi-billion dollar investment will create thousands of construction.
jobs, spur transit-oriented development around new stations, increase access to employment
opportunities for residents who currently face some of the longest commute times in
the region, because transit is access to opportunity.
We also know that transit is not a marginal system.
It is central to Chicago's economy.
By extending the red line, we're not just moving people.
We're expanding the labor market, reducing transportation costs, and strengthening our
local economy.
But let's be clear, this is also about fairness.
For far too long, decisions in this country have reinforced inequity instead of dismantling it.
Entire communities from the far south side were disconnected, not by chance, but by choice.
Today, we're choosing differently.
Now, with this investment comes responsibility.
We must ensure that minority and women-owned businesses have real opportunity to participate in the economic benefit that this project will create.
We need to make sure that local hiring commitments are fulfilled, making sure that the community voices remain at the center of implementation.
Because success is not just going to be measured in the miles of track that's laid.
It will be measured in the lives that are improved.
And finally, let's be clear about what this represents.
The red line extension should not be the exception.
It should be the model.
A model for how we use infrastructure to close equity gaps, drive economic growth, and invest in communities that have waited for far too long.
This is about dignity.
It's about access, and it's about making sure that where you live does not determine how far you go.
We've waited long enough.
Now we're delivering.
Let's get to work.
Thank you, and God bless.
Now it's my honor to bring to the podium Karen Tamley.
Good afternoon.
Is this on?
It is?
Oh, hi.
Good afternoon, everybody.
I'm Karen Tamley.
I'm the president and CEO of Access Living.
And for 46 years, Access Living has been serving people with all types of disabilities
to live the life of their choosing.
We do that through direct services.
We do that through advocacy and policy work to help make Chicago a more accessible and inclusive city.
Not simply for those of us with disabilities right now,
but for all of us who will acquire disabilities in the future.
But I'm not just the CEO.
I'm also an advocate and a mom of a family who all has disabilities
and who all use CTA as our primary mode of transportation.
Accessible transportation isn't something I ever take for granted
because my community has fought for it for decades.
For me, I grew up in a time long before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
And as a young person, I could never get on a bus or train with my friends because it wasn't accessible.
I dreamed of that day where I could ride public transit alongside my non-disabled friends.
And that dream started to become reality in 1990 when the Landmark Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law
and finally required accessibility for all of our nation's transit systems.
At that time, only 9% of CTA's rail stations were accessible.
Fast forward 36 years later, and we have a Chicago rail system that is well over 74% accessible.
We have plans to achieve 100% accessibility.
And today is a very important step in achieving that ambitious goal.
So being alongside all of you, celebrating this long-awaited expansion of the Red Line
is incredibly meaningful to me personally and to the community that I serve.
The far south side has some of the highest concentrations of people with disabilities in our city,
facing social isolation, lack of access to services, economic opportunity,
and the basics like food and stable housing.
In the next year, Access Living will be responding by unveiling new bold plans to intensify our services to Southside residents.
residents and this redline extension, which is the most critical and transformative equity
investment in CTA's history, will provide long-needed access that will be critical to
our work in serving an ever-growing need, an ever-growing number and need by people
with disabilities.
Access Living is proud for our decades-long work alongside CTA and many of you in this room
who are making this historic and long-needed project a reality.
I've always said that we cannot be a truly great city or the greatest city
unless we are accessible and equitable
and be a city that all of the people who live here deserve and get access to.
And today is one more bold step towards that goal.
So thank you all for your partnership and your visionary commitment to make this dream for the many a reality.
I'd like to now welcome to the stage 21st Ward Alderman, Ronnie Mosley.
Well, good afternoon, everyone.
You know, when the red line stopped at 95th Street, we were ready then.
And we've been ready through every delay and through every promise deferred.
But we didn't just sit by.
This plan was researched by us.
We shaped our hearts and desires into action.
And then we took action with visionaries like Reverend Alvin Love, who went to Washington, D.C., to carry this forward.
And it wasn't just about a demand.
It was a declaration that equity must be built into the infrastructure of our city,
that access to jobs and health care and education is not a privilege, it's right.
So let me be clear.
This is our plan. This is our persistence. And this is our progress. And infrastructure isn't just steel and concrete, but the spine of opportunity. It is, it is, it is how we connect families to what they need to live and thrive. And now after decades, we are still ready to build.
but this time more than stations we are building hope we are building trust and we are building a
future where our children can ride to opportunity congressmen this is justice in motion and this is
equity made visible and today we break ground and continue to break barriers we've been ready
And so now together, let's build.
And in doing this work together, I want to bring up my friend and colleague from the 10th Ward, Alderman Peter Chico.
Good afternoon.
My name is Alderman Peter Chico, and I'm a proud, proud alderman of the 10th Ward.
While the 10th Ward might have the smallest portion of the Red Line Extension Project,
it also probably carries the greatest impact.
That's right.
The Red Line extension will be ending in my all-gill gardens community.
A community and a part of the city that has long seen disinvestment and overall neglect.
But this community has persevered through those challenges and obstacles
to become a neighborhood built on overcoming adversity.
So today isn't just about celebrating a groundbreaking,
but about the opportunity and hopefulness that lies ahead.
A day that most of us wondered would ever come, especially to an area of the city that feels left behind.
As I look forward with excitement and enthusiasm, I think about the youth that I represent,
like the students that were just on this stage moments ago, doing me proud, and the future that must be theirs today.
No longer will my students have to worry about access to education, basic amenities, or just to enjoy
of our great 77 neighborhoods access to the rest of this beautiful city and the
promise promise of it will no longer be a barrier making me so eager to see a
community on the rise and ready to explore every opportunity this city
provides now as I close today's about being more inclusive and recognizing
what the southeast side and its neighbors have to offer and truly
feeling like we are a part of the fabric of this great city. That is what today is about
and me and my community are ready to start building. So with that, I will turn it over
to my colleague, somebody who has been a champion for this project for over 20 years, from
the Ninth Ward, Alderman Anthony Beale. Good afternoon. I'm filing a lawsuit as soon as
we leave here on Senator L.G. Sims for violating the patent that it is a great day in the Ninth
Ward. Let me just say how excited I am to be here today. You all, this project hits home
to me, I believe, more than anybody else. Because I lived it as a kid. I remember the
promise that old man Daley made to our community that he was going to finish the red line when
was a small kid taking the 34 bus up and down Michigan Avenue. Now here we are 50 something
years later and we are now breaking ground on the red line extension. Come on, give it up for that.
I ran for alderman in 99 because we know we need a change here in this community.
We know we needed to make sure that promises that were made are going to be promises that were kept.
And so after I became alderman, I started working with my colleagues in the surrounding area.
And I want to give people the fruits of their labor while they're still here.
Alderman Kerry Austin and Alderman Howard Brookings walked with me years ago into Mayor Daley's office
and told him that if he did not fulfill the vision of his father and the promise of his father,
that his agenda would not be carried forward.
So let me just tell you, that is the pressure that DCP put on all of us to go downtown and tell the mayor to make this a priority for our community.
So 50 years later, here we are today, breaking the ground, connecting our entire city from one end to the other.
Promises made, promises kept.
But if it had not been for the due diligence of our community, making sure that they stayed on us every step of the way.
We could not have done this without every step of every level of government, from the county to the state to the federal government, because it took all of us to make this a reality.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I don't want to take up my whole two, three minutes because I would rather silence myself to get those women and men to work to get this project going.
So with that, I'm going to turn it over. God bless you. And it's a great day in the Ninth Ward. Thank you so much. And God bless you.
Ladies and gentlemen, in a moment, we are going to go ahead and take the groundbreaking photo.
So here's what we'll need to do.
For the media, if you want to go ahead and get in position for your shot, please do so.
We're going to try to get all this set up within about three minutes.
At the end of that, we're going to ask for now, our invited guests, particularly our elected officials, hold in place.
We will escort you over there in a moment, but let's go ahead and let the media get in position.
Andy, I'll be watching you. Please give me a hot sign when we look good.