Chicago Politics

Chicago’s 189th Birthday Celebration 3.4.26

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Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrates Chicago's 189th Birthday.

Transcript

1:01 We got water from there, so we need to open for birthday hats. Are we ready? Yeah. Good. Hello, everybody. Hello. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome. Welcome, Mr. Mayor. Thank you for being here with us. Welcome, everybody. Thank you. Happy birthday, Chicago. I'd like to also ask a couple of our entrepreneurs and vendors to step on over here and step up. um good morning i'm dan gibbons from the city club of chicago and uh i'm so excited to be here

1:36 to help lead this celebration uh with our mayor and our uh our chicago entrepreneurs and local products uh we are so thrilled to be here um in the historic pump house celebrating the history of this incredible city 189 years old but at city club we really love bringing leaders together to talk about moving the city forward. So while we're here to celebrate the past, we, just like Mayor Johnson and everybody else, are here to help Chicago

2:07 move forward and make this an even greater city every day and what a future we have. So thank you so much for joining us. City Club is honored to be the one to come here and convene, but it's really about the mayor, it's about the city, it's about our entrepreneurs, our women-owned businesses, and all these folks, the Mag Mile Association, that are just doing such great things to move our incredible city forward. We're here at Looking Glass Theater. What a Chicago institution on Chicago's

2:38 Magnificent Mile. There are some amazing shows here that I hope you all come back and see, and I thank you to the theater. I know Looking Glass is here. Shulman's Cheesecake is here. Ida's Artisan Ice Cream is here. Coco's Kitchen is here, and Ruby Fine Hibiscus Tea is here. sharing some awesome Chicago treats. So we're going to get to all that in a minute. But to put this into a little historical context, we have one of our favorites, one of Mayor Johnson's favorite and Chicago's favorite and, of course, City Club's favorite, Chicago historian and all-around

3:11 Renaissance man of Chicago. So if you will, join me in welcoming Sherman Dilla Thomas, The dopest guy in Chicago. Thank you. Come on. My baby asked for a mental health break today, and so I said, well, this is a good day to have a mental health break. You're going to get to see the leaders of our city. And I have her here because I'm very proud to be raising her here in Chicago. I'm raising her in the city that not only gave us the first woman to lead a large school district, Ella Flag Young,

3:44 but he gave us the first black woman to lead a large school district, Barbara Sizemore. I'm happy to be raising her in the city where the first woman ever passed the bar happens to also be the first city ever where a woman graduated from law school. I'm raising my baby in the city where Catherine Dunham gives us modern dance. I'm raising my baby in a city where we have a black man that's helped reduce crime in our city and hired 31,000 young folks summer after summer, making sure that they have something to do. I happen to be wearing the face of the guy that started it all.

4:16 His name is John Baptiste Pointe du Sable. And he and his wife, Kithy Hawa, established a trading post that connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, opening western expansion for our country. I'm happy to be raising my baby girl in a city where Florence Price is the first black woman to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. And it's no surprise at all that it's the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that performed that work. I'm happy to be raising this amazing young lady in the city that's the only city where the river flows backwards for the protection of its citizens.

4:51 We just celebrated 100 years of Black History Month. If you haven't guessed it, Chicago gave you that, too. And so, as I say, everywhere... all around the world. Everything dope about America comes from Chicago, right? And so on this birthday of Chicago, I hope that Chicago wins. Not just celebrate God's favorite city. I know he likes a lot of cities, but he really loves Chicago the most. But I want us to remember that it is us in unison that is giving the world the Radio Red Flyer. It's giving the world

5:27 swim bicycle. My kids have made me spend about 17 hours of my life watching Wicked, right, in various forms, plays, part one, part two. But if you ain't guessing by now, it's Chicago that gives you that because it was in Humboldt Park that Frank L. Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz. And so on this particular birthday, particularly with everything that's going on in the world, let's remember that we're in the best city on earth. And we're in a city that's so creative And we're at our best when we're in unity in that creation.

5:59 Thank you all very much. Thank you, Dilla. This is really neat, and it's an honor for me to, first of all, I love that we have the poet laureate in one of the smaller branches of the Chicago Public Library. I don't know if you all knew this, but this was a Chicago Public Library branch and still is in some capacity. So to have our poet laureate with us today is such a cool honor. And I'm going to introduce Maya Del Valle. Thank you, Maya, for joining and sharing a few words.

6:36 Good morning. Happy birthday, Chicago, the greatest city ever. This is a little bit of the story of how my family ended up coming to the city, to the south side. The Windy City Song. City of big wind, city on the edge of the great water. City of fire and ash twice burned and built. You were a village resting at the confluence of prairie and aqueous body settlement

7:06 at the mouth of a river that emptied its song on the shores of Lake Mishigami. We call it a lake, but let's call it what it is. An inland freshwater sea filled with seashells and boulders carved with the history of mastodon still sleeping in its sandy bottom. I watch how your winds and waters meet to summon the memory of ocean city that sings of marshlands and swamps Covered in prairies of tall grass and still taller skies land where wolf and bison once roamed

7:37 Your first people said you smelled like wild onion and skunk Chicoqua And at the right time on a sweltering summer day when the wind blows a certain way off the stockyards on the south side you still do city of steel mills sensing your air with smoke birthplace of the skyscraper streets crooked as your politicians a prohibition playground for corruption in capone new york might have invented gangs but you invented infamy chicago city of neighborhoods and barrios

8:07 surgically sliced and scalpeled with red lines shrapnel shards of history buried under your cobblestone asphalt and pavement arrowheads and underground railroad stops chicago nucleus of the railroad's metal rock wrangled and tied to train tracks. Chicago, stable to the iron horses and locomotives that carry America's commerce on the freight lines that trickle out from you like veins across the country. A poet I once loved said you are the heart of the country. I say you are a

8:39 heart. Beating a song so untamable they tried to tame your river instead. A song so loud it called Your Children North, a song that travels south to the red dirt of Arkansas and Alabama through the waterways of the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana's bayous, past the Gulf to the turquoise waters of the Caribe Taboriquen where my people heard you. Like the call of an ancient conch shell singing, come to this promised land of spoiled milk and sorrow, leave all that you know and come to live the dream of being underpaid domestics

9:11 and steel pipe workers to be lavaplatos at the Conrad Hilton and bend your fingers crocheting piecework for pennies a week come to open businesses whose windows the gringos will shatter with bricks or burn down completely come to solder engine pieces for helicopters bound to Vietnam that will carry your brothers and sisters come and bring your music bring your own song and sing with me and we did, Chicago we brought all the music we could hold in our hands we brought barriles and cuatros, lelolays, and piquetes are salsa, boleros, and boogaloo are guidos, and guitarras.

9:45 We brought our own pain and laughter in a song. We brought the strum of teeth chattering before a winter snowstorm. We brought the rumble of plane engines revving on the last flight out before the hurricane, the click of beads on the silver roses. Our mother sent for the wedding she couldn't attend. We brought the rustle of El Vocero's pages and the classified ad announcing work in a strange place called Indiana. We brought the dissonance of being completely surrounded by our own language for the last time. We brought the sound of a great migration that never ended

10:19 and wrote a new song with you, Chicago. City of my birth. City of my childhood. City of my broken heart. city of my lost children and love, city of all I love. You have never questioned why my heart lives, burst open and split between two places. Instead, you have always given me the music to mend it. Thank you.

10:52 You're good, except you are the mayor. It's a tough act to follow. There's a spot over in that library between Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou. I think that's going to go right in between there. Thank you. Awesome. Mayor, I'm sorry. Okay. Thank you. Amazing. Happy birthday, Chicago. It is such an honor for me as a lifelong Chicagoan to be here introducing the mayor of this great city, a wonderful public servant, a lover of all things Chicago, the dopest mayor and the dopest city in America and in the world.

11:31 Please join me in welcoming Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone, and happy birthday, Chicago. You know, I want to thank our poet laureate, Madam Poet Laureate, is her new official title, for that incredible poem. Mr. Valle, thank you for exemplifying the talent and the artistry that Chicago is known for. And, of course, to our dear brother Dilla, I have to say, man, I'm going to have to get some parenting advice from you

12:05 because my kids go to school for mental health from me. So I had to figure that out. They get up at 5.30 in the morning and try to get out before I wake up. But I'm glad that you were able to bring your daughter here and, of course, all of you that are joined with us as we celebrate this amazing place. I do want to thank the Looking Glass Theater and, of course, Dan Gibbons and the Chicago Water Department for hosting us today. Don't we look good at 189, y'all?

12:38 Our city's story is, I believe, the greatest love story ever told. With, of course, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a black Haitian immigrant who fell in love with Kirihawa of the Potawatomi people. And they built a home in a trading post at the mouth of the Chicago River, believing and knowing that one day the city of Chicago would become the global capital of the world. It's that partnership between a black immigrant and an indigenous woman that laid the foundation for our beloved city.

13:13 And from those earliest days to where we are today, Chicago has been a very proud, diverse place, a place of innovation, progress, and hope for the world. The city of Chicago has given so many gifts to the nation and to the entire world. From the invention of the Ferris wheel and the first ever skyscraper that rose in our city, to house and jazz music, to the labor rights and civil rights movements that were centered right here, it reimagined what social justice could look like.

13:48 And throughout our history, our power and influence have become such a part of the world, and that power and influence have come from our people. It's Chicago leaders like Jane Addams and, of course, Mayor Harold Washington and, of course, the late, great Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., who have been a part of driving our progress. It's Chicago artists like Chaka Khan and Muddy Waters, Earth, Wind & Fire, that define and refine the music genre.

14:19 It's Chicago innovators and entrepreneurs like Oprah Winfrey and Daniel Burnham and Jeannie Gang, who embody our spirit of building big. And, of course, it's our vast, diverse community of people who hail from countries all over the globe, who make incredible food, movements, ideas, and they make the unique soul of Chicago. More than anything here in Chicago, we build community, 77 of them. And while we are the third largest metropolitan area in the nation,

14:51 We are a city of neighborhoods where residents look out for one another From Rogers Park to Pullman, from Austin to Edgewater, we have block clubs that serve as true lifelines and community organizations where neighbors become family. Our strength is measured, not just in our achievements, but how we show up for each other in moments of challenge, whether it's the Great Chicago Fire or, of course, COVID-19 pandemic, or the federal attacks that are targeting the most vulnerable people amongst us.

15:25 and in moments of celebration as well. I know we are represented up here with the south side very strong. I had to come and bring a little balance to this conversation, and I know this is going to trigger Dilla. But thank God that the Chicago Cubs ended our 108-year World Series rout, and we won championships here. And whether it's World Series or Lollapalooza or countless parades and events that put our spirit on full display. My administration is committed to seeing Chicago thrive over the next century plus.

16:00 By investing in community safety, housing, mental health, youth jobs, and neighborhood growth, by working in partnership with all the people and communities of Chicago, we will build safe and affordable communities that everyone can call home. And finally, we're going to do this together. We will ensure that our city's best chapter is still in front of us. As we celebrate 189 years of growth and progress and our unique Chicago style, let's recommit ourselves to the love story that established us.

16:34 Let us honor its foundation and history by doing the work to make Chicago a more equitable, a more just, and a more prosperous city over the next 189 years. And then again, of course, I want to thank the staples of this great city. As we celebrate this special day, you can't celebrate without Eli's, right? That's right. Our signature birthday cake and all the food vendors that proudly represent our world-class food scene to the civic and community organizations who give our city strength and pride.

17:08 And so thank you all again for your commitment to our city. And again, happy birthday to the greatest, most amazing city in the world, the city of Chicago. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, Mayor. We're going to cut this cake. Before we step over to do that, I'd like to ask, as I mentioned, we have local vendors, and we have lots of great products out here, and they're all Chicago-based, local vendors, up-and-coming entrepreneurs, City Club, as we are the People's Club.

17:38 We love to showcase all the best of Chicago. So the Mayor mentioned Eli's Cheesecake. I'd like to ask Ida Nelson to come up and talk about for a second about Ida's Artisan Ice Cream, And then we'll ask him to come real quick, if you could, share what you're going to be sharing with us today. Yes, my name is Ida Nelson. I am the proud owner of Ida's Artisan Ice Cream and Treats. Which side is it? West, from the west side of Chicago. We're here representing the North Lawndale community, where we are also committed to building up Chicago as well with economic development. We are opening North Lawndale's very first scoop shop this spring, opening in May.

18:14 Yes, as a part of economic development and creating jobs. And today we have for you some handmade ice cream. We have some dairy-free options. But most importantly, we have one that we love collaboration. Chicago is all about community and collaboration. And we do have a flavor that we've paired with some hibiscus tea from Ruby's. So love for you guys to check that out as well. Speaking of Ruby's, okay, thank you. Well, actually, here, let's go right to Ruby's. Come on over, John. This is cool, great story. Two brothers that have put together this amazing tea, Ruby's Tea.

18:46 Jay, I'll let you tell us a little more about it. Thank you so much. Hey, everybody. We're so excited to be here today as the co-founders of Ruby Fine Hibiscus Tea. This is Chicago's newest and truest drink brand featuring hibiscus, ginger, local Chicago honey, and pink salt. It's a really refreshing blend that we named after our great-grandma because she taught us you can taste the love in anything. So happy birthday, Chicago. We're excited to be here. Thank you, guys. kim could you come and tell us about and coco of course star of the show good morning i'm kim

19:17 england founder and owner of coco's kitchen and i'm here with the inspiration behind the brand coco herself she's my service dog but our goal is chicago is a great dog friendly city so why not treat the pups too we do functional pet treats and we're really all about bringing shared joy together so hopefully you can try some popcorn um it is human grade so you can take sneak a bite. Okay. And I think everyone's familiar, but we'd love to hear from the Shulmans about one of Chicago's absolute favorite, Ida's, I'm sorry, Eli's Cheesecake. Thank

19:51 you, Mark. Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. You know, Eli, my father, our founder, was born on the west side. First restaurant was in North Lawndale, came to this community, the Magnificent Mile, in 1966, opened Eli's, the place for steak, and had a dream to create a signature dish. His cheesecake had made its debut on the Magnificent Mile in 1980. We opened a small bakery in Dunning in 1984. We had 10 people.

20:23 Today, all of our desserts are made in Chicago in our new facility. We have 340 people committed to this city. So we thank you, Mr. Mayor. We thank you, Kenya Merritt. On behalf of my wife, Maureen, daughter, Alana, and all of us at Eli's, we're really happy to bring the cake. It's a great thing. We bake cakes. What a great job. Thank you. Thank you, Mark. Thank you, Mark. This is the best of Chicago, everybody. One more, if we could. I see Casey over here from the Looking Glass Theater.

20:55 I'd love for you to just say thank you to you and for you to welcome us officially into this wonderful theater, the Artistic Director of the Looking Glass Theater, Casey Foster. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. We are honored to have you all in the space today. Looking Glass Theater Company is one of the largest ensemble-led theater companies in the country that predominantly focuses on the creation of new and original works right here in Chicago. And we will continue to do that and keep busting out world premieres.

21:26 Our next one opens next week. It's called White Rooster. My lovely staff mates will have little flyers available if you'd like to learn more about that. Thank you again for being in the space and sharing this time all together. Right back to you. Thank you for having us. We're going to move the cake over a little bit. I'm going to ask Kimberly Bares from the Mag Mile Association, Jackie Robinson-Ivy from the City Club, Rachel Arfa, our commissioner for the mayor's office for people with disabilities, to come and join us for the cake cutting. We're so excited to be doing this.

21:56 If we could, I think we're moving. Okay. Where do you want? Oh, thank you. Come on, everybody.

22:30 Welcome, please. We need a couple of hands. Can you help me out here? I need to help you out. Okay, here we go. Mayor, you're in charge here. All right, we're going to take a series of photos. I did everyone great big smiles looking in the center. All right, the second first. Big smile to you. A few more photos. All right, let's cut on three.

23:00 One, two, three. Can we sing happy birthday? One, two, three. Happy birthday.

23:59 Perfect. Can we get one more photo of Commissioner Arca and Commissioner Merritt here? Beautiful. Looking down in front. Down in front, Peyton. Three, two, one. Yep, step right up. One more looking at Peyton.

24:31 All right, everybody. Just a second. You good? All right. All right, we're gonna do here first. All right, that please turn us here. Three, two, one. All right, thank you. We tackled this thing. Thank you. Thank you, sir, momentarily. Thank you, sir. And please, there are products around here. Please enjoy these products at the different table.

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