Obama To Visit Pullman For National Monument Designation

CHICAGO (AP) -- President Barack Obama is set to visit Chicago to discuss the designation of the Pullman Historic District as a national monument.

The White House says Obama will be in his hometown on Thursday. He's expected to deliver remarks in the afternoon at Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy.

The Pullman neighborhood on the city's South Side was built by industrialist George Pullman in the 19th century for workers at a factory to build luxurious railroad sleeping cars. The neighborhood was crucial in the African-American labor movement.

Designating part of the neighborhood a national monument makes it part of the National Park System.

The president's visit falls days before the municipal election, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces re-election. Emanuel is a former White House chief of staff.

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