Pete Souza, White House photographer
In February I was honored to hear President Obama address a crowd of conservation, historic preservation and labor leaders, high school college prep students, and high-profile elected officials in Chicago, including Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The event? A long anticipated designation of three new national monuments for our nation, Honouliuli, in Hawaii, Browns Canyon in Colorado and the Pullman Historical Area, on the Southside of Chicago.
Mahor Emmanuel and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell warmed up the crowd. Then the President stepped onto the stage and delivered one of the best speeches I have heard, weaving together civil and labor rights, with conservation as a core American value
Together these places embody the historic, cultural and natural heritage that must be preserved for future generations. And to make sure that young people from all walks of life explore, enjoy, and are inspired to protect our public lands President Obama also announced an Every Kid in a Park initiative to help every 4th grader in the country, and their families, enjoy our protected public lands. As we move into the 100th anniversary year of the National Park System, the President's actions provide opportunities to reconnect with the past and look toward a more inclusive future.
For a century, rangers, and interpreters, and volunteers and visitors have kept alive what the writer Wallace Stegner once called "the best idea we ever had" -- our belief that the country's most special places should belong not just to the rich, not just to the powerful, but belong to everybody -- not just now, but for all time.
Conservation is a truly American idea. The naturalists and industrialists and politicians who dreamt up our system of public lands and waters did so in the hope that, by keeping these places, these special places in trust -- places of incomparable beauty, places where our history was written -- then future generations would value those places the same way as we did. It would teach us about ourselves, and keep us grounded and keep us connected to what it means to be American. And it's one of our responsibilities, as Americans, to protect this inheritance and to strengthen it for the future.
The new Pullman National Monument in Chicago preserves a place with a rich story of American entrepreneurism, the struggle for civil rights and organized labor. The interwoven threads of America's first company town, first African-American union, and the first observation of Labor Day (more on the importance of Pullman to this historic day here) tell a powerful story in our shared history. President Obama's designation is recognition of its important place in our history and the continued need to expand our protected public lands to reflect the full diversity of the American story. Over the course of his presidency Mr. Obama has made great strides in expanding our nation's conservation legacy. New national monuments like those dedicated to César E. Chávez, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers, and Rio Grande del Norte, among others, benefit the local communities but also our country as a whole.
Join me in thanking the President for making the preservation of our national history and our natural heritage a priority!