Amanda Solon <Ph: 312-341-4733> Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1996
Dear Chancellor:
Metro Seniors in Action is a city-wide federation of senior citizen groups committed to safeguarding the interests of seniors on a variety of issues. We have been advocating for seniors for the past twenty-one years.
Our organization would like to add its voice to that of the many citizens groups calling for a Maxwell Street Preservation District. Maxwell Street represents the very best of what this city has to offer: social, cultural and economic integration. Compromising this rich historical tradition would be a real tragedy.
Maxwell Street is distinguished for being one of the few cultural crossroads in the United States. Ethnic groups of all varieties defined the conventional wisdom of the day and co-existed in harmony. Jews from Eastern Europe, blacks from the rural south and Latinos from Mexico, settled on this location and established a strong tradition of tolerance - a tradition increasingly in short supply in our city today.
The University of Illinois has a real opportunity to preserve a great treasure here. The university, the city, and indeed the country, will be enriched as a result. A Maxwell Street District will serve as a window to a variety of cultures, attract tourists and create educational opportunities for many.
It is our hope that the university will not let the opportunity to preserve and uplift this great treasure pass us by. Therefore, we trust that you will give this matter the most serious consideration, and that in the end, your very best judgment will prevail.
Sincerely,
Amanda Solon, Executive director
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