Metra’s new Rock Island line station at 35th and Federal, which serves the South Side and south suburbs, will be dedicated today to the late state. Rep. Lovana Jones.
Metra’s new Rock Island line station at 35th and Federal, which serves the South Side and south suburbs, will be dedicated today to the late state. Rep. Lovana Jones.
“Lou,” as she was affectionately known, served for 20 years as the representative for the 26th Legislative District and was the assistant House majority leader. Jones died in 2006.
“Many Chicagoans have no idea about the rich history of the 35th and State Street Corridor. From roughly 1870 to 1930 the community was aBlack Wall Street. There were businesses and banks, restaurants and jazz clubs established by the descendants of slaves who came to Chicago from the south in pursuit of a better life. They built it from the ground up. Oscar dePriest became the first African American Chicago alderman from this ward and he went on to become the first African American from the north elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. I stand on his shoulders,”said U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-1st Dist.
The station, federally funded with nearly $5 million, began service April 3.
Copyright 2011 Chicago Defender