IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Across the city Chicago, dozens of murals, statues, and preserved buildings mark the history of the labor movement in the city. Tucked into neighborhoods, public parks, and busy streets in retail and business districts, thousands of local residents pass these spots each day, often with little notice, while tourists from throughout the United States and across the globe book tour buses to visit these sites. For decades, city officials resisted efforts of local labor activists to place a statue at the site of the Haymarket, where an 1886 workers rally ended in violence and helped inspire the global celebration of May Day as a day of labor protest and memorialization. In 2004, the city finally agreed to allow a memorial and unveiled an abstract statue of protestors on a hay wagon. Since then, on May 1, leaders from international labor organizations make the pilgrimage to Chicago to place plaques on the Haymarket Memorial. Plaques represent labor federations from Columbia, Mexico, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Iraq, Japan, Philippines, and New Zealand. While visiting Chicago, the members of these federations tour other labor sites, meet with local labor leaders, and participate in plaque unveiling ceremonies that feature speeches, music, and local union members waving signs and carrying banners. My paper will examine how this labor landscape of Chicago connects the current labor movement in the city to a broader international movement and will explore how historical landscapes contribute to current social movements.