Lt. Governor Quinn and Mexican Consul General Manuel Rodriguez-Arriaga illuminate Chicago skyline for Mexican Independence Day!
CHICAGO - September 12, 2008. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn joined Manuel Rodriguez-Arriaga, Consul General of Mexico, at Lalos Restaurant on Friday to kick off the 2008 Mexican Independence Day Chicago Skyline Tribute in celebration of Mexican Independence Day.
The 4th annual Chicago Skyline Tribute illuminates Chicago's skyline in green, white and red, the colors of the Mexican flag. An estimated 20 million Mexican-Americans live in the United States. Nearly 550,000 Mexican-Americans live in the Chicago area, the second-largest home to Mexican-Americans in the United States.
"I am proud to mark this historic occasion with the brightest Chicago Skyline Tribute the city has yet seen," Quinn said. "When Mexico first uttered its cry for independence in 1810 - just over 30 years after our forefathers signed our Declaration of Independence - it was heard loud and clear in the United States. And it is still being heard today."
Mexican Independence Day celebrates the 1810 revolt against Spanish rule led by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. On September 16, 1810, Father Hidalgo - who was inspired by George Washington - announced the cry for independence, also known as the "Grito de Dolores."
Every year, the cry, or "el Grito," is reenacted throughout Mexico and within Mexican-American communities across the United States. This year, the 198th anniversary of Mexican Independence Day will be highlighted by the biggest and brightest Chicago Skyline Tribute ever.
Quinn and Consul General Rodriguez-Arriaga were joined by Javier Salas, host of WRTO-AM's "Un Nuevo Dia," Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), Alderman George Cardenas (12th Ward), and many event organizers and supporters.
The Chicago Skyline Tribute began four years ago when Lt. Governor Quinn and Javier Salas joined together to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. In the past, Chicago's skyline has been lit to honor the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Polish Constitution Day and championship sports teams.
More than 20 Chicago buildings will be illuminated or decorated in green, white and red during the week of Friday, September 12 through Friday, September 19. And there is still time for more building owners and managers to sign on.
For more information and to join the Tribute, please visit: StandingUpForIllinois.org.
*LIST OF PARTICPANTS*
2008 Mexican Independence Skyline Tribute
September 12-19, 2008
- Sears Tower - 223 S. Wacker Drive
- Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA)
- The Art Institute of Chicago - 111 S. Michigan Ave.
- The Field Museum - 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
- The Consulate of Mexico in Chicago
- The Town of Cicero
- Cook County Administration Building - 69 W. Washington
- Daley Plaza - 50 W. Washington
- DePaul University - 1 E. Jackson
- James R. Thompson Center - 100 West Randolph St.
- John G. Shedd Aquarium - 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive
- Little Village Chamber of Commerce
- Marina Towers Condominium Association - 300 N. State Street
- Michael A. Bilandic Building - 160 N. LaSalle Street
- Navy Pier - 600 E. Grand Ave.
- Pilsen Chamber of Commerce
- Polish American Chamber of Commerce - 4800 N. Milwaukee
- Roosevelt University- 430 S. Michigan Ave.
- 150 N. Michigan Ave.
- Tribune Tower - 435 N. Michigan Ave.
- Wrigley Building - 400 N. Michigan Ave.
- Chicago Hilton - 720 S. Michigan Avenue
- Lalos Restaurant - 500 N. LaSalle
- Adobo Grill (Wicker Park) - 2005 W. Division
- CNA Building - 333 S. Wabash Avenue
- Chicago Park District -Harrison Park, 1824 S. Wood Ave.
- Adler Planetarium - 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
- Malcolm X College - 1900 W. Van Buren