Committee on Transportation and Public Way
City Council December 15,2021
SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE
The renaming of Woodard Plaza as Solidarity Triangle WHEREAS, the most important function of public space is to build community; and
WHEREAS, it is with this value in mind that Avondale community members are advocating for redesignating the open space provisionally referred to as "Woodard Plaza" with the name "Solidarity Triangle;" located at the intersection of Milwaukee, Kimball and Diversey Avenues at the entrance of Chicago's Avondale neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, it uniquely recognizes our aspirations to come together as a multicultural and multiethnic community while paying homage to this neighborhood's past as a sanctuary for refugees from Poland; and
WHEREAS, Milwaukee Avenue, which this plaza abuts, is the spine of Chicago's Northwest Side, and links it with Polonia Triangle, the onetime capital of Polish America; and
WHEREAS, the local motto of Avondale as "the neighborhood that built Chicago " is a reference to the strong working-class values which have long been a hallmark of this vicinity's residents; and
WHEREAS, while the ethnic origins of our population has shifted over time, the values of caring for family and neighbors has stayed constant; and
WHEREAS, the diverse customs of Latino, Slavic, African-American, Asian, Jewish, Roma, and Indigenous peoples, alongside many others, are all celebrated with designating this space as Solidarity Triangle, serving as the glue for a robust local tradition of coming together; and
WHEREAS, it was this spirit which gave rise to nearby Unity Park, a local green space created and sustained into the present by community organizing and designating this plaza as Solidarity Triangle will complement that heritage; and
WHEREAS, while the Polish presence in Avondale and Chicago's Polish Village traces back to the 19th century, this part ofthe city has played a historic role in welcoming Polish exiles of the Solidarnosc (Solid...
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