The Making Of Polish Chicago

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2016

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This Curious City special mini-documentary answers how the Polish became one of Chicago’s largest and most influential ethnic groups. And, come to think of it, is there anything to the claim that the city has the most Poles outside of Warsaw?

Transcript

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0:00.0	We are at the corner of Blacker and State, the Constitution Day parade.
0:10.0	This beautiful sunny, windy day in the windy city.
0:13.0	Glad it's not raining, it's only windy and cold.
0:17.0	Every spring, thousands of people gather in downtown Chicago for the Constitution Day
0:22.5	parade to celebrate the ratification of Poland's Constitution back in 1791.
0:29.1	This year it was a smaller live streamed event, but no matter how or where it's held, it's
0:34.4	a day for Chicago's large Polish population to show some pride.
0:38.3	This is like Christmas, to be perfectly honest, just to be part of this.
0:41.3	It feels a little warm in my tummy.
0:43.3	It's just so nice to see so many Polish people gathered together here in downtown Chicago.
0:50.3	Hundreds of floats roll down State Street representing Polish clubs, Polish schools, Polish churches and local Polish businesses.
0:58.0	Brass bands play Polish songs and folk dancers leap and spin down the street.
1:03.0	And just about everything and everyone has got on Poland's national colors.
1:08.0	This is so unusual to see so many red and white dress people in one spot.
1:13.6	Everybody comes together and they celebrate what's why we came here basically, like the origin, the immigration.
1:20.6	Of course, because we are together showing how important it is to have Polish roots.
1:28.3	Polska!
1:29.3	I'm Curious City producer Jason Mark, and on this week's episode, we're going to revisit
1:35.3	a special documentary producer Jesse Dukes put together for Radio Poland, answering several questions
1:41.3	about Chicago's Polish community.
1:43.3	Mainly, what makes Chicago so Polish?
1:46.9	He'll cover the history of Polish immigration to Chicago,
	...

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