DNC delegates take Pilsen bus tour with Shermann 'Dilla' Thomas on final day of Chicago convention

As the last day of the Democratic National Convention got underway Thursday in Chicago, around a dozen delegates and their guests boarded a tour bus and headed out to a Southwest Side neighborhood.

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"Today we're going to a very proud Mexican-American neighborhood called Pilsen," Chicago historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas told the group. "You're going to enjoy the street art so much.

With video images and short walking tours, Thomas, a TikTok sensation, showed off the city with Chicago Mahogany Tours.

"For most of Chicago's history, the West Side of Chicago had the largest population," Thomas said. "Pilsen is also suffering from gentrification."

The tour guided the visitors through the city's communities in an effort to help them see policy in action.

"I want them to see what happens following policies like urban renewal and how people got displaced," Thomas said. "But I also want them to see good things like policies like the infrastructure bill... and how there's more construction and more construction jobs in Chicago."

Thursday's roughly two-hour tour highlighted landmarks and culture in the Latino community with a focus on how immigration built the city.

It's the first time in Chicago for many who went on the tour.

"Me coming from the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, corn fields, pastures and forests, its just wonderful to enjoy being in a city, when I had anticipated something a little bit different," said visitor Gina McGee.

During the convention, several hundred delegates and politicians took the tours, which visited neighborhoods on the Chicago's South and West Sides that are typically not showcased.

"The reason why we wanted to have delegates, folks from all over the country, here is because also, some of the things that affect Chicago affect other places," Thomas said.

Chinatown, Bronzeville, Pullman, Roseland, along with North Lawndale and Garfield Park, were all on the list.

"I was in downtown Chicago only in the financial district, so it's a very different perspective," Boston delegate Liem Tren said.

The tour included the vibrancy of neighborhood street murals and locations of historical significance, along with lunch at an authentic Mexican taqueria, giving a nice boost to a small neighborhood eatery.

Many of the delegates left with a new found perspective of the City of Chicago and a sense of how we are all a part of community.

"I hope you enjoyed seeing Chicago," Thomas said. "Thank you for choosing Chicago for the DNC. I hope you come back."