Access website here: https://ourvisionary.prcc-chgo.org/ Welcome to our latest work in progress, one that is broad in scope and aspires to mirrors the depths of our work. Thank you to all the individuals who selflessly contributed photographs, documents, videos, slideshows and audio files. To those who, across the years and decades, were at some point involved, to those who left and came back and to those who stayed to continue our work, whether it be of an educational, cultural and human rights nature. To those who served time in prison in defense of Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination and returned, bowed but undefeated, an example for those who stayed. To those who taught by example, and to those who learned and contributed. Luis Alejandro Molina Secretary, Board of Directors Puerto Rican Cultural Center 10-23-2019 Publications Folder Access files here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1oh3id1xyvbe3nj/AADEvC0w38WY1jfe5VuD7aICa?dl=0 The Publications Folder represents numerous collections. It is a veritable treasure trove of PDF books, booklets and writings over the last three decades encompassing, although by no means comprehensively, publications and articles by and about the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School (PACHS) and National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN) and its predecessor, the […] Read More
INTRODUCTION Continuing in the spirit of positive change established by the 1988 School Reform Act, Clemente is about to embark on a new enterprise called Clemente 2001. The inspiration for this ambitious project has as its source the Four Point Program developed and approved by the Local School Council (See Appendix). Our school wants to reach out and enhance its partnership with the community. We believe that by doing this, our school community (students, parents, and staff) will develop its potential to the degree required by the demands and realities of the twenty-first century. What follows is a detailed description of the aforementioned enterprise. We strongly believe that your input and active participation are critical to the success of this endeavor. We look forward to working together with you, in the spirit of educational reform. Ideally, it should be the responsibility of every member of the community to help in the educational process of our youth. It is through the education of our youngsters that this community will ensure itself a prosperous future and preserve its precious and unique multicultural character. CLEMENTE 2001: MOVING INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Vision Clemente will create an appropriate educational foundation that prepares its students […] Read More
Sarai Lastra Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [email protected] Abstract This paper addresses some challenges that system designers may face when building a community information system for a Latino community. Particularly it examines: How can social network analysis, Latino studies and computer supported cooperative work help in understanding the community’s information needs? How can the design of an interface enhance access to its networked resources? What are the challenges faced when designing a tool whose goal is to harvest community knowledge from a diasporic community? A scenario is included in order to analyze issues related to the design of community information systems, including social capital strategies for harvesting community knowledge. 1. Introduction Information infrastructure is a tricky thing to analyze. Good, usable systems disappear almost by definition. The easier they are to use, the harder they are to see. As well, most of the time, the bigger they are, the harder they are to see [7, p. 33]. A community information system has special characteristics. Similar to other information delivery systems, its networked capabilities may provide access to digital libraries, online public access catalogs, internet resources, collaboratories, distance education programs and local information resources. […] Read More
On behalf of the Puerto Rican independence movement, as well as on behalf of my brother, Oscar López Rivera — the longest-held political prisoner in Puerto Rico’s history, I want to express my deepest sense of condolences to the family, friends, and to all those who labored with him fighting the good fight against racism and colonialism, and for Black liberation, to the harvest of fruits of justice and freedom. Chokwe was truly an exceptional leader — a man who walked the walk, and in the words of Bertolt Brecht, became indispensable. His words and deeds will always resonate with us. His solidarity, particularly with the Puerto Rican and Mexican people, was unquestionable and unswerving. Chokwe clearly understood, as in the lyrics of Mercedes Sosa, everything changes. Tactics needed to be constantly re-molded, but what did not change was his love for his people; and his “Southern Song”. Continue reading at National Boricua Human Rights Network Read More
I am proud to appear before the honorable members of the Cable Commission to speak about the partnership between the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and CAN TV. Before I discuss the most recent aspects of that partnership, let me say that these concrete acts attest to the importance of the experience of CAN TV in a multicultural, multi-faceted democratic society. CAN TV provides a forum and technical assistance which addresses one of the great problems of the 21st Century – the ever-expanding schism that is the digital divide. CAN TV represents a voice for the voiceless in this society, and the promise of inclusion in the ever-growing world of information. Over the past year, we have entered into a very meaningful and beneficial partnership with CAN TV. In September 2000, CAN TV provided on-site orientation to the coordinators of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and affiliate community groups including our alternative high school, the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School; our literacy program, the Family Literacy Program (FLC); our AIDS education and prevention program, Vida/SIDA; and our Boricua National Human Rights Network. Since that orientation, we have cemented a partnership, which is self-evident in the following: • A video class […] Read More
Michael D. Nieves, President, and CEO Hispanic Information Communications Network (HITN) Billy Ocasio, President, and CEO National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture José Sánchez, President, and CEO Norwegian American Hospital Read More
Special Message by Alderman Billy Ocasio On June 12, 1966, the Puerto Rican community experienced one of the most important urban upheavals in the history of this country. Along Division Street from Ashland to California, already the heart of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, the people felt a sense of neglect, abandonment, and marginalization– a real state of despair. That upheaval, known as the ‘Division Street Riots,’ served as a catalyst for the initiation of some of the most transformative activities which any inner city has ever undertaken. From the ashes of burned building and cars, our community slowly began to take its destiny into its own hands. Organized community activity sprouted up everywhere to address the issues of police brutality, poor housing, discrimination, inequitable healthcare, lack of representation in the institutions that directly impacted community life, and also the need for bilingual education. Forty years later, those seeds of change, planted by the efforts following the riots, have blossomed into a community of hope and change. Today we count in the hundreds the number of Puerto Rican educators of all sorts, including professors, principals, teachers, as well as policemen, firemen, doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, architects, bankers, and entrepreneurs. Today we […] Read More
(as of 8-2-2019) Omar Aquino, State Senator 32nd District, State of Illinois Edna Acosta-Belén, Ph.D, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Latin American Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies University at Albany, State University of New York Yarimar Bonilla, Ph.D, Author and Professor City University of New York, Hunter College Nilda Flores-González, Professor and Associate Director of Sociology T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Arizona State University Jesús “Chuy” García, US Congressional Representative D- 4th District Illinois Aida Giachello, Ph.D, Research Professor of Preventative Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Gloria Gibson, Ph.D, President Northeastern Illinois University Luis V. Gutiérrez, Former US Congressional Representative Linda Hernández Rosado, Executive Director Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation Jeanne Kracher, Executive Director Crossroads Fund Oscar López Rivera, Puerto Rican Patriot Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward Alderman Chicago, IL Melissa Mark Viverito, Interim President Latino Victory Project Iris Martínez, 20th District, State Senator Chicago, IL Antonio Martorell, Puerto Rican Artist Paula Allen Meares, Ph.D, Chancellor Emerita University of Illinois Florencio Merced, Board of Directors, Claridad Newspaper Julia Nazario Fuentes, Mayor Municipality of Loíza, Puerto Rico Maria Quiñones Sánchez, 7th District Councilwoman Philadelphia, PA Delia Ramírez, State Representative 4th District, State […] Read More
National Boricua Human Rights Network National Meeting in New York by Juan “Nito” Morales During the Martin Luther King weekend, the National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN) held a national meeting at El Maestro in the Bronx New York. El Maestro is a community-based organization that promotes culture and sports for the surrounding area of the South Bronx. The name El Maestro is in reference to the popular name for Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos. The purpose of the meeting was to strategize about the upcoming efforts in the United States to seek the freedom of the Puerto Rican patriot Oscar López Rivera. More than 50 representatives from the following cities attended; San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York, Hartford, New Haven, Massachusetts, and Orlando. Two representatives from a monthly event “32 Women for Oscar”, Annette Diaz and Alida Millan Ferrer from Puerto Rico, one of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation by the 2 women. The meeting began with a presentation by them and culminated with an event of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Oscar Collazo. Prior to the meeting various youth from different universities met and mapped out ideas on how […] Read More
