On behalf of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), I want to wish all of you who have supported our work the best of the New Year. 2012 marks three very important anniversaries, the 40th anniversary of the publication of Que Ondee Sola, the longest most consistent Puerto Rican student publication in the United States, the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School and the 10th anniversary of our youth space, Batey Urbano. We in the cultural center are extremely proud of these three major landmarks. The presence and persistence of these two institutions are framed within the principles that have also guided the PRCC as it enters its 39th year of existence.  2011 was filled with problems and possibilities. We were able to sponsor our traditional major community events, including the 17th Three Kings Day celebration, the 33rd Peoples Day Parade and the 18th Fiesta Boricua, as well as the annual Haunted Paseo Boricua. These events directly impacted thousands of people in our community.   

CIC children wish Oscar López a Happy Three Kings Day

Programmatically, we were able to advance our urban agriculture initiative by opening the first rooftop greenhouse on Paseo Boricua as well as our fresh produce market, La Cosecha. While Batey and our publication La Voz del Paseo Boricua face some serious economic challenges, we were able to continue to push forward. Additionally, both Vida/SIDA and the Centro Infantil grew their capacity to serve the community. We helped to grow the Community of Wellness, the 72 Block by Block Diabetes Initiative as well as the CURA Asthma project.  We were able to successfully manage IPRAC, inaugurating its first major presentation, "Un Año de Martorell en Chicago," and helped to raise nearly $100,000 dollars to sustain the museum and its programs. We continue to work with IRPAC's board to make it a museum in the park.  

One of the most successful endeavors in terms of educational praxis in the Humboldt Park community was the ushering in this year of the Community as a Campus concept, which the PRCC has played a significant role in.  

With the National Boricua Human Right Network (NBHRN), we have engaged in the campaign to free the Puerto Rican patriot, Oscar López Rivera (OLR), as well as other Puerto Rican political prisoners. While we suffer a major setback in the parole hearings, there has been a noticeable surge of support, particularly in Puerto Rico, where on December 22nd more than 1,000 people gathered to celebrate the adoption of the Puerto Rican flag in front of the Ateneo, and Oscar López Rivera's presence was felt everywhere, from the posters on the walls to an aerial banner proclaiming OLR's release to Congressman Luis Gutiérrez's call for a unified effort to see Oscar free.  

Latin@ Coalition activists wishing Oscar López a Happy Birthday!

As we enter 2012, I am appealing to our supporters and friends to multiply their efforts to support the work of the PRCC as well as NBHRN. We hope that you can make a tax-deductible contribution in this coming period, particularly on March 3, 2012, when we will celebrate our open house and annual fundraiser, the 100x35 plus 4.   

La Voz del Paseo Boricua is looking for volunteers to help with the following:

• Layout and design
• Translations
• Proofreading in Spanish and English
• Distribution
• Writing articles

If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering or would like more information, please call our office at 773.227.7794 or email Juanita at juanitag@prcc-chgo.org.

We often hear the comment that Puerto Ricans are up for celebrating just about anything. There are celebrations upon celebrations. The celebration of Three Kings Day is part of our culture and traditions - so it is not just another festive moment in lieu of nothing better to celebrate. For Christians, it's the day of the Epiphany - the day commemorating the manifestation of the infant Jesus to the Gentiles by the Magi (the Three Wise Men) - but in the Puerto Rican tradition, it has become a day to celebrate the sharing spirit manifested by parents sharing with their children. That sharing spirit also manifests itself in the community. The sharing can take the form of gifts or special treats. At the community level, it can take the form of music and food.

Ald. Moore of the 49th ward will hold hearings on the Illinois Coalition against Torture's (ICAT) resolution against torture in the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and by the U.S. government.

At 9:00 am on 1/12/12 there will be a press conference on the 2nd floor of City Hall with U.S. Congressman Danny Davis, Attorney Flint Taylor, representatives from Amnesty International and the Kovler Center among others.

At 10:00 am hearings sponsored by Ald. Moore will begin in the City Council chambers. Ald. Moore plans to introduce the anti-torture resolution, which opposes torture in Chicago (i.e. the police), the state (i.e. prisons) and internationally (i.e. the US government, Guantanamo) into the City Council on 1/18/12.

Come to the press conference and the hearings to show your opposition to torture!