On Monday, May 5, 2014 José E. López, Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center was invited to speak to graduates and staff of the Multicultural Affairs Center at Columbia College  In his message to nearly 100 students, he exhorted the students to continue to connect their work to their communities and to become transformative agents of change in whatever career or path they chose. He reminded them that any expression of diversity on campus was the result of significant struggles and not the gift of the institution.

On Wednesday, May 2, 2014, fourteen residents and staff from El Rescate joined the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless along with other organization to Springfield, IL for housing advocacy day. With a record high of 54,892 identified homeless students in Illinois, we were all there to advocate to our legislators for funding for homeless education services, which provides emergency shelters and homeless youth programs as well as a temporary income tax increase to fund needed homeless services. Our residents represented themselves extremely well and shared their stories to our legislators with eloquence and confidence. We were thoroughly impressed with how everyone conducted their selves and how well behaved they were. We look forward to a positive outcome! 

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

La Bruquena

2726 W. Division St

12-1pm

$10 includes lunch

Along with the ribbon cutting WTB celebrated with the community with speeches by community leaders, including DSBDA Executive Director Eduardo Arocho, Hispanic Housing CEO Hipolito "Paul" Roldan, and PRCC Executive Director José E. López, thank you's by local partners, and performances by cultural music groups, all part of a block party along Campbell St that included a barbeque for all in attendance. West Town Bikes has embraced the Humboldt Park community with bicycle education that includes traffic safety skills, bicycle mechanics and advocacy. Job training, professional development and local employment are only a few of the achievements that West Town Bikes has achieved over the past five years on Division St. 

West Town Bikes is excited to continue to offer it's alternative education and training skills in the years to come and will continue to deliver excellent opportunities to the youth of the Chicago neighborhoods.

The 26th ward provided tools - rakes, brooms, shovels, and bags - and Clemente students cleaned up five large bags of litter along Division Street and in Humboldt Park. Students brought their enthusiasm and a hard-work attitude and together, alongside other community groups, cleaned up the area so everyone can better enjoy the beauty of the neighborhood and Humboldt Park!

On Sat June 14th at 2pm, the 2nd annual Puerto Rican Peoples Parade will start on Division and Western motivated by the huge success of last years unified efforts, the organizers from Casa Puertorriqueña and the PRCC are extremely excited about this years upcoming celebration. They have decided that the parade will highlight the historic Puerto Rican Borinqueneers/65th Puerto Rican Infantry Regiment of the US Army- whose valor and courage is being memorialized by a major housing and health project for Latino veterans at Norwegian American Hospital, sponsored by Hispanic Housing Corporation.

The Parade will also showcase the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Roberto Clemente Community Academy. And, particularly, its new focus as an International Baccalaurate (IB) school, which will transform it into the jewel of the crown of the community's quest for creating a culture of educational excellence. 

The exhibition features prominent artists from throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, each of whom has contributed an original work of art on a 4"x6" postcard. 

All artwork is on sale for $50. Each piece of artwork is signed on the back and will be exhibited anonymously, to be sold on a first come, first served basis on May 24th. Once a work is purchased, the artist's identity will be revealed to the buyer. 

* Exhibition Preview on May 23rd, 7-9pm. Sneak preview of the exhibition prior to the public viewing. Tickets $20. 

* Exhibition Opening May 24th, 7-9pm - Doors open promptly at 7pm, artwork will be sold on a first come, first served basis. 

Both events are at

Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center

1680 Lexington Ave. NYC

Featuring Works By (partial listing):

Manuel Acevedo  |  ADÁL Maldonado

Elia Alba * Luis Carle * Marcos Dimas 

Maria Dominguez * Emory Douglas

Elizam Escobar * Zachary Fabri * Teo Freytes 

Scherezade García * Rico Gatson 

Marina Gutiérrez * Charles Juhasz Alvarado 

Yasmin Hernández * Miguel Luciano

Arnaldo Morales * Rubén Ortiz Torres

Pepón Osorio * Antonio Martorell

Ana Rosa Rivera * Freddy Rodríguez

Rodríguez Calero * Adrián "Viajero" Román 

Juan Sánchez * Julio Suárez

John Pitman Weber, and many more.  

lunes 28 de abril de 2014

Sr. Oscar López Rivera

87651-024

FCI Terre Haute

POB 33

Terre Haute, IN 47808

Estimado compañero,

Saludos de la nueva junta directiva del Desfile Puertorriqueño Nacional de Nueva York. Este próximo  junio se cumplen 57 años desde que se organizo el primer desfile con el objetivo de celebrar nuestra cultura y nuestra historia, y destacar los logros de nuestro pueblo dondequiera que se encuentre, ya sea en nuestra querida isla, o en los tantos exilios en los que hemos echado raíces.

  Este año el desfile se llevara a cabo el domingo 8 de junio, en la Quinta Avenida de Manhattan, como es la tradición, y el tema del desfile será  la gran poeta y activista Julia de Burgos y la 65 Infantería reconocidos como Los Borinqueneers. La intención del desfile este año es de celebrar y resaltar los alcances de nuestros artistas, activistas trabajadores de la cultura y educadores, y destacar los esfuerzos de nuestros compatriotas que luchan incansablemente por los derechos de nuestro pueblo.

  Por la presente, a nombre de la directiva del desfile y de todos los Boricuas que vivimos en la diáspora, quisiéramos darte un reconocimiento como Patriota Puertorriqueño del Desfile Nacional Puertorriqueño en Nueva York, en junio 8 del año 2014.

Aunque tu presencia física no será posible nos llenara de orgullo y alegría el saber que usted será parte de nuestros esfuerzos para restituir el verdadero sentido de esta importante celebración de nuestro pueblo puertorriqueño. Es nuestro deseo que en 8 de junio todos los grupos que apoyan los derechos humanos y la justicia participen en el desfile para que en voz alta se oiga nuestro llamado a tu libertad. 

Un fuerte abrazo Boricua,

Orlando Plaza

Ululy Rafael Martínez

El 3 de mayo de 2014 el compañero Alejandro Torres y yo tuvimos la oportunidad invaluable de visitar al patriota Oscar López Rivera. Como parte y antesala a su visita nos obsequiaron una visita por las instituciones comunitarias que Oscar ayudó a establecer en la comunidad de Humboldt Park en Chicago y que bajo el liderato de su hermano José López, su sobrina Lourdes y un extraordinario grupo de compañeros y compañeras de la comunidad y nuestro acompañante Alejandro Molina, han continuado desarrollándose sin prisa, pero sin pausa.

La Escuela Superior Pedro Albizu Campos, el programa Vida-Sida, el Centro Comunitario de Humboldt Park, un centro de apoyo para los jóvenes de la comunidad LGBTTQ, un Museo de Arte Puertorriqueño, programas de huertos caseros, centros de cuido diurno infantiles, programas para desertores escolares, son algunos de los muchos programas que hoy trabajan por la comunidad de Humboldt Park, mayoritariamente puertorriqueña. Sin embargo, la agresiva política de ¨gentrification¨ está amenazando a esta vibrante comunidad puertorriqueña de la misma forma que lo ha hecho con la comunidad afroamericana. Ya se ven los hermosos edificios conocidos como ¨white stone¨ bajo renovación y en control de los llamados ¨yuppies¨ en calles donde antes no entraban los ciudadanos blancos.Siga leyendo aqui.

The New York Freedom Campaign for Oscar continues with 33 X Oscar activities around the city and different groups following the path taken by  Chicago and  Puerto Rico. This "Jornada 33 X Oscar"  commenced with the 33 Mujeres X Oscar in East Harlem during the March Women's History celebrations like our sisters have in Puerto Rico for the last two years in San Juan.  On April 6, 33 Poetas X Oscar was also convoked in East Harlem. After Spring break for students, three groups of 33 plus Students did the 33 Estudiantes X Oscar at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College on April 23 and April 24, 2014. In one of the students for Oscar group, they were honored by the presence and presentation of beloved former political prisoner Lynne Stewart and compañero Ralph Poynter who spoke eloquently to students majoring in criminal justice about her case and the need for more students to become the "people's lawyer". She insisted that students become conscientious workers in their careers in the  criminal justice field.  Students were inspired by Lynne's  words and her steadfast commitment to freeing all political prisoners throughout the United States. That was followed by the 33 Seniors X Oscar at a community center who have been involved for the last year in the campaign. Once the seniors heard that both Puerto Rican parades the National on 5th Avenue and the Bronx parades were honoring Oscar, they stood up in a round of applauses for Oscar. On Sunday, April 27, the 33 Mujeres X Oscar will be rallying in the Bronx at the Fordham Plaza. 

Delivers Call-to-Action to End the Puerto Rican Political Prisoner's Incarceration of Nearly 33 Years

April 29, 2014, New York City - In the spirit of its 2014 theme, "Un Pueblo, Muchas Voces"/"One People, Many Voices", the National Puerto Rican Day Parade (NPRDP) has officially called for the release of long-time political prisoner, Oscar López Rivera. Arrested in 1981, López Rivera was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to his actions in the struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico. A long-time, vocal champion for Puerto Rican independence, López Rivera received a 70-year prison sentence, having spent more than 12 years in prisons that rank highest in punitive control, under torturous conditions of isolation and sensory deprivation. With this year's celebration, the Parade honors López Rivera to recognize his unique voice and rally support from the Puerto Rican and Latino communities, as well as the nearly 2.5 million parade-goers that line the streets of New York City's Fifth Avenue, to sign a petition for the release of López Rivera.

Puerto Ricans of all ideological and political backgrounds support the release of López Rivera since his sentence is widely viewed as not being commensurate with his actions. In fact, the 14 other compatriots that were imprisoned around the same time as López Rivera were released in 1999 when President Bill Clinton authorized their release, determining that their sentences were disproportionate with their actions. Continue reading here.

Apoyo a la excarcelacion de Oscar Lopez Rivera por el Gobernador de Puerto Rico