On Sunday June 29th a contingent of more than a hundred participants from the Puerto Rican Cultural Center marched in the cities gay parade. Some of the programs represented were: Vida Sida, National Boricua Human Rights Network, ACA, Mujeres del Paseo, Generation L, BACCA, and El Rescate. The contingent marched along two floats one representing the PRCC and another representing Alderman Maldonado. The lively group was headed by Alderman Roberto Maldonado himself.

The presence of Puerto Rican patriot Oscar Lopez Rivera was also evident. Many distributed a special message from the patriot on the issue of equality and human sexuality. A cabezudo carried by Oscar's niece Lourdes Lugo walked the entire parade route. Petitions demanding Oscar's release were also signed by hundreds. It was indeed a day to remember both in terms of the PRCC's presence as well as for the struggle for social equality. 

By Jorge Cestou

This past Sunday, June 29, 2014, over one million celebrated Chicago's 45th Pride Parade. The theme of the parade was Marriage Equality since the Illinois Same Sex Marriage Law took effect June 1, 2014. 

PRCC-Vida/SIDA made its presence with a beautiful float and contingent among the parade's 206 entries as the only Latino led community-based organization in the City of Chicago. Staff, residents and volunteers joyfully marched and danced to the beats of salsa, merengue, and reggaeton entertaining and invigorating the crowd with their energy, colorful ethnic outfits and proudly sporting the gay flag among the many Latin American flags as they passed through the four mile parade route.

Maritxa Vidal, the 2014 Honorary Cacica Queen proudly anchored the float representing her country of Cuba and Milani Ninja, 2009 Cacica Queen, represented her country of Mexico. Other women represented the countries of Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, and Dominican Republic.

In the newly renovated second floor gallery of the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, on Friday June, 27th the Puerto Rican Cultural Center presented a conversatorio with the Puerto Rican historian and rappers Luis Diaz from "Intifada" and filmmaker Tito Roman. They each shared their experiences in terms of their work to more then 70 people that attended the monthly Puerto Rican Cultural Centers meeting. They also discussed a project, which they are creating jointly entitled "El Fuego De Chicago" about the life and work of the patriot Oscar Lopez Rivera. Tito Roman also talked about his newly developed film "El Antillano".

Members of El Rescate including staff and residence welcome the hundreds of lesbians and their supporters who march and walk on Paseo Boricua on Saturday, June 28th.

As the marchers near the corner of Washtenaw and Division they were welcomed by the members of El Rescate carrying Puerto Rican flags and flags of Latin America. Pictures by Tracy Baim.

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Laura Ruth Johnson, Associate Professor in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University, has received Grinnell College's Joseph W. Wall Alumni Service Award, named after Joe Wall, a professor of history at Grinnell who inspired an ideal of social responsibility in his Grinnell students. The $25,000 grant will be used to expand the Lolita Lebron Family Learning Center's Proyecto Atabey, an intergenerational mentoring program for mothers at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School. The grant will fund the provision of training and stipends for mentors, who will include graduates of the FLC, as well as enable the expansion of support services for young parents at the school so as to promote their educational, personal, and professional success.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the first school in the US to be named after legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, Clemente Community Academy is offering the opportunity to become a part of that history. For a limited time, we will commemorate donations to the Roberto Clemente 40th anniversary fundraiser by adding the names of those who have contributed to the Wall of Fame. This will be a permanent display in our lobby which will highlight the names of all who have given generously  to the celebration. Each brick will carry the name of the person making the donation or one of the below options. The donations will fall into 3 categories, Standard $50, All-Star $100, and MVP $250.

3 pricing options-

* Wall of Fame-$50 donation

* All-Star $100 donation

* MVP $250 donation

 All bricks are bronze with black lettering and border

 Naming options available are :

* Name

* Name and Graduation Year

* Mr & Mrs Name

By Marina Ortiz

On Sunday, June 29th, 33 Mujeres NYC x Oscar went to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to spread the word about the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera!  Standing in front of the Marcy Street Station on Broadway just over the Williamsburg Bridge, las mujeres and their allies captured the attention of local residents with strong chants and large signs. Supporters stood nearby with petitions in hand to engage passersby. 

33 Mujeres NYC x Oscar is a group of NYC women committed to securing Oscar's freedom. Inspired by the work that 32 Mujeres x Oscar have been doing in San Juan, Puerto Rico since 2012, we hold similar monthly rallies for 33 minutes on the last Sunday of every month to signify the 33 years that Oscar has been imprisoned.

EVERY LAST SUNDAY, FROM 4:00 PM TO 4:33 PM  

July 27 - Coney Island

August 31 - Orchard Beach

September 28 - Queens

October 26 - Manhattan

Escrito por Alejandro Torres Rivera / MINH   

Ponencia presentada el pasado 28 de junio de 2014 en la Biblioteca Pedro Mir de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. La actividad, dedicada a Oscar López Rivera, se efectuó auspiciada por el Comité de Derechos Humanos.

Se sumó a la convocatoria el Vicerrector de Extensión de la USAD y la Comisión de Derechos Humanos. LA diferencia entre la Comisión y el Comité es que el último es una estructura no gubernamental que tiene como base la población de los barrios y la comunidades. De la actividad surgió la fundación de un Comité para la excarcelación de Oscar López Rivera donde los convocantes formarán parte. A la actividad concurrieron  107 personas representantes de los organismos convocantes.

El pasado 2 de mayo de 2014 tuvimos la oportunidad, junto a la compañera Wilma Reverón Collazo, sobrina de nuestro héroe nacional Oscar Collazo y copresidenta del Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano del cual ambos formamos parte de su dirección, de visitar en la prisión de Terre Haute al preso político puertorriqueño Oscar López Rivera. Aún palpita en nuestro corazón la emoción de aquel primer abrazo a quien durante los pasados 33 años, por voluntad propia y tomando la expresión de sus propias reflexiones, ha hecho el sacrificio personal de tan largo cautiverio con el único propósito de inspirar la resistencia de nuestro pueblo.