El Rescate Transitional Living Program

We're excited to be taking part in The Out In The Open Sleep Out; In fact. We are in the midst of our Fundraising efforts. We have set a fundraising goal, and we would be grateful for your support in reaching it.

Will you support our team in building awareness and support for our city's youth who are experiencing homelessness?

SAVE THE DATE!

December 1st 2015

Vida/SIDA Commemorates World AIDS Day!

By Mayra Estrella, Director, Vida/SIDA

World AIDS Day is held on December 1st each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever-global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

The event will include a candlelight vigil for the loss of friends and family due to the epidemic. During the vigil, participants will be part of an invocation and celebration of life. Vigil will be followed by a forum to discuss issues that affect the health and well-being of Latino men who have sex with men (MSM).

The evening will be followed by a commemoration of World AIDS day, brief presentation of Vida/SIDA's annual report, food, and entertainment. Details will be released soon!

For more information, please contact Vida/SIDA at (773) 278 - 6737.

When you do your Holiday shopping at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Puerto Rican Cultural Center

Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7347778 and support us every time you shop.

From Puerto Rican Cultural Center & Programs

Puerto Rican Human Rights Attorney Osvaldo Burgos-Pérez visits Chicago, Paseo Boricua and Oscar Lopez Rivera

Law Students Organize Kent College Charla

By Militza Pagan

(Editor's Note: On Monday, November, 2, Puerto Rican Human Rights Attorney Osvaldo Burgos visited from Puerto Rico. The primary purpose of his trip was to visit Oscar López Rivera, and on the day after, he spoke to three different locales. The below newsbriefs speak to each event.)

On November 2, 2015, Attorney and Professor Osvaldo Burgos-Pérez from Inter-American Law School in Puerto Rico spoke at Chicago-Kent College of Law. A group of 20 law students and staff heard Professor Burgos-Perez discuss the current state of human rights in the Puerto Rico. In particular, Professor Burgos-Pérez discussed the plight of members of the LGTBQ and Dominican communities in Puerto Rico and the repression of protestors and other activists by the police and government. He explained how the Puerto Rico's current economic state is tied to its colonial relationship to the US. The event was co-sponsored by the Kent Chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, LAMBDAS, Hispanic Latino Law Students Association and American Constitution Society.

Human Rights in the Face of Puerto Rico's Colonial and Economic Crisis

By Ricardo Jiménez, Puerto Rican Cultural Center Program Director

On Monday, November 02, The Puerto Rican Cultural Center hosted a Human Rights Luncheon with Attorney and Professor Osvaldo Burgos Pérez who is a Human rights attorney in Puerto Rico and serves on the board of Director of the ACLU and Amnesty International. In addition, Mr. Burgos Perez is the spokesperson for CABE, which is a Broad Committee for the Search for Equity founded in 2013. He is also a prominent gay rights and anti-death penalty activist.

Mr. Burgos Pérez spoke to the crowd of Puerto Rico current $72 Billion in debt and that the island is likely to run out of money in a month. He related that unlike United States cities and states, Puerto Rico is unable to file for bankruptcy or restructure its debt unless U.S. Congress gives such authority since Puerto Rico does not control its economy due to its colonial status. Being a colony Mr. Burgos Perez said does not allow us the tools to fix the Puerto Rican economy. In essence this is why Puerto Rico is $72 Billion in debt. The response of the Puerto Rican government has been to slash critical social services including health care services and schools without consideration of the human rights violations being committed by taking this route.

Mr. Burgos also spoke about the LGBT Human Rights Campaign with CABE, which seeks to have the LGBT Community to be not only accepted but also inclusive in the nation of Puerto Rico. Mr. Burgos Pérez spoke to the attendees of the difference of tolerance, acceptance and inclusion of the LGBT community in Puerto Rico. He said that LGBT must strive to be accepted in society but more so the LGBT Community must exert its potential to be inclusive and part of the general society. Mr. Burgos Pérez mentioned that we must struggle to be inclusive and be part of the general society of Puerto Rico and make sure that the LGBT Community Human Rights not be violated regardless of political, social, civil and religious affiliations. When we reach this point, hence when a violation of Human Rights is committed, the whole society will respond since we have achieved inclusion in the general society.

Gay Latino Activists Share, Hear Osvaldo's Story

By Roberto Sanabria, Puerto Rican Cultural Center Board of Directors

Osvaldo Burgos Pérez came to Chicago to meet the Puerto Rican community, to offer his solidarity, and to visit political prisoner Oscar López Rivera. Mr. Burgos-Pérez' is a gay activist/attorney whose work in Puerto Rico has involved anti-death penalty legislation, HIV prevention, and human rights. He is the past President of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International in Puerto Rico, and is currently the spokesperson for CABE, whose acronym translates as Broad Committee for the Search for Equity. CABE began as an organization lobbying for two bills in the Puerto Rican legislature; one concerned equal protection of the LGBT community the other concerned protection for victims of domestic same-sex violence. CABE is not a LGBT organization, but an eclectic group that includes the Puerto Rican Bar Association, other law groups, social workers, public health workers, NGO's, as well as LGBT organizations. On the back of this formidable alliance, both bills passed the legislature in 2013. CABE had more work to do, however, so it could not disband.

As the spokesperson for CABE, Mr. Pérez-Burgos attended a reception in his honor in a home on the Paseo Boricua where he met and engaged in a discussion with leaders from Chicago's Latino LGBT community. Those present discussed immigration reform, HIV/AIDS, racism, as well as anti-LGBT violence. Mr. Burgos-Pérez explained that the Island of Puerto Rico, regardless of political affiliation, was rallying around the excarceration of Oscar López Rivera. He spoke of CABE's vision to unite disparate struggles into a coherent unmovable force. He invited those in the room (on this side of our Diaspora) to join the increasingly broad movement to free Oscar López Rivera, whom he described as, "The freest man I've met - despite his being in jail."

Welcome to Open Enrollment Period 2016!

We are glad to announce that the Puerto Rican Cultural Center's Affordable Care Act Program is up and running again. Five of our previous IPCs have returned to provide enrollment assistance and education services.

Open Enrollment Period for 2016 started on Sunday, November 1st and will end Monday, February, 15, 2016. Make sure to apply for health insurance or update your previous application to see the new options available this year. If you, or someone you know, needs assistance with health insurance, feel free to contact us for an appointment at 773-227-7794 or visit our office at 1112 N California Ave.

Annual Diabetes Awareness Month event

By Jenny Jara, Diabetes Empowerment Center Outreach Worker

As the colder winter months approach, so does this year's flu season, making it crucial for community members to take action in preventing influenza and its complications. For the month of October, the Greater Humboldt Park Community Diabetes Empowerment Center (DEC), in partnership with Walgreens, administered a total of 84 flu shots to community members. In addition to providing this free service, DEC provided basic heart screenings, nutrition education, cooking demonstration, physical activity and referrals.

Please join us for our annual Diabetes Awareness Month event on Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. We will have Free; A1C testing, the flu shot once again, heart screenings, food demonstration, physical activity, food and free raffle. DEC, 2753 W. Division St. Chicago Il 60622. 773-342-0855, facebook.com/diabetesempowermentcenter.

On Sale Now

November Chicago Magazine "Why José López Stands Between Gentrification and Humboldt Park"

Be sure to pick up the November issue of Chicago Magazine, which features an interview by Puerto Rican Cultural Center ED José E. López conducted by Elly Fishman.

Los Tequis

How to stay secure on Facebook

Take these five steps to enhance

your social security.

Facebook creates the illusion that we are sharing posts and photos in a safe space, among friends and family. But in reality, if we're not careful, outsiders can swipe our personal info to gain access to our email, banking, and credit card accounts; to steal our identities; or even to spam and scam our friends. Follow these five steps to secure your sensitive info on Facebook.

From Our Community Partners

Seeking Inspiration from Tim Burton

by Julie Heuel, 9th Grade Art Teacher

The 9th grade students have been analyzing and investigating the art of Tim Burton. Through this process, they have been able to experience his films, short stories and drawings. Students explored Burton's content through multimedia, image analysis, and hands-on projects.

The freshmen then created their own Burton-inspired characters and creatures after coming to an understanding of Burton's unique style. Students began this process by brainstorming and analyzing the characteristics of Burton's work, and used this to influence their own artwork. After brainstorming, students worked to complete a watercolor and ink illustration of their character. Students then used newspaper, tape, wire, paper mache, cardboard, and acrylic paint to build a sculptural representation of their character. Lastly, students analyzed Tim Burton's storytelling and ability to bring characters to life through various artistic means.

Students then explored the purpose and importance of the exhibition of artwork through a virtual tour of Tim Burton's exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. After this exploration, students then created labels for their sculptures and illustrations. They worked collaboratively to curate an art exhibit of their own works. The students' final creations will be displayed for the first two weeks of November in the Media Center.

Clemente Application & Enrollment Process Updates

By Elizabeth Kelley, Roberto Clemente Community Academy

While Clemente offers several specialized programs that students can apply for, we are still a neighborhood high school that welcomes all students who live inside the attendance area. We do not turn away neighborhood students who are ineligible for IB and CTE. They can still enroll at Clemente, as they have always done, and complete a college-preparatory curriculum.

As an authorized IB World School, we offer the IB Middle Years Program to all of our freshman and sophomore students, regardless of what their "eligibility" for IB is on the standard CPS eligibility letter. That notation only pertains to eligibility for the IB Diploma Program in 11th and 12th grades, and does not bar anyone from participating in the IB Middle Years Program in 9th and 10th grade. Research on IB students' success later in high school and college shows that this program has a positive effect on student GPAs, college acceptance and enrollment, and persistence in earning a degree. We are excited and proud to allow access to IB for students who might not otherwise have a chance to participate.

To recap, eighth-grade students looking to enroll in Clemente for Fall 2016 can gain entry in 3 ways:

Apply for the IB Pre-Diploma honors program
Apply for specific CTE programs (Culinary Arts, Broadcast Technology, Allied Health)
Enroll in general education classes with a neighborhood address

Neighborhood students can enter Clemente through any of these 3 processes. Those students who want a special program (IB Pre-Diploma or CTE) should apply in order to secure a spot. Students from outside the attendance area can apply for IB or CTE.

Questions?

Check your address at CPS.edu (scroll down for "school locator")

Consult our website at: www.RCCAchicago.org/admissions

Or contact Liz Kelley via email (EAKelley@cps.edu) or phone: (773) 534-4007