Jose E. Lopez, Executive Director, Puerto Rican Cultural Center; Pablo Medina, President, Puerto Rican Agenda, and Luis Rosa, former Puerto Rican Political Prisoner, were guests of the Hispanic Alliance Inc., in Cleveland, Ohio. The May 2nd events included: a breakfast with community leaders; lunch at City Hall with Latino evangelical pastors and the faith-based leadership; an afternoon meeting with urban planners, potential partners, and local funders; and, an evening reception at the Club San Lorenzo. Juan Molina Crespo invited the Chicago leadership to share with Cleveland’s Puerto Rican and Latino residents, a historical perspective on how Chicago’s Puerto Rican non-profit service organizations led to political empowerment and community redevelopment with the formation of Paseo Boricua. In addition, a motivational and comprehensive perspective was shared on how international politics and local human rights issues, stymie the economic development, wealth building, and social and political organization of Puerto Ricans.
Over one-hundred Clevelanders attended the sessions. Juan Molina Crespo said, “we are honored to have Chicago’s leadership accept our invitation, and show support and solidarity for the development efforts of La Villa Hispana, a community redevelopment plan to transform Cleveland’s Westside into a destination place for the region, that utilizing the cultural traditions, folkways and nuances of the Puerto Rican and Latino communities as its the underpinnings”.
