Danny Solis, Alderman, 25th Ward, City of Chicago |
Last night, the Latin American & Latino Studies (LALS) Program at UIC celebrated 40 years of academic achievement and community advocacy. None of this would have been possible without the student activism that took place in the early 1970’s throughout high schools and university campuses across the United States. Over 200 people, activists, founders, alumni, administrators, faculty and community came together to celebrate the past and talk about the future. The struggle that it took to create the Latin American & Latino Studies program at UIC is a struggle that built bridges among different ethnic and community groups and continues to prevail.
Last nights event, a fundraiser for the newly established LALS Student Scholarship Fund at the National Museum of Mexican Art with title “From Vision to Legacy” featured presentations on the history and future vision of LALS.
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Roberto Clemente Community Academy and Que Ondee Sola Magazine were among the sponsors of the anniversary series and will host an event in Humboldt Park on November 14th at our National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Visit http://lals.uic.edu/40years for more info.