Executive Director, Puerto Rican Cultural Center
José E. López moved to Chicago in 1959, along with his family, as part of the massive Puerto Rican migration to the United States. He has written extensively on Puerto Ricans’ political and social reality in the United States. He, alongside other community activists, co-founded the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in 1973. He has served as the PRCC’s only Executive Director. During his tenure, the PRCC has grown from an organization with three employees and a budget of $100,000 to employing over 200+ community residents and consultants and an annual budget of $11 million.
As an educator/activist, he has been invited to speak at over 50 colleges and universities in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico, as well as in international forums such as the United Nations Decolonization Committee. For over 40 years, he has been a leading member of the Puerto Rican independence movement and editor of “Puerto Rican Nationalism: A Reader.” He has served on various Boards, including the Bethany/Advocate Fund Board and the Chicago Public Schools Latino Advisory Committee.
Over the years, he has received many accolades, including the Cook County Board of Commissioners 2009 Hispanic Heritage Award, the 2010 Health Award from Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, and the Chicago Cultural Alliance: 2014 Outstanding Community Leader Award.
