Timeline of the Puerto Rican Community in Chicago
ASPIRA, Inc. of Illinois, due to the leadership of Mirta Ramirez, is established in Chicago’s Logan Square community in response to the devastating dropout rates in the Latino community. It is devoted solely to the education and leadership development of Puerto Rican and Latino youth.
• Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation is founded by Chicago’s Latino and Black residents to combat housing deterioration, abandonment, and arson. The organization focuses its efforts, particularly on West Town, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square. They also work to create affordable housing for community residents.
• The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican street gang in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area, became a militant organization under the leadership of Cha Cha Jimenez, influenced by the Black Panthers and its Chicago Chairman Fred Hampton. The Young Lords advocate for community self-determination and use direct action tactics to call…
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• Spanish Coalition for Housing was founded as a non-profit corporation and is the only Latino housing agency certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
• Spanish Action Committee of Chicago is founded with the purpose of struggling for the civil rights of Puerto Ricans.
JUNE 13-15 A white Chicago Police officer shoots a Puerto Rican youth and unleashes dogs into crowds the day after the first Puerto Rican parade in downtown Chicago. The Division Street Riots become the first Puerto Rican uprising in U.S. history, lasting three days in the Humboldt Park community. From the…
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