llinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation (ILLCF) and GCI’s Raíces 2025
Executive Summary
The Raíces 2025 Report reflects the voices, experiences, and priorities of Latino communities across Illinois and serves as a guiding framework for the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation’s policy agenda. Developed in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, the report is grounded in extensive community input gathered during the 2024 Raíces Public Policy Conference.
Raíces centers on three core values—Equity, Justice, and Community Development—that together define the conditions needed for Latino communities to thrive. Participants emphasized equitable access to language services, housing, education, healthcare, and economic opportunity; the urgency of immigration reform, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice; and sustained investment in community infrastructure, youth development, and health.
Supported by data and lived experience, the report underscores the profound social, cultural, and economic contributions Latinos make to Illinois while identifying persistent barriers that must be addressed. The 2025 Raíces Report provides policymakers, advocates, and community leaders with a shared, community-defined roadmap for advancing inclusive and equitable policy solutions statewide.