Serving UIC's Great Cities Commitment: Solutions for Today's Urban Challenges

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When & Where

Tuesday, September 17th, 2024

8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

University of Illinois Chicago – Student Center East, Illinois Room

750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607

Agenda

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Light Breakfast

8:30 a.m.- 8:40 a.m. Welcome

Dr. Teresa Córdova, Director, Great Cities Institute

Dr. Teresa Córdova is Director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago and Professor of Urban Planning and Policy. In addition to strategies for community and economic development, her work focuses on global/local dynamics and the impacts of global economic restructuring on local communities, including impacts of resource extraction. She is an expert in methodologies of engaged research. She publishes in the fields of Community Development and Latino/a Studies.

8:40 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. ¡Aqui Chicago!

Dr. Elena Gonzales, Curator of Civil Engagement and Social Justice, Chicago History Museum

Dr. Elena Gonzales is the Curator of Civil Engagement and Social Justice at the Chicago History Museum. She is also the author of Exhibitions for Social Justice and is currently curating the Aquí en Chicago exhibition, which plans on opening in Fall 2025. The exhibit is the result of the Rudy Lozano Student Protest in 2019, where high school students criticized the museum’s lack of Latino history representation.

8:50 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Mexicans in Chicago Report

Luis Gutierrez, CEO, Latinos Progresando

Luis Gutierrez is the son of Mexican immigrants, born and raised in Chicago’s Little Village. In addition to founding Latinos Progresando, Luis is an innovator in the nonprofit space, building diverse coalitions across communities and sectors, including the Marshall Square Resource Network, the Excellerator Fund, and the One Lawndale movement. In addition to serving on several nonprofit boards, Luis is also a Commissioner with the Chicago Housing Authority.

Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, President and CEO, Mujeres Latinas en Acción

Linda Xóchitl Tortolero is the president and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Acción,the longest standing Latina organization in the U.S. During her tenure, Mujeres became a national Culturally Specific Sexual Assault Center under the FVPSA program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With this work, Mujeres provides training and technical assistance to Latine communities and organizations across the U.S. She also serves on the Action Council of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Women’s Advisory Council and Gender Based Violence Taskforce of the Mayor’s Office for the City of Chicago.

José M. Muñoz, Executive Director, La Casa Norte

José M. Muñoz is the Executive Director of La Casa Norte, one of the largest youth and family service providers for housing instability and homelessness in Chicago, as well as a Commissioner for the Chicago Park District. Muñoz has over 20 years of experience in executive management, government affairs, and public relations. He has previously worked for Casa Central as the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of External Affairs as well as served as Vice President of The Resurrection Project.

Adrian Soto, Executive Director, Greater Southwest Development Corporation

Adrian Soto is the Executive Director of the Greater Southwest Development Corporation, a community development organization aimed at improving living conditions in southwest Chicago. He oversees all strategic, operational, management, and regulatory responsibilities. He formerly worked as a Chief Strategy Officer at Esperanza Health Centers.

Cristina de la Rosa, Executive Director, Erie Neighborhood House

Cristina de la Rosa is the Executive Director of Erie Neighborhood House, a nonprofit supporting immigrant and low-income Chicago families through social services. She is on the Board of Revolution Workshop and the Chicago Women’s History Center. De La Rosa is also on the Program Advisory Committee for UCAN Chicago.

Moderator: Dr. Xóchitl Bada, Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies, UIC

Dr. Xóchitl Bada is a Professor in the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago and author of Mexican Hometown Associations in Chicagoacán: From Local to Transnational Civic Engagement. She specializes in migrant access to political and social rights, migrant organizing strategies, violence and displacement, and transnational labor advocacy mobilization in Mexico and the United States.

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ¡Actívate!: A community data-driven guide to help Latinas and their families thrive

Carrie Ward, CEO, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, (ICASA)

Carrie Ward, M.A., is the Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA), a network of sexual assault crisis centers across the state of Illinois. As CEO, Carrie works with ICASA on strategic planning, governance/policy, serves as ICASA’s spokesperson and works to further ICASA’s legislative agenda. Carrie represents ICASA on statewide task forces and committees including appointments to the Forensic Science Task Force and Missing and Murdered Women in Chicago Task Force. Carrie serves as Treasurer for the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) representing ICASA and rape crisis organizations nationwide.

Norma Hernández, Illinois State Representative, 77^th District

Representative Norma Hernández serves the 77th District in the Illinois House of Representatives and Co-Chair of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation. Before joining the General Assembly, Representative Hernández worked as a Community Development Planner at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute. Through her work at UIC, she engaged in the intersection of academic research, community engagement, policy analysis, and program development through various projects to help address urban issues across the Chicagoland area. She is the first Latina representing the 77th district and has earned her Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois Chicago. She was a former Board Trustee of Triton College.

Andrea Ortez, Program Officer, Woods Fund

Andrea Ortez is the Program Officer of Woods Fund Chicago, a foundation supporting local organizing and advocacy through grants. Most recently, she served as the National Program Manager and Coach for Success Bound to support the national expansion of Success Bound, a program geared to help middle school students explore their identities, passions & interests as they aim to reach their high school and career goals. Since 2021, she has served on the Illinois State Board of Education’s Professional Review Panel.

Moderator: Sayeed Sanchez, Advocacy Manager, Mujeres Latinas En Acción

Sayeed Sanchez is the first full-time bilingual Advocacy Manager for Mujeres Latinas en Acción and organizes Mujeres’ advocacy initiative at the local, state, and national level. This includes advocating on the behalf of Mujeres’ community members, staff, and program services, specifically around the issues of immigrant justice, economic justice, women’s health, and confronting gender-based violence. His professional accomplishments at Mujeres include leading the writing of ¡Actívate! as well as accomplishing the 40-hour training for the Culturally Specific Training for Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault.

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Latinos in Chicagoland: Growing Presence in the Suburbs

Maria del Socorro Pesqueira, President, Healthy Communities Foundation

Maria del Socorro Pesqueira serves as the President of the Healthy Communities Foundation, dedicated to promoting health equity throughout Chicago and the western suburbs of Cook County. Previously, she held the position of President at Mujeres Latinas en Acción and led the Development and Marketing Team at The National Museum of Mexican Art.

Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil, Consul General of Mexico in Chicago, Consulate General of Mexico

Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil is the Consul General of Mexico in Chicago. During her diplomatic career, she has held various positions in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including General Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Deputy General Director for International Policy on Human Rights, and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Foreign Relations. She was Deputy Chief of Mission in the Mexican Embassy in the Czech Republic, and political liaison in the Embassy of Mexico in the United States. Ambassador Torres also served as General Director for Protection of Mexicans Abroad.

Dr. Daysi Ximena Diaz-Strong, Assistant Professor, Jane Addams School of Social Work

Dr. Daysi Ximena Diaz-Strong is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago within the Jane Addams College of Social Work. Her research examines the educational and developmental trajectories of undocumented immigrants. Before coming to UIC, she worked within the community college system helping students with limited resources gain access to better educational opportunities and improve their academic outcomes.

Moderator: Dr. Lilia Fernández, Professor, Department of History

Dr. Lilia Fernández is a History Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is the founder of the Latino New Jersey History Project at Rutgers University, which was made up of student-led oral histories and web-based public history projects, where she led the project for six years. She also authored Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in Postwar Chicago. Her current research focuses on Latino history in the Chicago area, specifically on cross-ethnic interactions among other Latinos, their labor politics, class dynamics, activism, and strategic articulations of a panethnic identity.

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Serving Illinois’ Immigrant Communities: An Update

Rob Paral, Senior Research Specialist, Great Cities Institute, UIC

Rob Paral is a Senior Research Specialist at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago and nonresident fellow in the Global Cities program of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is also the Principal of Rob Paral and Associates, which aids non-profit, philanthropic, and government organizations with data they need to help communities. He is a former Senior Research Associate of the Washington, D.C. office of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials and Research Director of the Latino Institute of Chicago.

Introduction Dr. Patrisia Macías-Rojas, Associate Professor, Latino and Latin American Studies

Dr. Patrisia Macías-Rojas is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Latino and Latin American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a research affiliate with the Binational Migration Institute at the University of Arizona. Her current project examines the long-term effects of twenty years of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy and practice on border communities. Her research focuses on the global politics of race, migration, and borders.

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. The Chicago Latino Neighborhoods Report

José Miguel Acosta-Córdova, Doctoral Candidate, Geography, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

José Miguel Acosta-Córdova, author of The Chicago Latino Neighborhoods Report, is a Doctoral Candidate in Geography at the University of Illinois Champaign where he is studying transportation equity, mobility justice, and labor. He also wrote Lower Wages and Continued Occupational and Industrial Segmentation of Latinos in the Chicago Economy and is a Co-Founder of the Latino Planning Organization for Development, Education, and Regeneration (LPODER) at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Introduction Dr. Patrisia Macías-Rojas, Associate Professor, Latino and Latin American Studies

Dr. Patrisia Macías-Rojas is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Latino and Latin American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a research affiliate with the Binational Migration Institute at the University of Arizona. Her current project examines the long-term effects of twenty years of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy and practice on border communities. Her research focuses on the global politics of race, migration, and borders.

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Puerto Rico Town – Building a Cultural District

Jessie Fuentes, Alderperson of Chicago’s 26^th Ward and former Co-Chair Puerto Rican Agenda

Jessie Fuentes is the Alderperson of Chicago’s 26th Ward. Her primary focuses are investing in public safety, affordable housing, and supporting small business and anti-displacement efforts. She is the first woman and youngest Alderperson of the 26th Ward. She formerly served as the Director of Policy and Youth Advocacy and Co-Chair of the Puerto Rican Agenda.

Dr. Ralph Cintrón, Emeritus Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies and The Department of English, Fellow, Great Cities Institute

Dr. Ralph Cintrón is Professor Emeritus of English and Latin American and Latino Studies and, as well, Senior Researcher at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago. He is a UIC Co-PI on a $25 million, 5-year grant (CROCUS) with Argonne National Laboratory and the United States Department of Energy. The focus of the grant is on urban climate science. He is the author of Angels’ Town: Chero Ways, Gang Life, and Rhetorics of the Everyday; Democracy as Fetish; joint author of an urban studies report, Puerto Ricans in Chicagoland; and co-editor of Culture, Catastrophe, and Rhetoric: The Texture of Political Action. He is a former Rockefeller Foundation Fellow; an honorable mention winner of the Victor Turner Prize for Ethnographic Writing (American Anthropological Association); and a Fulbright Scholar. He is currently a Fellow of the Rhetoric Society of America.

José Lopez, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Puerto Rican Cultural Center

José Lopez is the Executive Director and Co-Founder at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), which aids in the economic development, education, and housing issues of Chicago’s Puerto Ricans. In 2023, the PRCC celebrated 50 years of operation. Lopez is also an Adjunct Lecturer in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department at the University of Illinois Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, and Columbia College.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker:  Juan González

Juan González, Senior Fellow, Great Cities Institute; Author, Harvest of Empire; Co-Host, Democracy Now

Juan González is the Co-Host of Democracy Now! and author of Harvest of Empire: A Untold History of Latinos in America. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago and a co-author of the recent GCI report Fuerza Mexicana: The Past, Present, and Power of Mexicans in Chicagoland. He’s the founder and past President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which represents and supports Latino journalists. He also co-authored News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media.

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Luncheon panel of Latino Legislators

Celina Villanueva, Illinois State Senator, 12^th District

Senator Celina Villanueva is a State Senator for Illinois’ 12th District and the Senator Chair of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus. She previously worked at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), which provides and advocates for immigrant and refugee rights. At ICRR, Villanueva led the largest immigrant civic engagement program in the state. She also helped pass the Keep Illinois Families Together Act, which prevents local police from acting as ICE agents.

Omar Aquino, Illinois State Senator, 2^nd District

Senator Omar Aquino is a State Senator for Illinois’ 2nd District and is the youngest Latino member of the Illinois State Senate. He is the Co-Chair of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation. He previously worked as a Bilingual Case Manager at the Jane Addams School of Social Work and as Outreach Coordinator for Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. His primary areas of policy are focused on education, elderly services, and human services.

Norma Hernández, Illinois State Representative, 77^th District

Representative Norma Hernández serves the 77th District in the Illinois House of Representatives and Co-Chair of the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation. Before joining the General Assembly, Representative Hernández worked as a Community Development Planner at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute. Through her work at UIC, she engaged in the intersection of academic research, community engagement, policy analysis, and program development through various projects to help address urban issues across the Chicagoland area. She is the first Latina representing the 77th district and has earned her Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois Chicago. She was a former Board Trustee of Triton College.

Dagmara Avelar, Illinois State Representative, 85^th District

Representative Dagmara Avelar is a State Representative for Illinois’ 85th District. She is also House Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and a member of the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) board. She formerly served as leader of The New Americans Initiative, which assists a variety of civic issues for low-income immigrant families and in joint with ICIRR, and as Director of Programs for the ICIRR.

Oswaldo Alvarez, Executive Director, Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation

Oswaldo Alvarez is the Executive Director of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, which aims in cultivating future generations of Latino leadership and giving voice to the community. Prior to this role, Alvarez served as the Census Director for the State of Illinois. With nearly 20 years of experience, he specializes in the implementation of philanthropy and public policy.

1:30 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Chicago Latino Arts and Culture Summit

Dr. Ignacio López, Executive Director, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance

Dr. Ignacio López is the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA), which supports and promotes Puerto Rican art programs, exhibitions, and performances in Chicago. Dr. López’s background in public education keeps the PRAA’s goals in line with that of the community and in the interests of fostering next generation of Puerto Rican artists. He authored Keeping It Real and Relevant: Building Authentic Relationships in Your Diverse Classroom and The EQ Way: How Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Navigate Turbulent Times.

1:40 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Latine Philanthropic Landscape Scan

Alberto Morales, Co-Chair, Nuestro Futuro

Alberto Morales is the Co-Chair for Nuestro Futuro, the largest Latino philanthropy affinity fund in the U.S. He is also the founder of Morales Consulting, a social sector consulting firm primarily working with foundations, investors, and nonprofits, and on the Executive Board. He previously worked for Cristo Rey Network’s School Growth office to launch new schools across the country.

1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Chicago City Council Latino Caucus

Michael D. Rodríguez, Alderman, City of Chicago, 22^nd Ward

Michael D. Rodríguez is the Alderman of Chicago’s 22nd Ward. His primary focuses as Alderman are public safety, accessibility, public education, affordable housing, and environmentalism. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation, which aims to expand access to higher education for Latino youth.

Rossana Rodríguez-Sanchez, Alderwoman, City of Chicago, 33^th Ward

Rossana Rodríguez-Sanchez is the Alderwoman of Chicago’s 33rd Ward and Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Health and Human Relations. In her first term, she secured improvements to schools, affordable housing, and immigrant support, while championing local democratic initiatives like Participatory Budgeting and Community-Driven Zoning. She also serves as Chair of the City Council’s Latino Caucus, which focuses on expanding access to higher education for Latino youth. At City Hall, Rossana passed legislation protecting abortion and gender-affirming care and secured investments for mental health crisis response through the Treatment Not Trauma initiative. A lifelong activist and independent voice in the council, she is originally from Puerto Rico, a mother, and currently pursuing her Master of Social Work.

2:00 p.m. Adjourn – Dessert and Networking