Chicago City Wire

Chicago, IL -This weekend, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) celebrated with the Puerto Rican community in Chicago the rich cultural history and deep Puerto Rican roots in Humboldt Park during its historic 45th Annual Puerto Rican Day People’s Parade and Festival.

“It is always an honor to join the Puerto Rican Festival. Growing up in Humboldt Park, I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by the Puerto Rican community, their culture, and their restless commitment to fight for their community. So, to celebrate Puerto Rican pride is to celebrate the continuous contributions this diaspora has made to the community of Humboldt Park, the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and our whole nation,” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “Now, as their representative in Congress, I look forward to continuing my work in partnership with the community, always remaining their ally, and ensuring the community of Paseo Boricua and soon to be Puerto Rico town in my district has the resources it needs to thrive as a cultural district.”

The parade is part of Las Fiestas Patronales Puertorriqueñas, a four-day celebration in Paseo Boricua at Humboldt Park hosted by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in honor of the National Puerto Rican Day. This year, the festivities celebrated two milestones: the 45th year of the parade and the 50th year of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. 

For photos of the event, click HERE.

BACKGROUND:

Humboldt Park is a neighborhood of Illinois' 3rd Congressional District with the largest Puerto Rican population in the city of Chicago and is considered the center of Puerto Rican culture throughout the Midwest. Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez grew up and has spent most of her life in Humboldt Park. Now as the congresswoman for Illinois 3rd Congressional District, Ramirez represents the neighborhood home to the Puerto Rican Festival. 

The parade and festival hosted by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center are historically celebrated around the Puerto Rican National Day - every second Sunday of June - in honor of the Puerto Rican culture and commemorating Puerto Ricans’ fight against discrimination and police brutality in Chicago. The first Puerto Rican Day parade took place in June of 1966, ending when a policeman shot a 20-year-old Puerto Rican man in the leg. This event ignited a Puerto Rican uprising against long-simmering frustrations with police brutality and structural inequalities in housing, employment, and discrimination. 

Original source can be found here.