The History of Pilsen
Pilsen’s early story is one of struggle: recently arrived immigrants struggling to navigate a foreign, often unwelcoming new land; factory workers struggling for a livable wage and an eight-hour day, even in the face of violent suppression; neighbors struggling to make their streets safe, their schools respectable, their air clean enough to breathe, and their homes secure.
It is only in recent years that many of those struggles have borne fruit, and given way to a new struggle: one to maintain the identity and affordability of what has only recently become a profitable destination for developers and investors. Continue history…
Pilsen, Chicago. 1929, U.S. Geological Survey.
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Muralist
Hector Duarte’s vibrant, provocative murals reflect the experiences and dreams of immigrants like himself. He grew up in Michoacán, Mexico, but has long made the Pilsen neighborhood his home, and its streets his canvas.
CEO and Co-founder, The Resurrection Project
Few people have played a larger role in Pilsen’s transformation during the past 27 years than Raul Raymundo, CEO of The Resurrection Project. He is now expanding his organization’s model to other neighborhoods, while he continues to struggle to preserve Pilsen’s identity and affordability.
Pastor, Organizer, Change Agent
Father Charles Dahm is a dyed-in-the-wool activist, following in the footsteps of a long line of old-school, firebrand Catholic priests. He’s been pastor or associate pastor at St. Pius V in Pilsen since 1986 and says he has no intention of ever leaving. “I felt, and still feel, totally enriched just living in this neighborhood,” says Dahm.
Developer of Affordable Housing
During the past twenty years, Guacolda Reyes went from intern to VP of The Resurrection Project. In the process, she’s helped develop more than 550 affordable housing units in the Pilsen neighborhood alone.
The City is moving forward with plans to transform the abandoned BNSF railroad into a multi-use “rails-to-trails” path from Pilsen to South Lawndale. But not all residents in Pilsen, where the first phase of the project could kick off this fall, view the initiative as a symbol of positive change.
Grassroots Group Supports Women Fighting Breast Cancer
Having breast cancer is hard. It’s even harder when you’re undocumented and uninsured. A grassroots support group in Pilsen, ELLAS (which stands for En La Lucha A Sobrevivir, or, In The Struggle To Survive, in English), is working to provide support.
The Messages Behind the Murals
Pilsen’s buildings, alleyways, and even doors are places where artists express their roots, their values, and their opposition to injustice.
Gentrification and school choice are combining to reduce enrollment in many Pilsen schools. But administrators at Benito Juarez Community Academy are luring students back, in part by drawing on community resources and bolstering their arts programming.
Beyond Pilsen: Chicago's Community Leaders
Community leaders are working hard to foster investment and stability in Humboldt Park, cementing and celebrating the neighborhood’s Puerto Rican identity in a way that welcomes visitors and newcomers but also helps long-time, local residents stay and benefit from the increasingly prosperous environment.
Environmentalist and Co-Founder of PERRO
Maria Chavez doesn’t enjoy talking about herself, having her picture taken, or taking credit for any of the work she’s done as an outspoken – and highly effective – activist for environmental justice.
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