People | My Neighborhood: Pilsen

Meet the People of Pilsen

A community thrives when a variety of individuals and organizations work to make it a better place. Meet some of the people who have helped to transform the community from the inside out.

Danny Solis

Housing

Danny Solis

Alderman and Power Broker

Over the course of his long career, 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis has risen from ragtag community activist to one of the most powerful and senior aldermen in the Chicago City Council. During that time, he’s managed to expertly leverage power and city funds to help transform his ward.

Father Chuck

Housing

Father Charles Dahm

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.

Safety

Restoring Justice and Hope in North Lawndale

Jeramey Winfield is a 26-year-old North Lawndale native who was introduced to the concept of restorative justice while in high school. He now facilitates restorative justice in his community as a way to help heal divisions, support residents, and combat the violence that has affected many residents, including his own family.

Immigration

Inside a Church at the Forefront of Chicago’s Sanctuary Movement

Meet Emma Lozano and Pastor Walter Coleman, the spiritual leaders of Adalberto United Methodist Church in Pilsen and trailblazers in Chicago’s immigrant rights movement.

Jobs

Eduardo Arocho: Planting a Flag for Puerto Ricans

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.

Safety

Asiaha Butler and Englewood Rising

Beyond Pilsen: Chicago's Community Leaders

To many outsiders, Englewood is a symbol of Chicago gun violence and disinvestment. Lifelong resident Asiaha Butler, founder of R.A.G.E., has made it her mission to highlight and nurture the positive aspects of her community. In the process, she’s created a wealth of new opportunities and a blueprint for community-led development.

Health & Environment

Pilsen Community Split Over Who Will Benefit From Paseo Trail

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.

Raul Raymundo

Housing

Raul Raymundo

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.

Maria Chavez stands outside of H. Kramer

Health & Environment

Maria Chavez

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.

Jeff Maldonado stands in front of one of the many J-Def murals

Safety

Jeff Maldonado

Father, Artist, Teacher

Jeff Maldonado, a longtime Pilsen muralist, turned his personal tragedy into art and opportunity for others through the creation of the J-Def Peace Project.