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.

Alma Silva

Immigration

Alma Silva

Immigrant rights organizer

Alma Silva arrived in Chicago 20 years ago from her home in Coahuila, Mexico. Today, she is committed to social justice and improving the opportunities for immigrants in Chicago and beyond.

Carmen Velásquez

Health & Environment

Carmen Velásquez

Health Care Advocate

Carmen Velásquez was indignant about the lack of health care available in her community. So she fought to open a clinic. Today, Alivio Medical Center operates one urgent care center and six community health centers, three of them in local schools.

Lilliana Calderon

Jobs

Lilliana Calderon

Bricklayer paving her way in male-dominated trade

Lilliana Calderon found steady employment and financial independence with the help of Chicago Women in Trades, a local organization that helps women break into the male-dominated plumbing, carpentry, pipe-fitting, electric, and bricklaying trades. She recently bought her first home in Pilsen.

Guacolda Reyes

Housing

Guacolda Reyes

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.

Arts

Ciera Mckissick

Curator Drawn To Pilsen’s Arts Scene

In January 2017, Ciera Mckissick opened a small gallery and arts incubator on the east side of Pilsen. She’s not from Pilsen, but says she has long been inspired by its art and its people. She is one of a growing number of newcomers attracted to the neighborhood.

Juan Salgado

Education

Juan Salgado

Education Leader

Adults in Pilsen have historically worked menial jobs, with limited upward mobility. While at Instituto del Progreso Latino, Juan Salgado developed innovative new adult education programs, enabling thousands to improve their skills and launch prosperous careers. Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently tapped him to bring his skills to City Colleges of Chicago.

Raul Hernandez

Housing

Raul Hernandez

Community Organizer, Co-Founder of The Resurrection Project

“When you build a house,” says Raul Hernandez, “you build a community.” With a coalition of church and community leaders, Hernandez co-founded an organization that has created of hundreds of affordable, dignified homes in Pilsen and, in the process, transformed the neighborhood.

Hector Duarte in his studio

Arts

Hector Duarte

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.

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