Full Text of HR0346 103rd General Assembly
HR0346 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) is named | 3 | | after Juan Antonio Corretjer, the celebrated Puerto Rican | 4 | | national poet laureate and one of the most significant | 5 | | political theorists of the 20th century; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The PRCC was established within the historical | 7 | | context of the building of communities of resistance and was | 8 | | initiated, following the Spanish conquest of Puerto Rico, by | 9 | | Taino forebearers, runaway African slaves, and marginalized | 10 | | populations, such as the Moors and
Sephardic Jews; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Throughout the Caribbean and in Latin America, | 12 | | this practice was conducted in the hinterlands, in the | 13 | | mountains, and in other marginal geographical areas by the | 14 | | people who were known as cimarrones; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, These Maroon societies became a place where | 16 | | people gathered to address the critical problems confronting | 17 | | them, a place where they recovered a sense of their history, | 18 | | and a place where they created a syncretic cultural | 19 | | production, such as music, poetry, and performances; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, In that tradition, the PRCC carries out a process | 21 | | of conscientization, informed by the principles of |
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| 1 | | self-determination, self-actualization, and self-reliance, | 2 | | meaning that it educates, organizes, and struggles for social, | 3 | | economic, and political empowerment of Puerto Ricans within a | 4 | | context, which is holistic in nature and organic in form; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, All of the PRCC's programs constitute an | 6 | | umbrella, meeting the needs of the community, which at the | 7 | | same time encourages participants to think critically about | 8 | | their reality and promotes an ethics of social responsibility | 9 | | framed by the motto "live and help to live"; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, These programs address diverse issues that | 11 | | include wellness, social, educational, cultural, and quality | 12 | | of life matters for Puerto Rican/Latino and other marginalized | 13 | | communities; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, The programs address HIV/AIDS, education, | 15 | | literacy, housing, homophobia, substance abuse, gang violence, | 16 | | teen pregnancy, police brutality, racism, economic and | 17 | | community development, human rights violations, and the | 18 | | devastation created by generational and historical trauma | 19 | | through the work of the four pillars of initiatives, which are | 20 | | public health, housing, economic development, and education; | 21 | | and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, The PRCC promotes the principles of |
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| 1 | | self-actualization, self-determination, and self-reliance for | 2 | | the Puerto Rican/Latino community through the study, recovery, | 3 | | and celebration of Puerto Rican culture; these efforts are | 4 | | devotedly undertaken through programs and annual events, such | 5 | | as The Three Kings Day celebration, the Casita de Don Pedro | 6 | | project, the Puerto
Rican People's Day Parade, Fiesta Boricua, | 7 | | Haunted Paseo Boricua, the Community as a Campus Initiative, | 8 | | the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness, El Rescate | 9 | | Transitional
Living Space for LGBTQ+ Youth, the Lisa Isadora | 10 | | Cruz Transgender Empowerment Center, the Nancy Franco | 11 | | Maldonado Paseo Boricua Arts Building, the Consuelo Lee | 12 | | Corretjer Child Care Center, as well as mural projects and | 13 | | other initiatives; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Along with the National Boricua Human Rights | 15 | | Network, the PRCC has also played a key role in human rights | 16 | | campaigns, including the defense of political prisoners, the | 17 | | struggle for peace in Vieques, the defense of undocumented | 18 | | immigrants, and the fight against the criminalization of | 19 | | youth; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, For the past 50 years, the work of the PRCC has | 21 | | been formed by a socio-ecological model, which recognizes the | 22 | | interplay among key factors, including social justice, | 23 | | community and institutional building, policy, advocacy, | 24 | | environmental justice, education, housing, and access to |
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| 1 | | equitable health care; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 3 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 4 | | we declare Labor Day weekend 2023 as "Puerto Rican Cultural | 5 | | Center Weekend" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to the PRCC as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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