Last weekend we hosted a community screening of the PBS documentary The Young Lords of Lincoln Park, followed by a community discussion. The documentary focuses on the displacement that Puerto Rican families faced from Lincoln Park, and the community-led grassroots organizing that Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez led as founder of the Young Lords Organization.
Cha Cha helped guided the Young Lords Organization into partnership with the Illinois Black Panther Party and the Young Patriots Organization in 1969 to form the original Rainbow Coalition. His work and the work of this coalition continues to inspire UN35’s approach to community organizing in our neighborhood.
We were so grateful to be joined by member of the original Young Lords Organizations while we were able to hold a moment of silence in honor of Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez’s passing the day prior.
This week Cook County Commissioner Anthony Joel Quezada and Alderperson Jessie Fuentes introduced resolutions honoring Jose “Cha Cha” Jimenez’s life, work, and legacy.
