Palenque LSNA

Maria Marquez passed away unexpectedly on January 3rd. The hearts of many at Palenque LSNA are hurting from the loss of Maria, an amazing daughter, caring mother, community champion, and caring friend to so many.

Maria became one of the early graduates of Grow Your Own Teachers Illinois, where she quickly became the heart, soul, and humor of GYO, always giving rides, opening her home to study groups, and showing up always with her son Richard by her side.

She was a tremendous Parent Mentor and Tutor at Darwin Elementary and then mentored other neighborhood madres and lideres as the Parent Mentor Coordinator at Ames Middle School. She was the Parent Mentor coordinator at Ames during the heartbreaking but also beautiful years when we had to fight the Board of Education to Save Ames and stop our neighborhood middle school from Marine takeover. In the words of another fierce Save Ames Campaign leader, Maria Valdez, “Maria was my beast on the streets during the Ames Military Takeover. She was loved by all!! Never a dull moment with my vieja.”

Sadly, we lost that fight but will have an elected school board this year. Please chip in here if you can to help cover funeral expenses and honor her life:

Maria C. Marquez Funeral Expenses, organized by Maria Valdez Maria Carmen Marquez was a loving daughter, a dedicated mother, and a wonderful human … Maria Valdez needs your support for Maria C. Marquez Funeral Expenses

Thank you parent mentors, teachers and school principals for your collective work to make our schools a place that our children deserve.
Palenque LSNA wish you a happy holiday and a joyful New year✨
Parent Mentor Program - Illinois

Palenque LSNA will be closed through the holidays to give our staff time to be around family and friends and to get some rest. Our office will open again on January 8th. See you in 2024! 💙🧡

Earlier this month the McAuliffe Robonauts practiced at the Palenque LSNA office for the First Lego League Challenge Qualifying Tournament which took place on December 3rd. As a reward for spending their entire weekend with the team, students had Giordano's pizza for lunch.

Thank you to DoorDash for providing us with the opportunity to treat our amazing students with some earned treats!

Chicago remains a Sanctuary City!!!! 🧡💙

Today at City Council a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition of folks from labor, faith-based, grassroots, and community organizations up held protections for ALL Chicagoans!

Special thanks to our local leaders who stood on the right side of history today including 26th Ward Alderperson Jessie Fuentes Carlos Rosa, Chicago's 35th Ward Alderman Alderman La Spata 1st Ward 30th Ward Alderwoman Ruth Cruz 33rd Ward Alderwoman Rossana Rodríguez Alderman Felix Cardona, Jr.

We want to recognize Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and Action Council Members! This took people power and we SEE all of you who showed up and stood with us. When we come together we all win! 🎉

Additionally, thank you to Brighton Park Neighborhood Council United Working Families Grassroots Collaborative SEIU Local 1 Organized Communities Against Deportations Chicago Teachers Union Southside Together Organizing for Power - STOP Center 4 Racial Justice Not Me We SEIU Healthcare IL & IN SOUL - Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation and MANY MORE!!!

We currently have a GIFT MATCH opportunity! Your donation has the potential to be DOUBLED! Donate to us today!

https://lsna.app.neoncrm.com/forms/19

Chicago is a sanctuary city. Chicago is also an organizing city. Palenque LSNA has been mobilizing for housing for all, education for all, and citizenship for all for over 60 years.

For over the last year, we have been at our 14th and 25th district police stations, handing out basic necessities – clothing, toothbrushes, and blankets for the thousands of our new neighbors who need to know that they have a community here. But this is an ongoing work toward liberation that includes everyone, no matter how long you have been here. We will not leave people out. We are stepping up for those in need; we help all of our neighbors, both longstanding and new. And what we ALL need are long-term sustainable solutions.

Community, will you join us in building the city we deserve – a palenque of abundance?

We are one week away from this exciting panel discussion event!

Register here: https://lsna.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events #/events/918

Join us next Tuesday, December 19th 6pm-8pm, for a panel discussion around the complexities of gentrification and demolitions. 🧡💙

Register here: https://lsna.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events #/events/918

Our panel will explore the multifaceted dimensions of gentrification and demolitions. From examining the socio-economic impacts on vulnerable communities to discussing innovative approaches to urban development, this event aims to foster a nuanced dialogue on the challenges and opportunities associated with these transformative processes.

Whether you're a concerned resident, an urban planning enthusiast, or someone passionate about creating inclusive and resilient cities, "Shifting Landscapes" provides a unique platform to gain insights, share experiences, and collectively envision more equitable and sustainable urban futures. Join us for an evening of meaningful conversations that inspire change and empower communities.

Labor of LOVE - Parent Mentors, you are an extraordinary leaders with amazing hearts. You are dedicating your time to teach, to listen, to help, to inspire, to build and to grow!
You are planting seeds of love in countless student’s lives.
Your role in the classroom is unique and essential.
You are transforming the world!!!
Thank you to the 156 parent mentors from Avondale-Logandale, Barry, Brentano, Darwin, Funston, Goethe, Kelvyn Park, McAuliffe, Monroe, Mozart, Stowe and Yates.
Parent Mentor Program - Illinois

We are creating economic empowerment and liberation!
We are conecting families, local schools and communities.
“The ladders of Opportunity” initiative currently supports 62 parent mentors working toward their personal goals.
Today, parent mentors celebrated their achievements of completing GED, ESL, Digital literacy, and paraprofessional courses. Some parent mentors are now working as teachers Aide/SECA at their children’s school.
Thank you partner institutions for your collaboration: Truman College, Daley College and NEIU El Centro.
Parent Mentor Program - Illinois
Northeastern Illinois University
City Colleges of Chicago

Community, will you join us in building the city we deserve – a palenque of abundance? Please consider donating to Palenque LSNA this giving season.

https://lsna.app.neoncrm.com/forms/19

Chicago is a sanctuary city. Chicago is also an organizing city. Palenque LSNA has been mobilizing for housing for all, education for all, and citizenship for all for over 60 years. And over the last year, we have been at our 14th and 25th district police stations, handing out basic necessities – clothing, toothbrushes, and blankets for the thousands of our new neighbors who need to know that they have a community here.

But this is an ongoing work toward liberation that includes everyone, no matter how long you have been here. We will not leave people out. We are stepping up for those in need; we help all of our neighbors, both longstanding and new. And what we ALL need are long-term sustainable solutions.

On December 3, 2023, the Palenque LSNA/McAuliffe Robonauts after-school program competed at Horizon Math and Science Academy against 17 other teams. The theme of the 2023 FLL competition was Masterpiece, which focused on art and how students and people around the world express themselves through art. Students showcased various skills in the robot game runs and research project. 🤖

Through their effort and commitment to each other, the students received the "Breakthrough Award."🎉 This award is a recognition of a team that displays high integrity and values in addition to exceptional technical ability with their robot. This award allows our team to advance to the sectional qualifiers in January! Congratulations to the team! 💙🧡

https://youtu.be/kfjSUrMUkGM?si=6mPob5BkugvXYmIY

Are you a parent of a Kelvyn Park High School student? Well then we want to see you at the Parent Holiday Party next Friday December 15th at 9am. Join the KP community for food, games, activities, holiday cheer and more!❤️💚

"Delgado works as a special education aide in the junior high program at Kelvyn Park High School in the Hermosa neighborhood on Chicago’s Northwest side. She spends all day, everyday shadowing her assigned students.

She became an aide through Palenque LSNA, a group formerly known as Logan Square Neighborhood Association. She started in the parent mentor program, which has been sending parents and others into classrooms to support teachers for nearly 30 years.

With state funding, Palenque last year formalized the program to help parent mentors become aides and already has helped 132 parent mentors get credentialed."

Personal aides for students are the unsung heroes of special education in CPS Elsa Delgado, one of about 6,300 staffers in this role, says, “We do the little things that make a big thing.“

Palenque LSNA will be offering screening and application preparation for DACA renewals. New and returning clients to Palenque LSNA welcome! The workshop will start at 3pm on Tuesday, December 19th.

We are asking people to please CALL AND PRE-REGISTER for the workshop, so you can be assigned a time slot between 3 and 5 pm.

We have $495 filing fee scholarships available for those who are income-eligible. Please note that USCIS is not accepting NEW DACA applications, only people who currently have DACA and whose work permit has not been expired for more than one year are eligible to apply.

Join us next Tuesday, December 19th 6pm-8pm, for a panel discussion around the complexities of gentrification and demolitions. 🧡💙

Register here: https://lsna.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events #/events/918

Our panel will explore the multifaceted dimensions of gentrification and demolitions. From examining the socio-economic impacts on vulnerable communities to discussing innovative approaches to urban development, this event aims to foster a nuanced dialogue on the challenges and opportunities associated with these transformative processes.

Whether you're a concerned resident, an urban planning enthusiast, or someone passionate about creating inclusive and resilient cities, "Shifting Landscapes" provides a unique platform to gain insights, share experiences, and collectively envision more equitable and sustainable urban futures. Join us for an evening of meaningful conversations that inspire change and empower communities.

Arturo, Palenque LSNA board president and attorney at Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, talks about Bring Chicago Home and why it is so important! Watch and learn more here:

Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices | 3 Local Organizations Talk Homelessness in Chicago | Season 2023 | WTTW An estimated 68,000 people are homeless in Chicago, according to one report.

Calling Chicago teachers and educators! 📣 We are inviting you to join our Youth Posada next Friday December 8th!

Palenque Youth have been learning about the importance of having a sanctuary city and what safety means to our community. They are excited to showcase their learnings along with debuting a coloring book created as a tool to talk about migration with children! Learn how you can be part of this effort of solidarity. 💙🧡 Please register in advance to attend.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKe-OfvqvX2GIi-ZRDwa5Cbpew9W_3glC2BBlzewOLf7qynw/viewform?pli=1

If you haven’t emailed your alderperson to protect the Welcoming City Ordinance and continue pushing for investments in all communities, you can do so here: https://p2a.co/opKzXeD

Congratulations to the 25+ parent mentors on their first Northstar Digital literacy class!
You all are committed to master the digital skills needed to work, learn, and participate fully in daily life!
Special thanks to Northeastern Illinois University for being an amazing collaborator.
The ladders of opportunity initiative is changing parent mentor live’s.
If you are a current parent mentor or former parent mentor with Palenque LSNA and you are interested in Digital literacy class or GED and or ESL classes please contact Araceli Carrillo at 773 384-4370
Parent Mentor Program - Illinois

"Palenque LSNA Executive Director Juliet de Jesus Alejandre said both ballot questions are based on xenophobic rhetoric and should be rejected.

“We are angry that in 2023 in Chicago an anti-immigrant ballot question is given the light of day,” de Jesus Alejandre said. “It does nothing but sow harmful divisions. It does not address the solutions our city and new arrivals are facing. And it does nothing to address the challenges of disinvested communities that have been here for generations in this community.”'

As Backlash Against Chicago’s Sanctuary City Status Gains Steam, Supporters Warn of Consequences A key vote by the Chicago City Council’s Rules Committee could come as soon as Thursday on a measure that would ask voters during the March primary whether Chicago should remain a sanctuary city.

'“I support this with my whole heart. I wish that when I was a teenager, there would have been more projects like this so that my family didn’t have to bounce back and forth,” said Gary Jimenez, whose family was displaced from the area due to rising rents and property value."

As Gentrification Pushes Longtime Residents Out, 40 Affordable Apartments Planned In Humboldt Park LUCHA and Full Circle Communities developers are proposing a six-story, 40-unit apartment complex that would be fully affordable for working families.

Palenque LSNA's very own Executive Director, Juliet, was the MC at todays press conference. We stand in solidarity! When we are divided no one wins, when we are strong together we all win.

We are lifting up a post by our partner organization Organized Communities Against Deportations about the arrest of Antonio. Today at City Hall there was a lot of colonial pain on display. Our Black siblings in Chicago have been denied justice for too long. We make room for righteous grief at the systemic oppression of Black Chicago. We also know that Alderperson Raymond Lopez has not shown love or justice to Black or Brown communities while making disproven accusations against Alderperson Carlos Ramirez Rosa, who has a stellar record of leading on the city’s most progressive policies.

Solidarity is the only way to win liberation for all people. We cannot become more free at the expense of another community. Black and Brown liberation is interconnected and there is so much work to do. Mayor Harold Washington declared Chicago a Sanctuary City back in the 1980s in a display of deep solidarity. May all our people be free together.

"While gentrification and displacement have harmed Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, and other communities across Chicago, many opportunities for equitable development. The message from the families that remain is clear: we will come together and we are here to stay.

"I feel protected by the power of the community. Maybe we don’t have peace of mind, but we have hope and we can pass that hope along. I want to stop surviving. I want to live a free life. Starting with ourselves and our schools, we can change the world."
Monica Espinoza, parent leader'

Demolitions in Logan Square Finding a Path Toward Equitable Development

Urgent Action: Email your alderperson today and demand they reject attempts to undermine the Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance. Ask them to reject Texas Gov. Abbott’s racist agenda!

Link: https://p2a.co/j6hpufi

Email your alderperson today and check out the facts about the Welcoming City ordinance below 👇👇

Parent Mentors Transforming their Communities - We are on a mission to make sure our children are safe and well supported academically and emotionally to be able to reach their full potential. This is where our skills shine and we find that we as a parents are capable of more than we think ~ parent mentor
neighborhood-wide
Parent Mentor Program - Illinois
Brentano Math and Science Academy