Jessie Fuentes | |
---|---|
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 26th ward | |
Assumed office May 15, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Roberto Maldonado |
Personal details | |
Born | 1990or1991(age 33–34) |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Northeastern Illinois University (BA,MEd) |
Jessica "Jessie" Fuentes (born 1990/1991) [1] is an American politician from Chicago. She is the alderperson for Chicago City Council's 26th ward,having won the 2023 election to the office. The 26th ward includes parts of the Humboldt Park,Logan Square,Hermosa,West Town,and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods. [2]
Fuentes grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. She attended Carl Schurz High School and later transferred to Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School. [3] She earned a bachelor's degree in Justice Studies and Latino and Latin American Studies and a Master of Education degree in Community and Teachers Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. [4]
She worked as a program director at the youth center CaféTeatro Batey Urbano and later as dean of students at her alma mater Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School and at Roberto Clemente Community Academy. [5] Prior to her election,Fuentes was the director of policy and youth advocacy for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.
Fuentes ran for alderperson of the 26th ward in the 2023 election,initially against incumbent Roberto Maldonado. After collecting signatures to appear on the ballot,Maldonado decided against running,making the election an open race. [3] Maldonado later endorsed Fuentes. [6] Fuentes won a three-way race in the February 2023 election with over 50% of the vote,negating the need for a runoff election. [7] In the 2023 Chicago mayoral election runoff,Fuentes endorsed eventual winner Brandon Johnson. [2]
Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican attorney and politician,and a leading figure in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the president and spokesperson of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico from 1930 until his death. He led the nationalist revolts of October 1950 against the United States government in Puerto Rico. Albizu Campos spent a total of twenty-six years in prison at various times for his Puerto Rican independence activities.
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is called into session regularly,usually monthly,to consider ordinances,orders,and resolutions whose subject matter includes code changes,utilities,taxes,and many other issues. The Chicago City Council Chambers are located in Chicago City Hall,as are the downtown offices of the individual alderpersons and staff.
Humboldt Park,one of 77 designated community areas,is on the West Side of Chicago,Illinois. The Humboldt Park neighborhood is known for its dynamic social and ethnic demographic change over the years. The Puerto Rican community has identified strongly with the area since the 1970s. Humboldt Park is also the name of a 207-acre (0.8 km2) park adjacent to the community area.
The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17,1922,in San Juan,Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The Party's selection in 1930 of Pedro Albizu Campos as its president brought a radical change to the organization and its tactics.
Billy Ocasio is a politician who formerly served as a Chicago alderman. He left the Chicago City Council in 2009 to serve as an advisor to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn,appointed to work on social justice issues. He began this position on June 1,2009 after it had been announced on May 12,2009.
The Division Street riots were episodes of rioting and civil unrest in Chicago which started on June 12 and continued through June 14,1966. These riots are remembered as a turning point in Puerto Rican civic involvement in Chicago. This was the first riot in the United States attributed to Puerto Ricans.
Roberto Maldonado is an American politician who served as the alderman of the 26th Ward of the City of Chicago,Illinois from 2009 to 2023.
Paseo Boricua is a section of Division Street in the Humboldt Park community of the West Side of Chicago,Illinois.
The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party insurgency was a series of coordinated insurrections for the secession of Puerto Rico led by the president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party,Don Pedro Albizu Campos,against the United States government's rule over the islands of Puerto Rico. The party repudiated the "Free Associated State" status that had been enacted in 1950 and which the Nationalists considered a continuation of colonialism.
Puerto Ricans in Chicago are individuals residing in Chicago with ancestral ties to the island of Puerto Rico. Over more than seventy years,they have made significant contributions to the economic,social,and cultural fabric of the city. This is known as the city of multiple cultures.
Vidal Santiago Díaz was a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and served as president of the Santurce Municipal Board of officers of the party. He was also the personal barber of Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos. Though not involved in the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s,Santiago Díaz's barbershop was attacked by forty armed police officers and U.S. National Guardsmen. The attack was historic in Puerto Rico—the first time an event of that magnitude had ever been transmitted live via radio and heard all over the island.
Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School (PACHS) is an alternative high school located in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the Paseo Boricua in Chicago,Illinois,United States. It is named for Puerto Rican nationalist Pedro Albizu Campos,and was founded in 1972 as La Escuelita Puertorriqueña,originally in the basement of a Chicago church. The school is NALSAS accredited,a founding member of the Alternative Schools Network,and a campus of the Youth Connection Charter School in Chicago. PACHS celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2022.
Gilbert Villegas is an American politician. He is a member of the Chicago City Council,serving as alderperson for the city's 36th ward. The 36th ward includes Belmont-Cragin,Galewood,Hermosa,Humboldt Park,Montclare and Portage Park. Prior to his election to the Chicago City Council,he served as chief of staff of the Illinois Capital Development Board.
The 2023 Chicago mayoral election was held on February 28,2023,to elect the mayor of Chicago,Illinois. With no candidate receiving a majority of votes in the initial round of the election,a runoff election was held on April 4. This two-round election took place alongside other 2023 Chicago elections,including races for City Council,city clerk,city treasurer,and police district councils. The election was officially nonpartisan,with winner Brandon Johnson being elected to a four-year term which began on May 15.
The 2023 Chicago aldermanic election took place in two rounds on February 28 and April 4,2023,to elect 50 alderpersons to the Chicago City Council. Each alderperson represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. The elections are non-partisan and use a two-round system where the top two finishers compete in a second-round runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The elections are part of the 2023 Chicago elections,which include elections for Mayor,City Clerk,and City Treasurer.
Angela Clay is an American politician and activist. She is the alderwoman for the 46th ward in the Chicago City Council,having won the 2023 election for the office. The 46th ward includes portions of the Uptown and Lakeview neighborhoods.
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth is an American politician and small business owner. She is the alderwoman for the 48th ward in the Chicago City Council,having won the 2023 election for the office. The 48th ward includes most of the Edgewater neighborhood and parts of the Uptown neighborhood.
Desmon C. Yancy is an American politician and community organizer from Chicago. He is the alderperson for Chicago City Council's 5th ward,having won the 2023 election for the office. The 5th ward is on Chicago's south side,and includes portions of the Hyde Park,South Shore,and Woodlawn neighborhoods.
William E. Hall is an American politician and pastor from Chicago. He is the alderperson for Chicago City Council's 6th ward,having won the 2023 election for the office. The 6th ward is on Chicago's South Side,and includes portions of the Greater Grand Crossing and Chatham neighborhoods.
Ruth Cruz is an American politician from Chicago. She is the alderperson for Chicago City Council's 30th ward,having won the 2023 election to the office. The 30th ward includes parts of the Portage Park,Belmont Cragin,and Irving Park neighborhoods.