College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences > Centers & Institutes > Center for Latino Research > Resources > Community Organizations

Community Organizations

  • ​ASPIRA of Illinois ASPIRA, Inc. of Illinois is a Puerto Rican not-for-profit organization committed to the self-determination of Latinos through education, leadership development and cultural awareness.
  • Bill of Rights Defense Committee BORDC's mission is to promote, organize, and support a diverse, effective, national grassroots movement to restore and protect civil rights and liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Our purpose is to educate people about the significance of those rights in our lives; to encourage widespread civic participation; and to cultivate and share the organizing tools and strategies needed for people to convert their concern, outrage, and fear into debate and action to restore Bill of Rights protections.
  • Centro Romero Centro Romero provides opportunities for those community residents with the fewest options. Through education, Centro Romero emphasizes the development of the whole family unit, the creation of community leadership and self-reliance. Centro Romero proudly celebrated 23 years of service to the community in continuous efforts to strengthen and facilitate the integration of immigrants into the social, cultural and political fabric of Chicago with the deepest belief that "Our Families are Our Hope."
  • Contratiempo To speak of contratiempo is to talk about the origins of cultural and literary publications in Chicago and the U.S.A. Of the American cities with significant Hispanic neighborhoods, Chicago is the only city in which these type of Spanish publications have flourished with persistence. Between 1990 and 1993, eight issues of Tres Americas, and between 1992 and 1995, twelve issues of Fe de erratas were published. These two publications shared the same objective—to shed light on Spanish literature produced in Chicago, especially short stories and poetry—and so, became the first texts to accomplish this.
  • Illinois Migrant Council (IMC) The Illinois Migrant Council is a community-based non-profit organization with the primary mission of promoting employment, educational and other opportunities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) and their families to achieve economic self-sufficiency and stability. IMC's central focus is the well-being of the farmworker family. Since 1966, IMC has assisted farmworker families in meeting their needs and attaining their goals in their efforts to make the transition to a new community, home and job whether they are working seasonally in agriculture or are settling out of the migrant stream in Illinois.
  • Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Refugee Rights ICIRR is dedicated to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. In partnership with our member organizations, the Coalition educates and organizes immigrant and refugee communities to assert their rights; promotes citizenship and civic participation; monitors, analyzes, and advocates on immigrant-related issues; and, informs the general public about the contributions of immigrants and refugees.
  • Mujeres Latinas en Acción Mujeres Latinas en Acción, a bilingual/bicultural agency, seeks to empower women, their families and youth to become self-reliant and able to take full advantage of available opportunities, and create new opportunities to improve the quality of their lives. Mujeres Latinas en Accion provides comprehensive services with integrated activities to assist in exploring choices, make informed decisions, develop self-esteem, and enhance daily living and problem-solving skills.
  • National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) The National Museum of Mexican Art stands out as one of the most prominent first-voice institutions for Mexican art and culture in the United States. It is home to one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections, including more than 7,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the present.
  • Peruvian Arts Society The Peruvian Arts Society was founded on July 26th, 1963, and chartered as a non-profit organization in the State of Illinois in January of 1964. Its objectives are to foster and promote intercultural relations among the United States, Peru and other Latin American countries, through educational programs, exhibits, social events, communications, media and collaboration with other groups and organizations with the same endeavors.
  • Pilsen Alliance In 1998, Pilsen community residents, activists and local businesses came together at the first Pilsen Community Congress to address the pressing needs of equitable and accessible public transportation, development and education reform. This platforms was ratified and led to the creation of Pilsen Alliance, a not-for-profit community organizing agency. Today, Pilsen Alliance continues organizing to ensure that the community does not become displaced and that their interests are served. Pilsen Alliance serves to improve the quality of life and preserve the rich Mexican culture of the Greater Pilsen community by supporting local leadership at the grassroots level on advocacy / organizing campaigns that promote self-determination, accountability, inclusiveness and social change.
  • Puerto Rican Cultural Center Founded in 1973, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center Juan Antonio Corretjer is a non-profit, community-based umbrella institution, which seeks to serve the social/cultural needs of Chicago's Puerto Rican/Latino community. It is built on the following principles: a philosophy of self-determination, a methodology of self-actualization and critical thought, and an ethics of self-reliance best expressed in the motto, "To Live and Help To Live." It serves as a place where people come together to address the critical problems confronting the community, and to recover their history, and to share in the music, poetry and drama of Puerto Ricans both at home and in the diaspora.