HISTORICALLY IMPACTED BY GENTRIFICATION AND THE ECONOMIC DISINVESTMENT CAN APPLY TO GET MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR PRESERVATION EFFORTS.

IT'S PART OF THE STATE DESIGNATED CULTURE DISTRICT PROGRAM WHICH ALLOWS ORGANIZATIONS AND 10 DISTRICTS ACROSS ILLINOIS TO APPLY FOR STATE FUNDING TO HELP SUPPORT PROGRAMMING EFFORTS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

2 OF THE DISTRICTS INCLUDE LITTLE VILLAGE IN HUMBLE PARK.

HERE TO TELL US MORE ARE JOSE LOPEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUERTO RICAN CULTURE CENTER AND CAME CLOSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FOUNDATION.

A LITTLE VILLAGE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU WAS A YOU'RE A LONGTIME ORGANIZER WITH THE PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY IN HUMBLE PARK.

THIS CULTURE DISTRICT DIDN'T COME OVERNIGHT AND IT CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK AND HOW THIS CULTURE DESIGNATION CAME ABOUT WHAT IT CAME ABOUT WE WERE FACING OBVIOUSLY THE TWIN PROBLEMS OF >> HISTORICAL DISINVESTMENT GENTRIFICATION.

AND WE COME BEING A COMMUNITY, A SUMMIT ABOUT 7, 8 USEABLE.

AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA IF THIS STATE LEGISLATURE CAN DESIGNATE AREAS, WHY NOT DESIGNATE AN CALLED DESIGNATED DISTRICT A CULTURE AND LOOK AT SENT ENTERPRISE NOT AS SOMETHING THAT IS A SIDEKICK, BUT SOMETHING THAT'S CENTRAL TO THE VITALITY OF THE COMMUNITY.

THE CITY AND HOPEFULLY THE WORLD A VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS.

FOR CAME, WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LITTLE DELAY?

TELL DOES IS.

>> DESTINATION HELP RECOGNIZE THAT HISTORY.

>> LITTLE IT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A COMMUNITY OF IMMIGRANTS.

AND EVEN TO THIS DAY, IT'S A PORT OF ENTRY FOR PEOPLE COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES DIRECTLY IMMIGRATING DIRECTLY INTO CHICAGO THROUGH THE ARCH.

THE ART.

YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE.

AND SO NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, BUT IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT, THE 26TH STREET HAS ON THE CITY AND THE STATE OF ILLINOIS LITTLE VILLAGE IS ON.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO KNOWN AS THE KING TO NEAR CAPITAL OF THE MIDWEST.

SO IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO VISIT IN CHICAGOLAND AND DEFINITELY DESERVES THIS CULTURAL VERY QUICKLY.

THE FOUNDATION, A LITTLE VILLAGE IS A NEWER INITIATIVE, RIGHT?

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE ROLE >> OF THE ORGANIZATION IN THE COMMUNITY?

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

THE FOUNDATION OF LITTLE VILLAGE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2018 TO BUSINESS SERVICES IN SPANISH TO THE COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS THAT ARE INVESTING IN LITTLE VILLAGE AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AROUND LITTLE VILLAGE.

SO WE ENTREPRENEURIAL COHORTS IN SPANISH AND ALSO WE HAVE INITIATIVES FOR CORRIDOR, REVITALIZATION AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION, WHICH IS WHY WE APPLIED TO GET THE DESIGNATION UPON ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY.

AND JOSE, GOING TO YOU, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE STATE OF THE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE UP TO 3 MILLION IN FUNDING?

YOU KNOW, HOW WILL THIS MONEY?

YOU DON'T BE SPREAD IN I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS IS THAT IT SPEAKS.

>> TO THE VERY IDEA, I CULTURE.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IS THAT REALLY FINDING UP URBAN CENTERS?

WE'VE LIVED IN A WORLD IN WHICH CITIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DEFINED BY THOSE.

THEY'RE OUT OF THE INMATES IN 21ST CENTURY IN THIS INFORMATIONAL CITY.

WHY WE THINKING ABOUT THE WORLD IN THE CITY AND WHAT THIS CREATES ENSURES THAT COMMUNITIES CAN BE VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC CAN EXCHANGE DID KNOW EACH OTHER CAN EARN ABOUT EACH OTHER'S THEN TO REACH OTHERS MUSIC.

LISTENING POSITIONS.

ALL OF THIS.

IT'S WHAT MAKES CULTURE FOR US IN THE PUERTO RICAN CULTURAL CENTER.

IT MEANS THE WORDING BEST THING RIGHT NOW AND THE PUERTO RICAN AGENDA WE'RE CREATING, OBVIOUSLY 4 PILLARS, ONE, OBVIOUSLY OUR ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HELP SHUN AND HOUSING AND SORT WRAPPED AROUND MY ARTS AND CULTURE.

AND SO WE ARE LOOKING IN NEXT FEW WEEKS, OPENING 6 BUSINESSES DIVISION STREET ON DEAL.

THAT'S A VERY BIG DEAL.

DO YOU WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE LONGTIME HUMBLE PARK RESIDENTS WHO HAVE LEFT BECAUSE OF GENTRIFICATION TO COME BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY?

ABSOLUTELY.

A MATTER OF FACT, NEXT MONTH HAS CAUSING LOW 6 FEET APART FROM >> A OF COMPULSORY RESIDENTS FOR 60 A PART THAT IS THAT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING RIGHT ON THE CORNER OF THE VISION AND CALIFORNIA AND FROM THE HUMBLE PARK.

THAT'S GREAT.

AND FOR YOU, KIM, WHAT IS THE VISION?

HOW WOULD YOU WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS MONEY CAN BE USED IN LITTLE VILLAGE, ESPECIALLY ON THE 26 CORRIDOR, RIGHT?

IT'S A VERY VIBRANT CORRIDOR.

MANY PEOPLE GO THERE.

>> WHAT IS YOUR VISION IN THE FOUNDATION'S VISION?

>> THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

SO THE FIRST YEAR OF THE GRANT IS WERE SUPPOSED TO GENERATE A REPORT BASED ON WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS.

THAT'S REALLY OUR GOAL FOR 2024.

IS TO HAVE COMMUNITY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE PLAN THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS IN LITTLE VILLAGE SO THAT COLLECTIVELY.

SO THERE'S A COMMUNITY VOICE AND HOW THOSE FUNDS SHOULD BE APPLIED.

AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER COMPETITIVE GRANT PROCESS THAT WHERE WE HAVE TO APPLY.

THE 10 DESIGNATED DISTRICTS HAVE TO APPLY TO GET THE MONEY ALLOCATED WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE READY TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY REALLY WANTS.

REALLY, IT'S A REAL COMMUNITY WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO TELL YOUR RESIDENTS YOUR HAND?

THEY?

>> ABOUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THAT NEIGHBOR.

WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WE WILL HAVE >> A HUB IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO THAT OBVIOUSLY OUR COMMUNITY CAN BE PUERTO RICANS HAVE SHAPED THE LIFE OF THE CITY.

WE HAVE THESE HUGE FLAGS THAT BASICALLY SPEAK TO WHAT CONTRIBUTIONS PUERTO RICANS HAVE MADE TO THE CITY.

THE FLAGS ARE MADE OUT OF STEEL BECAUSE THE FIRST MIGRATION OF PUERTO RICANS CAME TO WORK IN THE STEEL MILLS.

THE FLAGS ARE MADE OUT OF PIPELINES BECAUSE GROUP OF PUERTO RICANS CAME TO WORK IN THE PIPELINE INDUSTRY AND THEN TOGETHER BECAUSE ANOTHER GROUP OF PUERTO CAME TO WORK AT THOSE FAMILIES.

WE THOSE PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS CHICAGO.

>> ALSO BE ABLE TO OUR CULTURE AND OUR VISION WITH THE REST OF THE CITY VERY EXCITING NEWS.

>> ANYTHING ELSE, ANY LAST WORDS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

KIM?

>> I MEAN, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR LITTLE VILLAGE THE BUT THE CULTURAL DISTRICT CAN.

YEAH, BUT WE CAN ADD TO THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO INCREASE TOURISM AND INVESTMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

IF PEOPLE WANT TO PARTICIPATE, CAN THEY GO TO THE LITTLE VILLAGE FOUNDATION AT WWW FOP?

CHICAGO DOT ORG