PRCC Mission Statement
A little bit of history
The pictures show the four buildings which have housed the PRCC through its 30+ years of existence: from top to bottom; a) the church building located at 2028 W. Augusta, where the Pedro Albizu Campos High School (at that point named after the then-incarcerated Puerto Rican National Hero Rafael Cancel Miranda) was founded. b) the 1520 N. Claremont building, where the famous "Migration of a Nation" mural can still be seen from Western Avenue. c) the building where the PRCC lived the longest, 1671 N. Claremont Avenue. d) and its present structure, 2739-41 W. Division Street.
About the PRCC
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."
About the PRCC
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) is named after Juan Antonio Corretjer, the celebrated Puerto Rican national poet and political leader. 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.
All of the PRCC's programs encourage participants to think critically about their reality and promote an ethics of self-reliance based on social responsibility. The various projects address critical health, social, and cultural issues affecting Puerto Rican/Latino and poor communities, including AIDS, education, literacy, housing, homophobia, drug addiction, gang violence, teen pregnancy, police brutality, racism, economic and community development, and human rights violations.
The PRCC promotes the self-actualization and self-determination of the Puerto Rican/Latino community through the study and creation of Puerto Rican culture, and through social activism. These efforts are carried out through programs such as public mural projects, the Casita Project, the People's Parade, Fiesta Boricua and the Community Lecture Series. The PRCC has also been involved in such human rights campaigns as the defense of political prisoners, the struggle for peace in Vieques, the defense of undocumented workers, and the struggle against the criminalization of youth.
An article on the Puerto Rican Cultural Center published by the National Puerto Rican Coalition states: "There are, of course, continuing problems of obtaining the modest funds required to support the Center and its programs, and in identifying committed staff who are willing to get paid far less than those working in traditional institutions. However, they receive additional rewards; the freedom to plant the seeds that grow into new kinds of institutions which in turn, produce young adults who have a vision of what is possible for themselves and for the Puerto Rican community."
"...In the meantime, I just wanted to tell you that I have never encountered a community-based organization with such integrity and commitment to purpose as yours. I found a consistency in terms of the understanding of agency mission and personal dedication to the community that was present in all interviews. This is highly unusual for most not-for-profit organizations. Your love for your community, understanding of community and capacity to engage the community in positive change is phenomenal. If there is anything I can do to testify to the contribution of your agency to community health, please let me know."
Dr. Michelle A. Kelley
Associate Professor of Maternal and Child Health Care University of Illinois, School of Public Health.
