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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION HONORING CENTRO SAN BONIFACIO ON THEIR 35TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio was founded in 1991 as an act of community solidarity by a group of working-class Hispanic immigrant families after the closure of the St. Bonifacio Parish; and
WHEREAS, the organization was created with the intentional vision of being led by and in service of the Latin American immigrant community of the Northwest Side of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio built itself from the ground up with their humble beginnings, having started in a board member’s apartment, until it became the self-sustaining community organization it is today; and
WHEREAS, for the past thirty-five years, Centro San Bonifacio has upheld its mission to promote the self-empowerment and self-development of its neighbors and the Latino immigrant community at large; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio continues its vision by offering programming in the areas of health, education, solidarity, human rights; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio’s fundamental methodology is the training and mobilization of community health workers (Promotores de Salud), an internationally recognized model of global health equity; and
WHEREAS, community health workers are defined by the American Public Health Association as, “a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served;” and
WHEREAS, this unique role places Promotores de Salud as liaisons for health and social services, becoming a bridge for systemic health inequities often created due to cultural or linguistic barriers; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio’s Promotores de Salud are integral to their mission, as protagonists and activists for health promotion and disease prevention who share similar culture, language, values, and life experiences of the community within which they are working; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio’s Promotores de Salud have created holistic health promotion initiatives in the visual arts, music, mental health and well-being, youth development, workforce preparation, urban gardening and placemaking, and social-emotional learning; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio’s Promotores de Salud stand in solidarity with the newest arrivals to Chicago and their most vulnerable peers, typically families who have fled violence, natural disasters, and extreme poverty, through their Illinois Welcoming and Immigrant Family Resource Centers; and
WHEREAS, this institution believes in nurturing youth and has invested in them though their Together We Shine (Juntos Brillamos) Program that connects children and young adults to activities such as art classes, open mic stages, civic engagement, tutoring, and urban gardening in order to help them build social-emotional health; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio created Café Fénix, a community coffee shop and neighborhood gathering space run by Cooperativa Fenix, a women’s cooperative also launched by the organization; and
WHEREAS, Centro San Bonifacio has overcome many hardships and struggles throughout its history, and, like Café Fénix, they too rose from the ashes through dedication, compassion, and community solidarity; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners, do hereby recognize and congratulate Centro San Bonifacio on their undeniable impact on the Latino immigrant families of the Northwest Side of Chicago and Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the leadership of Centro San Bonifacio as a token of appreciation for the 35 years of global health equity they have pioneered to our most vulnerable communities.
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