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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COLOMBIAN COMMUNITY IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
WHEREAS, July 20 is recognized as Colombia's Independence Day, a celebratory day for Colombians and Colombian-Americans in the diaspora; and
WHEREAS, Cook County is home to many in the Colombian diaspora, with some of the first Colombian residents arriving in Cook County in the 1950s; and
WHEREAS, since the 1950s, the Colombian population in Illinois has grown from 3,500 in 1970 to over 100,000 Colombians representing regions across Colombia and spanning various neighborhoods in the state of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, on February 28, 2009, the city of Chicago, a Cook County municipality, signed a sister city agreement with Bogot?, Colombia, to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation through citizen diplomacy; and
WHEREAS, Colombian culture and influence can be seen and heard throughout Cook County through its many small businesses, artists, and cultural organizations; and
WHEREAS, longstanding notable local Colombians and Colombian institutions in Cook County include Guilibaldo Criollo, founder of Tierra Colombiana Dance, Colombianos Unidos Para Una Labor Activa, Orietta Montropez, founder of Colectivo Folcl?rico Y Cultural: Ra?ces de mi Tierra, and the Ortega Brothers, organizers of the annual Gran Festival Colombiano; and
WHEREAS, emerging Colombian entrepreneurs continue to share the richness of Colombian culture with a twist throughout Cook County, such as Cynthia Orobio, co-owner of Polombia, Juan and Nathalie Betancourt, co-owners of ArePA George, and the Acebedo family's independently owned Magn?fico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop; and
WHEREAS, a new generation of Colombian creatives across Cook County are building community through the arts, such Pablo Alejandro, artist and designer for Palpable and owner of PSA Chicago, a community center for creatives, and the M?s +57 Collective, which inc...
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