title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MAGDA RAMIREZ CASTA?EDA
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda was born in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, M?xico, came to Chicago as a young child, and grew to become a leading activist and organizer for social and economic justice in the City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1960s, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda moved to Pilsen where she became ingrained in the Chicano/a and Civil Rights movements; and
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda has been described as a once-in-a-generation kind of leader who dedicated her life to empowering Latinx communities; and
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda was one of the first Latina students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she co-founded the Latin American Student Union and fought for more students of color to be admitted to the school, and later, for a Latin American Studies Department; and
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda lead the fight against discrimination alongside the Asociaci?n Pro Derechos Obreros, (the Association for Workers' Rights) in the 1972 movement to demand that the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) hire more Latino bus drivers; and
WHEREAS, her daughter described Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda as someone who "wanted to let people know that they had the power to change things if we worked together. The power to change the system and make it better for everyone;" and
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda was a leader of many impactful groups and movements, including as co-founder of the Illinois Chapter of La Raza Unida, organizer of the United Farm Workers' boycotts, founder of the Committee Against the Militarization of Youth, Chairperson of the Drop-Out Task Force at Benito Juarez High School, co-host of Radio Chamba, and Board President of Pilsen Alliance; and
WHEREAS, Magda Ram?rez-Casta?eda co-authored the book Chicanas of 18th Street: Narratives of a Movement from Latino Chicago, which documented the testimonies of six female community activists...
Click here for full text