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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION IN CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF JESUS “CHUY” NEGRETE
WHEREAS, at the young age of seven Chuy was already being reared in the steel mill culture of South Chicago; and;
WHEREAS, inspired by playwright and director Luis Valdez, Chuy founded a street theater troupe that included his younger sister Juanita, Santa, and Rosa, which traveled the county presenting satirical folkloric shows at schools, colleges, and other venues; and;
WHEREAS, Chuy performed on numerous radio and television appearances and hosted a weekly bilingual talk and music program addressing issues faced by immigrant workers, broadcast on Loyola University’s FM radio station WLUW; and;
WHEREAS, Chuy was an advocate, folksinger, lecturer, and storyteller through music, especially the corrido, a form of running-verse ballad. With his guitar and harmonica, he wove together songs, poetry and oral histories in English and Spanish to retell Mexican and Mexican American history from pre-Columbian times to the present, revealing the cultures and experiences of Latinos, immigrants, and laborers; and;
WHEREAS, Chuy passed away on May 27, 2021; and;
WHEREAS, Chuy is survived by his wife Rita Rousseau; sons Joaquín and Lucas Negrete-Rousseau; four sisters: Martha N. Bustos, Juanita Negrete-Phillips, Santa Negrete-Perez and Rosa Negrete Livieri;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners and its President, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, hereby offer their deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathy to the family of Jesus “Chuy” Negrete and honor the life and memory of this outstanding Cook County resident.
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