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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE 61ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF PALENQUE LSNA
WHEREAS, in May 2022, the organization formerly known as the Logan Square Neighborhood Association commemorated their 60th anniversary of their founding by transforming into Palenque LSNA. This May 2023, they will be celebrating their 61st anniversary; and
WHEREAS, the organization is a multi-issue community organization, directly serving more than 6,500 residents across the Logan Square, Hermosa, and Avondale neighborhoods of Chicago and impacting tens of thousands more through nationally-recognized issue campaigns and programs; and
WHEREAS, the organization has declared its mission statement to be "Palenque LSNA is a catalyst for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities and allies to take care of one another and take strategic action for systemic change and a just, resilient, and joyful future;" and
WHEREAS, "palenques" - sometimes called quilombos in Brazil or maroon communities in the United States of America - are settlements formed throughout the Americas by Africans and their descendants who escaped slavery. Those formerly enslaved would live alongside the indigenous people to establish communities and protect each other from European colonists; and
WHEREAS, the organization chose the word "palenque" because the settlements have a deep history of bringing Black, indigenous, and Latinx communities together. Palenque LSNA leaders want to convey their commitment to fighting for social justice for the aforementioned communities living within Logan Square, Hermosa, and Avondale with this name change; and
WHEREAS, Executive Director of Palenque LSNA Juliet de Jesus Alejandre and the organization have invited Latinx community members to remember and learn how many of them belong to the African diaspora, given that nearly 90% of captive Africans were brought to Latin America, and to better challenge anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity in Latinx...
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