Sandra Cisneros, a Chicago native, is an internationally recognized writer

• Chicago
• Women's History Month
• Writer
• Literature
• Latinx

Born and raised in Chicago, this Mexican-American woman has a great deal of linguistic talents. Through her application of words on blank pages, she has impacted the world. She has received a number of sublime fellowships, national and international awards, honorary degrees and international recognition as a writer.

She earned the Texas Institute of Letters Dobie-Paisano Fellowship and the Illinois Artists Fellowship both in 1984, the Texas Medal of the Arts in 2003, the Fifth Star Award presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in 2015, the Tia Chucha’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, and the Ford Foundation's Art of Change Fellowship in 2018. On Sept. 22, 2016, Cisneros was presented with the National Medal of Arts by then U.S. President Barack Obama, who was also former Illinois state senator. Cisneros was also the recipient of honorary degrees from numerous universities, including Loyola University at Chicago and DePaul University.

Her work ranges in its forms and styles of storytelling. She creates poetry, short stories, novels and showcases performances. Cisneros is most well-known for her fiction novel, The House on Mango Street, composed of a series of vignettes, which are short poetic descriptions. This was one of her first books to be translated and distributed in over twenty languages. Most of her collection may be found in both the English and Spanish languages.

Along with her journalistic and artistic endeavors, Cisneros has founded non-profit youth professional development organizations. After being awarded the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, Cisneros helped develop Los MacArturos, a MacArthur fellowship for Latinos who could work together in serving their communities. She founded the Macondo Foundation and the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation. Cisneros describes the Macondo Foundation as “an association of socially engaged writers.” For 15 years, the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation aided Texas writers by providing grants for their professional development and career advancement.

Cisneros possesses dual citizenship in the United States of America and Mexico, which is where she currently resides with her three dogs. She gracefully embraces her Latin roots, and her admiration is expressed throughout her bodies of art. The literature that she has produced is often categorized as sensational and classical.

To read more about her life, work and ongoing events, you may visit SandraCisneros.com.

Honoring Ida B. Wells’ advocacy for African Americans

• Women
• history

Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist and an African American civil rights advocate, who spent many of her most memorable years in Chicago. Born in Mississippi in 1862, she was brought into slavery but was later freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. A yellow fever outbreak caused the death of both her parents as well as one of her siblings, leaving her to care for her remaining siblings. In 1878, at the age of 16, she convinced the local school administrator that she was 18 so that she could work there to provide for her siblings.
In 1882, Wells moved with her siblings to Memphis, Tennessee to live with their aunt. While in Tennessee, she spent some time studying at Fisk University in Nashville. During a train ride from Memphis to Nashville, she was asked to move from the first class seat she paid for, to the African American section of the train. After refusing to do so, she was forcedly removed from the train. She sued the train company and won the state level case but it was overturned by the Supreme Court.

In 1892, Wells became an anti-lynching advocate after her friend and two of his associates were murdered. She wrote articles condemning the lynching. This led to a mob storming her newspaper office while she was away, eventually leading her to move to Chicago.
In 1896, Wells was one of the founders of the National Association of Colored Women, the first organization established for Black women.
In 1908, the African American community in Springfield was brutally attacked after a Black man was accused of raping a white woman. This led Wells and many others to take action by attending an organization that later became the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Wells was also active in the women’s suffrage movement, despite white women ignoring concerns with lynching.
Wells died in 1931 in Chicago and is memorialized by her activism for African American. Her home in Chicago became a national Historic Landmark on May 30, 1974.
In 2020, Wells received a Pulitzer Prize for her outstanding work reporting the brutal violence that African Americans experienced during that time.

Chicago announced as the top city for corporate expansion and relocation

• Chicago

Chicago is often recognized for its inviting nature of entrepreneurs, visionaries, and tourism. For nearly a decade, Site Selection Magazine, a publication that reports nationwide corporate development, has announced Chicago as the Top Tier 1 Metro. Tier 1 metros refers to metropolitan areas excelling in business growth while containing a population of more than one million people.

Competing with other large cities such as Dallas, Houston, and New York, Chicago came forward in 2021 with an astounding 441 business developments. These included expansions and relocations throughout the city. The Windy City beat its own 2016 record of 424 projects. According to the city, its 2021 number of corporate developments produced $2.8 billion in investments, 18,368 employment opportunities, and nearly 60 million square feet of corporate space.

Chicago has been making notable strides in getting ahead. Earlier this year, Forbes, an American business magazine, reviewed data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and highlighted Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport’s first-time feat of achieving the title as the nation’s top port. This institution exceeded $300 billion in earnings in 2021.

Further, the Windy City became the nation’s most sought out destination for lease agreements of properties at or greater than one million square feet. Chicago’s Clean Tech Economic Coalition was acknowledged and selected by the U.S. Development Administration as a finalist for the 60 Build Back Better Regional Challenge, a grant-funded program encouraging its participants to develop effective strategies that may result in clean energy and carbon neutrality.

Chicago continues to work hard in expanding economic development projects. The recognition provided by Site Selection Magazine is most telling as Chicago has earned the title of Top Tier 1 Metro for the ninth consecutive year.

Maria Cerda - A Latina trailblazer in the midst of Chicago

• Chicago
• Education
• Women's History Month

Maria Cerda, a proud Puerto Rican woman, left behind a legacy of remarkable change and progression. Upon receiving her psychology degree from the University of Puerto Rico, she pursued her master’s in social work at the University of Chicago. Eventually, she began work as a public aid caseworker at Hull House.

Cerda was part of a series of monumental activities and groundbreaking initiatives. In 1966, she marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park. In 1969, Cerda became the first Latina member of the Chicago Board of Education. With her position, she strongly advocated for and introduced bilingual education to Chicago schools.

After serving on the board, she co-founded the Latino Institute, a Hispanic research organization. The purpose of this foundation was to inquire and attain improved housing, business development, and job training. The Institute’s creation resulted in President Jimmy Carter appointing Cerda to the National Council on Educational Research. Cerda was sparking change and contributing to improved educational systems.

Cerda was later appointed head of the Office of Employment and Training for Chicago City Hall by Mayor Harold Washington. In her role, she secured funding for the surrounding underprivileged and neglected communities. She was set on addressing undiscussed issues.

However, during that time, Cerda had an unfortunate encounter with immigration agents. In a case that was evidently racial profiling, she became concerned for other Chicago residents, and she brought the issue forward to Mayor Washington. Consequently, the mayor issued the nation’s first ordinance prohibiting any collaboration between city officials or residents with immigration authorities and prevented these agents from using city facilities or property for any purpose.

Cerda later became a member of a national bilingual advisory council for the Children’s Television Workshop and consulted for a number of popular TV shows, including ‘Sesame Street,” interested in entailing the Spanish-language.

She also contributed to the development of Aspira of Illinois, an organization that originally strived to prepare Hispanic/ Latino children for higher education. It continues to embrace this mission but has broaden its scope to include the management and operation of government-funded charter schools.

In her pursuit of fulfilling the Latino communities’ needs and shedding light on inequalities, Cerda became a well-known pioneer. As a mentor and overall trailblazer, Cerda actively advocated for the wellness and advancement of the Latino community.