Professor Mirelsie Velázquez was featured in the latest issue of the College of LAS Quadrangle in an article highlighting the contributions of College of LAS faculty members to Chicago. Her book, Puerto Rican Chicago: Schooling the City 1940-1977, was featured for its vital impact on our understanding of the Puerto Rican community in Chicago:
Sometimes we make history. And sometimes our role is to offer insights on the moments that shape it. In her book, Puerto Rican Chicago: Schooling the City 1940-1977, Mirelsie Velázquez explores the educational system in Chicago and its impact on one community forging its identity.
“Puerto Ricans are often pushed to the footnotes of history or written about from an outsider perspective,” said the professor of Latina/o studies and Puerto Rican immigrant. “My aim was to tell a community history that centered on hope.”
For Velázquez, that hope is exemplified by the strong women who helped shape the Puerto Rican community in Chicago, using their education to challenge a system they believed was harming their children — and build something better.
“What makes Chicago an amazing city is its people,” said Velázquez. “My hope is that when folks read the book, they see how important our community is to the telling of that story.”
Read the full piece here: https://las.illinois.edu/news/2024-03-01/lessons-windy-city
