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Welcome to Casa Aztlán
Casa Aztlan is an educational and social center providing cultural
activities, community service, leadership development services for teenagers
and kids, adult education, citizenship, emergency services, and community
organizing. Casa Aztlan is also on the vanguard of the human rights movement
and immigrants' civil rights.
Since its foundation in 1970, Casa Aztlan has participated in organizing the
power of the Pilsen community. It has fought for bilingual education, amnesty
for undocumented workers, health services for the immigrant community,
construction of the Benito Juarez High school and the West Side Technical
Institute, development of adult education programs, program Circulo de Lectura
Padre e Hijo which was converted into the Telpochcalli pre-school; and has
helped create the alphabetical Hispanic council since 1980.
Casa Aztlan has developed an effective after school program for children
between 7 and 14 years of age. This program offers kids academic help,
sports, recreational activities, and cultural development through music,
classes, and art. During the summer, Casa Aztlan provides community youth with
work and a safe place to spend free time.
Casa Aztlan also collaborates with many other community and educational
organizations in order to better serve the Mexican and Latino
populations. An example of one such collaboration is the partnership
between Casa Aztlan and the Chicago ENLACE program of Northeastern Illinois
University, which focuses on raising the percentage of Latino student
enrollment and graduations in schools. Casa Aztlan has also also
developed a partnership with CALLIE and the Colaborativa Latina de
Ciudadania, both of which help people in the Mexican community obtain
United States citizenships through soliciting services and through Civics and
English classes.
Casa Aztlan also sponsors annual events that incite community participation
in the Pilsen neighborhood and the surrounding areas. These annual events
include, The Candlelight Dinner, The Viva Aztlan Festival, and La
Posada. Aside from the above community events, groups of ceremonial Aztec
dancers such as the Nahui Ollin and Quetzal-Yolotl, the Teatro Cuerda Floja,
and the master of Folkloric dance Rene Cardoza were based out of Casa Aztlan.
Casa Aztlan also helped organize the largest Latino march in the history of
the United States; the historic National March for Civil and Human Rights for
Latinos in Washington D.C. in 1996. This event led to other activities in
Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and San Antonio, Texas.
Casa Aztlan also works with the Pilsen Alliance, a community project focused
on questions regarding public transportation, employment development, and other
aspects of life that are important to the community.
I invite you to lend your support to Casa
Aztlan. Your donations are tax exempt. I also invite you to visit
Casa Aztlan at 1831 S. Racine Ave. in the heart of the Pilsen community.
Thanks for your support!
Carlos Arango
Executive Director