Thursday, July 7, 2011

Peter Nero, Dream Act, Block Party, Little Villas Community Council



Peter N. Pero
           HISTORY BUFFS: Meet author Peter Nicholas Pero at 2:00 p.m. this Saturday, July 9, 2011 at Barbara’s Bookstore, 1218 S. Halsted Street (at Roosevelt Rd. near UIC). Peter wrote two books: Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood and Chicago Italians at Work. Come hear the author and view more than 50 classic photos from the books and enjoy a power point slide show. Admission is free and so are the autographs.
             PETER PERO is a history teacher and author living in the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago. He has traveled extensively to Europe, Asia and Latin America in an effort to do field-based research. He has taught for the Chicago Public Schools, National-Louis University and the Tokyo Language College.  When he is not writing or teaching, Peter photographs urban architecture, and is available for visitors who wish to take a walking tour of Chicago.
            PETE BEGAN his research of American people and places as a student at Elizabethtown College in the Amish country of Pennsylvania.  By 1980, Pero shifted his interest to urban and ethnic studies while earning a master’s degree at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He focused his research on Czechs, Italians, Mexicans and other groups who lived on Chicago’s Near Westside.  Pero’s discoveries are at the heart of his books.
         “I WRITE BOOKS for the history and enjoyment of it. I don’t make a lot of money publishing them, said Pero, I just enjoy writing history”. Both of Peter’s books celebrate the history of the neighborhood with archival photographs and stories from the past that shape the character of the communities today. For nearly 150 years, Pilsen has been a “port of entry” for thousands of immigrants. Mexicans, Czechs, Poles, Lithuanians, Croatians, and Germans are some of the ethnic groups who passed through this "Ellis Island" on Chicago's Near Westside.
The first photographic history of the Pilsen community Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood is now in bookstores across Chicago and independent retailers or phone (773) 972 - 2057. 

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
           ACTION NOW: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), original sponsor of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM), and senior Senator from Illinois presided over the first-ever U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday, June 28, 2011 on this bill. It has been ten years since the DREAM Act was introduced.
THE DREAM Act has received bipartisan support in the Senate, gaining the majority of votes; but failing to meet the 60 vote threshold to surpass a filibuster. The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) applauded Senator Durbin for his decade-long dedication to give a voice to promising youth whom aspire to become full participants in the country they have known as their home.  
CABINET HEADS of the Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) presented testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, underscoring the social and economic value of granting a path to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants. 
Hector E. Sanchez
           DREAM Act eligible youths are individuals who entered the U.S. as children and must meet strict requirements in order to obtain conditional permanent residency. The conditional status would be removed after completion of two years in either honorable service in the U.S. armed forces or in a bachelor’s program or higher degree. 
           “WE WELCOME this hearing as an opportunity to present the merits of the DREAM Act before Congress and the nation. But we would be remiss to ignore the fact that President Obama has the authority to provide administrative relief that would prevent DREAM Act eligible youths from being caught in the middle of immigration enforcement efforts targeting those who are a threat to public safety and national security,” said Hector E. Sanchez, LCLAA’s Executive Director.  “Hundreds of thousands of DREAMers are among us, legally in the shadows but ever-present in various sectors of our society, fearing deportation and hoping that America will one day embrace them and recognize that they can help us win the future,” Sanchez concluded.
Arne Duncan
U.S. Secretary
of Education
           THE LABOR Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is a national Latino organization representing the interests of over 2 million Latino(a) trade unionists throughout the United States and the Common Wealth of Puerto Rico.
           ARNE SAYS:  “The DREAM Act is a common-sense piece of legislation that is in keeping with core American values. By creating opportunities for these bright and talented young people to attend college, not only will they have a chance to realize the American dream, but they will be able to strengthen the American economy and make our workforce stronger.
           “THE STUDENTS of the DREAM Act are some of the country’s best and brightest, and it’s important to note that the process for legalization is by no means automatic. The DREAM Act would cover those young people who meet a number of high standards that demonstrate academic achievement and personal integrity. The DREAM Act would unleash the full potential of young people who live out values that all Americans cherish—a strong work ethic, service to others, and a deep loyalty to our country.
           I FEEL very passionately about the need to pass the DREAM Act because of the opportunities it provides promising young people”, Duncan said.
           I applaud both U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Secretary Arne Duncan for their support of the Dream Act.

Pony rides
         THE PONIES ARE COMING: The 5th Annual Community “Back To School” Block Party, sponsored by the Little Village Community Council, will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2011. The party will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; blocking 26th St. to 25th St. & Central Park Ave. in Little Village.
           FREE HOT dogs, pop, popcorn, ice cream and school supplies will be given to the children in Little Village. There will be a jumping jack, piñata, face painting, and a clown. Pony rides will be available for a $5 donation.
           THIS IS a community block party bringing a day of fun for the children of Little Village before they return to school.

            The LV Community Council welcomes sponsors, please call 312/286-3405. “El DREAM Act es una ley de sentido común que cumple con los valores fundamentales de Estados Unidos. Cuando le damos la oportunidad de asistir a la universidad a estos brillantes y talentosos jóvenes, no sólo tendrán la oportunidad de realizar el sueño americano, sino que también podrán fortalecer la economía y la fuerza laboral de nuestro país.
“Los estudiantes acogidos por el DREAM Act son algunos de los mejores y más brillantes de nuestro país, y es importante tener en cuenta que el proceso de legalización no es de ninguna manera automático. El DREAM Act acoge a jóvenes que reúnen una serie de estrictos requisitos que demuestran éxito académico e integridad, y que cumplen un riguroso proceso que dura varios años. El DREAM Act libera todo el potencial de los jóvenes que ejemplifican los valores que todo estadounidense aprecia –una fuerte ética de trabajo, servicio al prójimo, y profunda lealtad a nuestro país.
“El camino a la prosperidad mediante la educación superior es particularmente importante para nuestro criterio de igualdad –la noción de que cualquier persona, independiente de su origen o quiénes son sus padres, puede prosperar con fuerte dedicación al trabajo. Me siento muy apasionado sobre la necesidad de aprobar el DREAM Act, porque ofrece grandes oportunidades a los jóvenes prometedores. Pero esta legislación es también crucial para alcanzar nuestros objetivos nacionales y nuestras futuras necesidades de mano de obra. La ley DREAM Act nos dará una nueva generación de graduados universitarios que ayudarán a fortalecer nuestra economía y añadirá futuros contribuyentes que contribuirán mucho más al erario público como graduados universitarios de lo que jamás hubiera sido posible como trabajadores marginados. Estos jóvenes ayudarán a construir la economía del siglo 21”.

           OPEN MEETING: The next public meeting of the Little Village Special Service Area #25 will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 in the Little Village Chamber of Commerce office: 3610 W. 26th St., 2nd floor. Your ideas, input and opinions are most welcome. 


FREE HAIRCUTS
GRATIS CORTE DE PELO
Y ARREGL O DE LAS UÑAS
Patti Caraballo & Hair Designers
America’s Career Institute

Patti Caraballo & Hair Designers
America’s Career Institute
SATURDAY, JULY 16  
10 A.M. TO 3 P.M.
AT LITTLE VILLAGE
COMMUNITY COUNCIL
3610 W. 26TH ST.