Strategies to Protect and Enhance the Political and Cultural Capital of Puerto Ricans in Chicago

Efforts to preserve and build Latino communities in Chicago have been ongoing for decades. From the time Puerto Ricans first settled in the Humboldt Park area in the 1960s until today, efforts abound to protect and enhance the political and cultural capital of Puerto Ricans in Chicago. Their history is not merely the history of disinvestment and displacement but also a history of strong activist and civic engagement and, importantly, a history of building a sense of place. The extent to which actors in neighborhoods actively engage in community-building efforts, however, is the extent to which a community can be protected and enhanced and the more likely they can stem, or at least slow, the tide of gentrification. This chapter is a testament to that notion. This chapter explores what we can learn from these concerted efforts to build and protect community.