By: Ashmar Mandou

After more than a week of Chicago electing its next mayor, the Illinois Latino Agenda (ILA) is wasting no time in urging Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to prioritize the issues impacting Latino residents across the city. To ensure issues, such as community development, equitable representation, and youth violence prevention are addressed, ILA wrote a letter signed by several nonprofits, including La Casa Norte, Hispanic Federation, and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, all representing vulnerable residents.

“We ask that you meet with our coalition in the next few days, before announcing your transition planning committees, to discuss how ILA members can serve on your transition team and ensure Latino perspectives and issues are addressed as you plan for the future of our city,” the letter states. The letter calls for a real commitment from Mayor-elect Johnson to address the disparities in Chicago’s Latino communities, which too often go ignored. The co-signers pledge to be a resource to Mayor-elect Johnson to help ensure his commitment to improving the wellbeing of Latinos throughout the City.

“Latino voters need a Mayor who delivers what is promised. A Mayor who will bring equity in job creation and placements, invest in resources for a safer Chicago, address the root causes of violence, invest resources for equitable quality of life, build culturally responsive schools (both public and charter) with quality learning, and commit to affordable and accessible housing and child care.”  The letter goes on to specify that in order to truly promote equity for Chicago’s Latino communities, Mayor-Elect Johnson will need to focus on the four priority areas listed below:

1. Community development – We need Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson to guarantee intentional inclusion of largely Latino neighborhoods in long-term community investment strategies. 

2. Representation – With Latinos making up 30 percent of Chicago’s population and accounting for over half of the population growth in the US this last decade, we want to ensure that you include equitable Latino representation in the mayor’s office and in leadership roles throughout the city, and that we are considered in all policy priorities.

3. Youth Violence prevention – Youth violence prevention organizations need adequate long-term funding to prevent and mitigate harm, support victims, and advocate for transformational policy that heals communities. 

4. Sanctuary City – To ensure Chicago stays a welcoming city, we need you to honor your commitment to invest sufficient and adequate resources to support new arrivals to Chicago in areas such as legal services, housing assistance, mental healthcare, as well as funding for staff to carry out this work. We also need you to engage and be a part of easing tension between communities and migrants, like the Woodlawn neighborhood that has been displeased with the migrants’ housing at Wadsworth.