Ep. 97 - Progressive Latinas in the New Chicago City Council ft. Alderpersons Rossana Rodriguez & Jessie Fuentes

BrownTown chops it up with Alderhomies Rossana Rodriguez (33rd)
and Jessie Fuentes (26th) in the inaugural recording within the
Harambe Studios at the SoapBox office. Chicago City Council is
now the most Black and Latine, the most queer, the most
politically left, and with the most female leaders in the city's
history (and in some cases, currently in the country). With that,
the gang discusses Mayor Johnson first 100 days, progressive city
policy, the relationship between representation and the
co-struggle for liberation, Twitter trolls, and everything in
between.


Full Transcription Here!


GUESTS
Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), now in her second term, is
the Chair of the Committee on Health and Human Relations for the
Chicago City Council. Rossana was born and raised in Puerto Rico
and started organizing at six years old when her community had to
fight for access to running water. Organizing soon became a
fundamental part of her life and remains her main tool within her
work in government. Rossana came to Chicago after austerity and
budget cuts forced her to leave her job as a drama teacher in
Puerto Rico. She originally moved to Albany Park to work as a
theatre director with a youth theatre company 14 years ago and
chose to stay and organize around housing, education, immigrant
rights, and mental health. She is the chief sponsor for the
Treatment Not Trauma legislation and continues to organize with
grassroots organizations to transform Chicago. Follow Rossana on
Facebook, Instagram, (personal, political) and Twitter (personal,
ward). Stay up to date with her City Council work and 33rd ward
services at Rossanafor33.org.


Alderperson Jessie Fuentes (26th) is a queer Latina grassroots
organizer, educator, and public policy advocate with over a
decade of experience in education, criminal justice reform,
affordable housing, community development and sustainability. A
lifelong Chicagoan and resident of the Northwest side, Jessie
spent most of her formative years growing up and working in
Humboldt Park. Through personal resilience, community support and
restorative justice, Jessie turned her most traumatic life
experiences into tools to uplift others facing similar
circumstances. In her previous roles as an educator and Dean
of Students at Roberto Clemente Community Academy and as an
organizer around issues of violence prevention, housing
affordability, and re-entry for returning citizens, she
convened and connected community stakeholders to create
community-driven solutions to the biggest problems facing
Humboldt Park. Jessie recently served as the Director of Policy
and Youth Advocacy at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. She
Co-chaired the Violence Prevention program of the Illinois Latino
Agenda and is also a Founding Member of the Illinois Latino
Agenda 2.0, focusing on community development and Latine equity.
Follow Jessie on Facebook (personal, political), Instagram
(personal, political), and Twitter (personal, political). Stay up
to date with her City Council work and 26th ward at
Jessiefor26thward.com.


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Mentioned in episode:



Ep. 90 - Electoral & Radical Politics 4.0 ft. Alderman
Byron Sigcho-Lopez & Alderperson-elect Jessie Fuentes


Ep. 91 - Narratives in Media & Documenting Movements 2.0
ft. Morgan Elise Johnson


Ep. 94 - Police Abolition 2.0 ft. District Councilors David
Orlikoff & Ashley Vargas


Sh*t Talks: Studio Sessions - People Power &
Electoralism


Chicago’s Progressive Alderpeople Retain Seats, Look To
Expand Influence On City Council — And Even Mayor’s Race
(Block Club)


Chicago Is About To Have The Gayest City Council In The
Country (Chicago Magazine)


We Have the Most Diverse City Council in Chicago History
(Chicago Magazine)

Brandon Johnson, LSCs, and police in schools (WBEZ)

Treatment Not Truma (1, 2) and the 2022 referendum

Bring Chicago Home and One Fair Wage

Contentious Co-governance (In These Times)



 


Opinions on this episode only reflect David, Caullen,
Rossana, and Jessie as individuals, not their organizations or
places of work.


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CREDITS: Intro soundbite of Rossana Rodriguez at
the 2020 Freedom Square action. Outro song Contra Todo by
iLe. Audio engineered by Kiera Battles.


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