FDR

Lilliana Calderon found steady employment and financial independence with the help of Chicago Women in Trades, a local organization that helps women break into the male-dominated plumbing, carpentry, pipe-fitting, electric, and bricklaying trades. She recently bought her first home in Pilsen.

Pilsen’s buildings, alleyways, and even doors are places where artists express their roots, their values, and their opposition to injustice.

During the past twenty years, Guacolda Reyes went from intern to VP of The Resurrection Project. In the process, she’s helped develop more than 550 affordable housing units in the Pilsen neighborhood alone.

In January 2017, Ciera Mckissick opened a small gallery and arts incubator on the east side of Pilsen. She’s not from Pilsen, but says she has long been inspired by its art and its people. She is one of a growing number of newcomers attracted to the neighborhood.

In recent decades, the demographics of Pilsen have changed: the Latino population has declined, and the community has become attractive to developers. But Pilsen residents are developing new tools with which to challenge their elected leaders, preserve affordability, and protect the neighborhood’s character.