Spring 2024: Letter from the President & CEO
Dear Friends and Community,
Spring is here! I’m looking forward to sunlight, warmer weather, and outdoor activities. This season of renewal fills me with hope, in our community and our potential.
Last week, we shared huge news with you about the Latino Policy Forum being named a Yield Giving Open Call awardee. The Forum received $1 million! I was stunned, this is the single largest gift that our organization has ever received, and it could not have come at a more opportune time as we enter this next stage of growth and influence.
Speaking of growth and influence, earlier this month, we published a new Statistics on Latinos (SOL) brief titled, The Latino Electorate in Illinois – Demographics, Participation, and the Path to Greater Political Power. You’ll remember that late last year we published a SOL on recent demographic changes in the Illinois Latino community between 2010 and 2021 where we learned that Latinos over the age of 18, most of who are U.S. citizens – in other words, potential voters – drove our growth. In this most recent analysis, we dug a little deeper into the Latino electorate and learned that about 74% of Latinos, or 1,196,655 total people, are eligible to vote and that every year, more than 30,000 Latinos in Illinois turn 18 years old. This is a remarkable opportunity for our community to build power. However, that power will only be realized if Latinos, of all ages, register to vote and turnout to the polls. ¡A votar!
I am also hopeful because of our students. Just last week, our education team along with the Multilingual Parent Council, a volunteer group of CPS parents and guardians, organized an important conversation with Chicago Public Schools CEO, Pedro Martinez on the state of Latino education. Pedro shared updates on initiatives implemented to boost academic achievement across the public school system. We learned that Latino students are driving academic progress in CPS. The Council of Great City Schools in its “Education Recovery Scorecard,” reported on both reading and math performance and ranked Chicago Public Schools number three among large urban districts in the nation combined reading and math growth between 2022 and 2023; Latino students in CPS were number two. While there is still so much work to do to ensure that all Latino students and English Learners have the support they need to succeed in our state, this was welcome news.
In my last letter, I shared with you that I had been invited to the White House. I joined fellow civic leaders from Illinois and Indiana and I took my one opportunity to speak directly to the federal government to raise the need for urgent support for new arrivals in our state but also to advocate for our long-term undocumented family and community members who also need legal permission to work. We are proud to join The Resurrection Project and other advocacy organizations and leaders to call on the president to use his parole power to extend work permits to all immigrants.
This is just a small part of what we do at the Forum to move the needle forward for Latino progress and equity. I hope that you will read this newsletter in its entirety for updates about all the exciting work our team has been up to since our last newsletter. I am so proud of everyone at the Forum, their passion, and dedication to improve the lives of everyone in our community.
Finally, I just want to personally invite you to join us for Latino Unity Day in Springfield, May 7-8. This is an opportunity to join important conversations with Latino leaders and legislators on topics critical to our community. It’s also a great opportunity to come together to show Springfield that Latinos in Illinois are united and powerful. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for our annual Latinos on the Move luncheon, which will be October 11 at the Palmer House in Chicago. If you are interested in sponsoring this year’s Latinos on the Move event, please contact me directly at spuente@latinopolicyforum.org. I hope to see you at both!
Sincerely,
Sylvia Puente
President & CEO, Latino Policy Forum