History of Puerto Ricans in Chicago

By: Rosaileen Diaz

            Puerto Ricans have been in Chicago as early as the 1930s. However, it was in the 1940s and 1950s when large groups of Puerto Ricans began arriving in Chicago. Many of the Puerto Ricans were brought here to work in the steel mills or as house workers.
            Humboldt Park wasn’t always a Puerto Rican neighborhood, before we arrived to the park many Norwegians and German people lived in this neighborhood. That’s why we have “Norwegian Hospital”. The park was named after Alexander Von Humboldt, who was German naturalist.
            Before Humboldt Park, Puerto Ricans lived in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. They lived in these neighborhoods between the 1940s and 1960s. I know, from the way things look nowadays it seems hard to believe that Puerto Rican were ever in Lincoln Park.
            During the 1960s, Puerto Ricans began to move into Humboldt Park because of gentrification. Basically, they were forced out of their homes because they could no longer afford it. A lot of Puerto Ricans moved near or to Division Street area, the strip on Division between California and Western is now known as “Paseo Boricua”. However, there are still a lot of Puerto Ricans who refer to Division Street/Paseo Boricua as “La Division”. Paseo Boricua is actually the only nationally recognized Puerto Rican neighborhood in the nation, New York doesn’t even have a neighborhood like Paseo Boricua.
            So back to the 1960s, Puerto Ricans were forced to moved to a neighborhood where the rent was more affordable for them which was Humboldt Park. They began to get tired of being pushed around, discrimination and hostility from the Chicago Police, poor housing condition and much more. In response to this treatment, organizations like the SACC (Spanish Action Committee of Chicago), Young Lords and FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional)began to form.
            On June 12^th, 1966, one of the first Puerto Rican riots began. This riot began on the same day of the Puerto Rican parade. The riot was sparked by the Chicago police who shot a young Puerto Rican man. This riot continued until June 14^th, 1966. The Division street riot played such a big role in the history of Puerto Ricans in Chicago because it brought the Puerto Ricans the attention they needed. This riot helped create a strong bond within the Puerto Rican community.