Help bring the PRCC’s incredible story to the screen!

Dear Friends,

My name is Dr. Ann Peterson-Kemp, and I am launching this GoFundMe to support a vital documentary project at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. You can help by donating—every contribution will go directly to the Center. No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.

My alliance with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (Chicago) spans back to 1997, when I began collaborating with the PRCC on research and learning activities guided by an ethos of building capacity and helping others, rooted in the powerful idea that the community is the curriculum. In a neighborhood confronting poverty, lack of opportunity, violence, and racism, the PRCC has developed a wide range of innovative and sustainable programs. Just a few examples:

• Food justice initiatives: PRCC high school students built a rooftop hydroponic garden and helped deliver fresh produce by bicycle to older residents in a food desert.

• Support for Chicago’s LGBTQ community: The PRCC helps provide affordable and identity-affirming housing.

• Education for teen parents: The PRCC offers a high school branch designed for their unique needs.

As a professor at the University of Illinois School of Information Sciences, I’ve taught Street Academy classes for teens, college courses at the PRCC, and conducted participatory action research on community issues. I’ve supported graduate students whose work has involved youth media creation, local knowledge production, a Newberry Museum exhibit on historic maps of Puerto Rico, and anti-gentrification efforts in Humboldt Park. I currently serve on the PRCC’s Board of Directors and collaborate on its archiving projects. Above all, I remain deeply grateful for the creative and caring intellectual path the PRCC has opened for me.

Why is this documentary important? In the words of the PRCC’s Executive Director, José López:

“For over five years, Gonzalo Mazzini and Rosa Emmanuelli have poured their hearts, time, and extraordinary talents into creating Barrio Borikén: Memorias de Chicago, a documentary that captures the soul and preserves the collective story of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center—our struggles, our triumphs, and our profound impact on the community. This is no ordinary film; it is a labor of love and conviction, a visual chronicle of a movement rooted in dignity, culture, and resistance. They are now in the final stages of production, and to complete this monumental work, they need to raise $100,000. Our story deserves to be told, seen, and live on for generations to come.”

Please take a few moments to watch the trailer [click here]. You will see the artistry, care, and depth with which this essential history has been documented.

My personal goal is to raise $5,000 to help bring this essential story to light. Please be as generous as you can—no donation is too small, and every contribution makes a difference.