Elida Cruz, Jorge Felix, Hilda Frontany, Lucy Gomez-Feliciano, Laura Leon, and Omar Lopez, friends of Carlos Flores, are asking for your support.

Carlos Flores, a longtime Puerto Rican community activist in Chicago, was diagnosed with Parkinson and Dementia on August 2, 2025, two days after his 76th birthday. Carlos is now faced with additional medical expenses and need for home care services.

Carlos was an original member of the Young Lords Organization, fighting gentrification in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. His photographs captured Puerto Ricans living in Chicago and have been featured in exhibitions, books, educational journals, and film documentaries. Carlos’s collection is being archived at the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance's El Archivo Project.

Carlos was the coordinator of Project Kalenda at the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College. He was a founder of the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, the Puerto Rican Cuatro Festival and the Chicago Puerto Rican Triple Construction Workshop. Currently, Carlos serves as the Artistic Director of the Chicago Latin Jazz Festival.

If you would like to meet Carlos, he plans to be at the Chicago Latin Jazz Fest, July 10 - 11, in Humboldt Park, and at the reception of his solo photo exhibition, opening in August at the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance.

Let’s help our friend Carlos have access to the care that will help him live with dignity as he fights Parkinson, a progressive disease.