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A Search for Unity: Rudy Lozano and Coalition Building in Chicago

Buscando la unidad: Rudy Lozano y la formación de alianzas en Chicago

“Buscando la unidad: Rudy Lozano y la formación de alianzas en Chicago” explora el activismo de un joven chicagüense, el cual se sentía impulsado a buscar un cambio mediante la congregación de la gente. La exposición rastrea los esfuerzos de Lozano por construir solidaridad entre las comunidades latinxs de los vecindarios del Near West Side, los trabajadores documentados e indocumentados que luchan por mejores condiciones, y los chicagüenses negros, latinxs y blancos que se organizaban para buscar un cambio político.

Desde el activismo de Lozano como estudiante—incluyendo su paso por UIC—hasta su legado más valioso, que continúa moldeando la ciudad hoy en día, te invitamos a descubrir la historia de este dinámico líder a través de documentos originales, afiches, y fotografías de los escritos de Rudy Lozano y varias otras recopilaciones de la biblioteca de Colecciones Especiales de UIC y Archivos Universitarios.

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Introduction
“A Search for Unity: Rudy Lozano and Coalition Building in Chicago” explores the activism of a young Chicagoan who was driven to make change by bringing people together. Trace Lozano’s efforts to build unity among Latinx communities in his Near West Side neighborhoods, documented and undocumented workers fighting for better conditions, and Black, Latinx, and white Chicagoans who organized for political change.

From Lozano’s student activism – including his time as a student at University of Illinois Chicago – to his vital legacy that continues to shape the city today, uncover the story of this dynamic leader through original documents, posters, and photographs from the Rudy Lozano papers and several other collections from UIC Library’s Special Collections and University Archives.

Para español:
Buscando la unidad: Rudy Lozano y la formación de alianzas en Chicago
A New Higher Stage
It is through political action that we will be able to make those fundamental changes in our society to end the exploitation of man by man. Rudy Lozano, Speech on May Day 1979

Latinx Chicagoans had long been involved in the city’s politics both as progressive grassroots outsiders and as power brokers who worked alongside the entrenched Democratic Party machine. Neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village had large Latinx populations, but these groups represented only a small percentage of active voters. In the early 1980s, Latinx activists and community organizers turned towards electoral politics. They argued that their communities should run their own candidates for office and turn out more voters to have their voices heard within City Hall. The Near West Side Independent Political Organization formed in 1982 to organize campaigns that would challenge machine candidates. The group elected Lozano as its vice president.
In 1983 Lozano ran for alderman of the 22nd Ward, which represented Pilsen and Little Village. He also worked on behalf of Harold Washington’s campaign for mayor. Lozano helped form a multiracial coalition based on “unity among Black, Latino, and white workers” that propelled the city’s first Black mayor to office. Although Lozano lost his bid for alderman, he began working with Washington’s transition team and was expected to play a key role in the new mayor’s administration.

Para español:
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