EDWIN CARDONA

President

HISTORY


The Puerto Rican Parade Committee is the oldest existing Puerto Rican origination in the City of Chicago. The committee was founded in 1964 by a group of Puerto Rican visionary leaders with the mission of better representation and greater opportunities for the Hispanic community and to make others in the city aware of our presence and culture. The Puerto Rican Parade Committee produces some of the largest Hispanic events in Illinois and the Midwest. These events provide corporate sponsors with an unparalleled opportunity to promote their products and brands to a potential Hispanic audience of more than one million people through extensive media exposure.


VISION STATEMENT


It is the vision of the Puerto Rican Parade Committee to create, through its various activities, a sense of pride, historical understanding and greater self-esteem among all citizens of Puerto Rican origin living in the City of Chicago and State of Illinois. We also wish to share with the general public the beauty of our culture and thus, create among the general populace a better understanding and respect for all cultures present in the multicultural setting that surrounds us.


MISSION STATEMENT


Through its activities, the Puerto Rican Parade Committee labors to create an ambiance of understanding of the Puerto Rican culture while building fraternal relations among other Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups. The Committee is dedicated to preserving its youth by maintaining and creating programs that assist in the cultivation of their understanding of the world around them. The Committee is dedicated in establishing educational opportunities that promote a healthy lifestyle encompassing the mind, body, and spirit.


COMMITTEE MEMBERS



President, Edwin Cardona

Executive Vice President, Angel "Tito" Medina

Vice President, Mickey Mantilla


  • Edwin Cardona

  • Angel "Tito" Medina

  • Mickey Mantilla

The purpose of the Puerto Rican Parade Committee of Chicago is to create an awareness of Puerto Rican culture and an overall positive perception of the Hispanic community. Our culture, civic pride and accomplishments are promoted through all these events. We offer exhibitors, advertisers and corporate sponsors an opportunity for involvement with the Hispanic community. In last decade, the overall Hispanic population has grown about five times as fast as the general population. According to the most recent census count, Hispanics account for nearly twenty eight percent of the population in Chicago. Hispanics control well over $400 billion of the spending power in the United States. Puerto Ricans, the only Hispanics that are natural U.S. citizens no matter where they were born, have assimilated well into American society and acquired the same consumer and spending habits as the majority. World class artists such as Ricky Martin, Mark Anthony, Chayanne, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Moreno, Jose Feliciano, Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo are proud to call themselves Puerto Rican as did late Tito Puente, Jose Ferrer and Raul Julia . The largest concentration of Puerto Rican residents in Illinois is mainly found in Chicago's Humboldt Park, West Town, Logan Square and Hermosa communities.


THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!