Saturday at the northwest corner of West 18th and South Laflin streets, the block of Laflin Street Ramirez-Castaeda lived on. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) said Ramirez-Castaeda was a "relentless" advocate, and it's important to have keepsakes like honorary street signs recognizing community leaders. "It's constantly important to understand our history so we know where we're going," Sigcho-Lopez stated.
From prejudiced hiring practices and prejudicial immigration policies to fair real estate and farmworkers' rights, she was on the front lines of numerous battles till the very end of her life, family and friends stated."She spoke extremely loudly and powerfully against oppression. In local leader webinar , it was part of her personality.
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th). Ramirez-Castaeda was likewise understood for co-authoring the book "Chicanas of 18th Street: Narratives of a Motion From Latino Chicago," which concentrated on six female neighborhood activists who lived and operated in Pilsen."She was a warrior," her child, Julissa Castaeda, stated through tears in 2019. "She was a remarkable human.
Born in Coahuila, Mexico, Ramirez-Castaeda immigrated to Chicago with her household when she was a child. They settled in the Tri-Taylor area before transferring to Lincoln Park, then a predominately Latino, working-class neighborhood in the '50s and '60s. In the late '60s, Ramirez-Castaeda, then 18, moved to Pilsen, where she became implanted in the Chicano/a and Civil liberties movements.
While in school, Ramirez-Castaeda's co-founded the Latin American Student Union and defended more students of color to be confessed, her household stated. Ramirez-Castaneda co-wrote "Chicanas of 18th Street" in 2011 to maintain the history of Latinas who were activists in Chicago. Ramirez-Castaeda fought diabetes for a number of years and eventually lost one of her legs, Ramirez-Rosa stated."Regardless of losing her leg, she stayed at the leading edge of a lot of fights," he said.
She mentored numerous young activists, consisting of Pilsen's new alderman, Sigcho-Lopez, and her nephew, Ramirez-Rosa. "She gave us guts, clarity and guidance," Sigcho-Lopez, who met her in 2012 while working for Pilsen Alliance, stated after her passing in 2019. "Through her own experiences and her own struggles, she led by example."She's had an incredible impact on me and, in part, is one of the factors why I'm an alderman."Sign Up For Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)( 3 ), journalist-run newsroom.