COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

were being made by middle-class residents who were not Latino and Sylvia felt that if a
large number of Latino residents lived in Oak Park, they should also know what projects
were being conducted in the neighborhood. She informed me she wanted to conduct
meetings where Latinos could be given a “voice” in the community. These meetings
would be bi-lingual, given in both Spanish and English, and would inform residents of
the projects being undertaken in the neighborhood. In addition to this information being
shared at meetings, other information about community resources and social services in
the community would also be shared. For those who wanted to attend Neighborhood
Association meetings, Sylvia would act as an interpreter on their behalf.
After explaining her idea, Sylvia asked me if I wanted to be part of the group, a
board member who would help her accomplish this work. I excitedly said “yes,”
knowing that this would give me a great opportunity to learn more about the community
as well as an opportunity to gain community organizing skills. I almost by accident
became the chair of the group. The following week we met again at her house to discuss
who else we wanted to ask to be a part of the group and what the group’s objectives
would be. Sylvia had two other people in mind that she wanted ask to become board
members. Monica was a forty-something year old Caucasian real estate agent who spoke
Spanish and sold many homes to Latino first time buyers. Monica was an avid
participant in Neighborhood Association meetings and had a charismatic personality.
Luis was a retired Oak Park resident who had lived in Oak Park all of his life and
attended all Association meetings. He knew many Oak Park residents and had many ties
to the neighborhood. When we approached these two individuals and asked them to
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