It has been decided to devote the first article to the biography of this prominent person. Omar N. Lopez was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and since 1958 he has lived in Chicago.
In 1966, he became the founding member of Latin American Defense Organization which aimed at organizing campaigns for the rights of tenants, labor unions and inoculation drives for students living in neighborhoods having low-income. What is more, Mr. Lopez supported and advocated for the families’ rights on public assistance in the community Puerto Rican in Chicago.
Many of you are not aware of the fact that Omar has worked as a teacher and founded the Mexican Teachers Organization in 1973. After that he became a leader in the fight for quality education (bilingual) for students and for the recruitment of bilingual teachers who are trained specifically for this job.
Omar Lopez took part in the deal with the Chicago Park District for the building that now houses the National Museum of Mexican Art in Harrison Park in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago in 1984. Another interesting fact is that he negotiated on behalf of Mexican Fines Arts Center (that started to exist a bit later), to have the old boat house leased to the Mexican Fine Arts Center for 99 years! The achievment is great!
In 1986, Omar Lopez processed and facilitated the legal residency of thousands of undocumented workers (or illegal alliens as they are also called) and was incessant to ensure that individuals and agencies could not abuse Latino families by charging extra prices for processing their applications for legalization.
Mr. Lopez has also worked as the director of C.A.L.O.R. for the past 13 years; C.A.L.O.R.stands for an organization that deals with providing services to Latinos impacted by AIDS / HIV and other diseases.
Omar Lopez served also as the leader and principal convenor of the historic marches of March 10 and 1 May, 2006, that were held in defense of the rights of undocumented workers and all of people’s human and Constitutional rights, which were then attacked by the Sensenbrenner House Bill. These initial Chicago marches (very often the are called mega-marches), became the biggest mass mobilizations and gatherings in the history of the United States and were the catalyst for similar mega-marches throughout the entire country.
Omar Lopez is extremely active in the leadership of the Chicago March 10th Movement and has also been the leading candidate for Congress in the 4th district of Illinois. More information is coming up