Rudy Lozano (July 17, 1951 – June 8, 1983) was a labor

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

from

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Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Lozano was important in organizing "Black-Brown unity" in the election of

Harold Washington Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as ma ...

, the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

mayor of Chicago. Lozano was murdered shortly after Washington's election, which was "a severe setback for the Chicago Mexican community, holost a dynamic, rising political star and their major liaison in the Washington camp."

Early life and education

Born in

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...

, his parents moved the family early on to Chicago's predominantly

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

southwest side Pilsen neighborhood. As a student at

Harrison High School Harrison High School may refer to: in the United States ''(by state)'' *Harrison High School (Harrison, Arkansas), listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Harrison High School (Colorado Springs) — Colorado Springs, Colorado * Har ...

and later the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

, he organized students to demand courses on

Mexican history The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop i ...

, and for more Latin faculty. In his 20s, Lozano became an organizer for the

International Ladies Garment Workers Union The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), whose members were employed in the Clothing#Gender differentiation, women's clothing industry, was once one of the largest trade union, labor unions in the United States, one of the firs ...

Political career

In 1982, Lozano entered the race for

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of the 22nd Ward in the city's 1983 elections, in an attempt to be the first

elected to the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

. He faced longtime alderman Frank Stemberk and though Lozano was defeated, failing to force a runoff by seventeen votes, he, along with his sister Emma Lozano, played an instrumental role in bringing Latino voters across the city to support candidate

, who became Chicago's first African-American mayor. His supporters alleged that voters with Spanish surnames were purged from the rolls, denying him the votes to force a runoff. Lozano continued his work in the ILGWU, becoming the chief Midwest field organizer through his work with

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factory employees and other low-paid immigrant workers.

Murder

On June 8, 1983, Lozano was shot to death in his home. A reputed

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was convicted for his murder, but his supporters still contend that he was assassinated for his labor and political activities. Mayor Washington visited his widow at the home later that day, and said at Lozano's funeral that he "was a man driven by a search for unity among people."''Chicago Tribune'' Jun 14, 1983, Reaves & Thornton, Unity, Tears Mark Mass for Lozano p. A11

Legacy

Today, the Pilsen branch of the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

is named in Lozano's honor, and his wife, sister, and sons continue his activist legacy. There is also a school called Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy in his honor. RLLA is associated with the Instituto Del Progreso Latino in Chicago. His son, Rudy Jr, ran for State Representative in the 23rd District of Illinois in February 2010, but did not win. Lozano's campaign manager in the 1983 election,

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, went on to win a 1986 special election for the 22nd Ward. García ran for Mayor of Chicago in

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, but did not win. He would ultimately be elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lozano, Rudy 1951 births 1983 deaths Activists from Chicago People from Harlingen, Texas American activists American activists of Mexican descent Murdered Mexican Americans People murdered in Illinois Male murder victims Deaths by firearm in Illinois

Early life and education

Political career

Murder

Legacy

See also

References