Each day, about 300 people walk in the door looking for help at Centro Romero, which is located at 6216 N. Clark St. in Chicago

Centro Romero:
Integrating Cultures, Integrating Lives

by Rachael Scobey

While sitting in what felt like a small grade school classroom with colorful hand painted pictures taped to the walls, two teenagers walked in laughing and with big smiles on their faces. They came from down the hall where a party was being held for teens and their families involved in Centro Romero programs.

Lucy, 16, from Mexico, who was not willing to give her real name for legal reasons, volunteered to sit down and talk.

“My family has lived here for about 16 years and I’ve been participating in the Latino Youth Power (LYP) program since I was five,” she said.

Lucy and her family, who are illegal in this country, have been using the services at Centro Romero for a little over 10 years. She, along with other teens and those working for social justice causes, has actively been pushing for equal rights while in the LYP program.

Part of this is because of Lucy and her companion’s new education on the HB60 law. HB60, is a law that was passed recently to allow immigrants to pay the same tuition as natural born citizens at universities.

Along with LYP, Lucy enjoys participating in Centro Romero’s book club and English as a second language (ESL) program.

Lucy and her family found out about the services provided by Centro Romero through a neighbor who also found help through an educational literacy program.

Each day, about 300 people walk in the door looking for help at Centro Romero, which is located at 6216 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

Although Centro Romero has a strong focus on immigration and social services, it also offers a wide variety of programs to benefit the local Latin community.

Some of the programs include: education with a focus on ESL and Spanish literacy, citizen classes, a women’s program, a self-support group and a helpful legal department.

In the legal department alone, Centro Romero serves approximately 8,000 immigrants annually

Started by 12-15 Salvadorians, Centro Romero became an official not-for-profit organization in the city of Chicago in 1984.

“We got together and started working for refugees and at the end it became what Centro Romero is now,” Jose Manuel Bentura said.

Bentura is an accredited representative with the legal department and represents people before immigration.

In the legal department alone, Centro Romero serves approximately 8,000 immigrants annually. Currently, the agency has 21 official employees and about 200 volunteers.

Yet, because of the tremendous growth of Centro Romero over the years, there is a great demand for funding. Along with the search for donations, they are always looking for more volunteers, especially those who are bilingual.

Maria, 19, another member of the Centro Romero community, also shared some of her thoughts on the organization. Unlike Lucy, Maria was born in the United States, but has Guatemalan and Peruvian parents.

She says she absolutely loves hanging out at Centro Romero and so does her family. Her sister heads the LYP program and in the summer, Maria works as a soccer coach.

“We do a bunch of different things that get you integrating into different cultures, different ideas and different people,” Maria said

Maria believes the agency does great things for the community. She believes that Centro Romero often acts as a second home for many and that it is positive because the youth are always welcome.

“Centro Romero teaches you to strive for yourself, to try to make yourself better if you have the ability,” Maria said. “It’s just fun to come here and meet new people.”