About the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center
Established in 1976, the Latino Cultural Center (LCC) was the first cultural center at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The center was born out of a mid-1970s movement which also sparked the emergence of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program in 1974 and the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services Program in 1975. The LCC emerged as the third pillar of this movement thanks to visionary Latine students, faculty, staff, and community members, who fought tirelessly for a cultural center to support the academic growth of the increasing Latine student population on campus. The LCC was named after the late Rafael Cintrón Ortiz, a Puerto Rican professor who unconditionally supported the creation of the center and was an inspirational figure to students on campus.
Our Mission
The Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center (LCC) engages campus and local communities to deepen understanding of the diverse cultural heritages and identities of Latines, issues affecting their lives, and creative solutions they are using to improve community life.
The LCC offers engaged learning programs and initiatives that draw on cultural heritage as an asset to address contemporary issues, connect social and environmental justice, and build partnerships across diverse students and communities for collective action.
- cultural & artistic expressions
- environmental and social justice dialogues & mural tours
- scholarly presentations
- collaborative research with faculty and communities
- first-voice stories
- intercultural internships