The annual Puerto Rican Parade, celebrated every June, ends with a procession downtown Chicago and is an important celebration of Puerto Rican cultural and national pride. Originally, this celebration commemorated El Día de San Juan (St. John's Day), an event organized by Los Caballeros de San Juan (the Knights of St. John), one of the first Puerto Rican religious and social organizations in Chicago. Los Caballeros de San Juan was a key religious institution which, like the office of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, promoted integration of Puerto Rican migrants into mainstream Chicago life while maintaining cultural pride and integrity. In 1966 El Día de San Juan celebrations were renamed the Puerto Rican Parade and included new community institutions in the organizing of the annual festivities. The Puerto Rican Parade of Chicago is one of the oldest Latino parades in the city that many in the past fought for and preserved. Now the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, Downtown Chicago has been canceled.

Shame on the Puerto Rican elected officials that WE voted into office and did not have the audacity to preserve almost 50 years of tradition and gave our parade and festival to a company that does not even speak our language or live in our community. NOW IS YOUR TURN TO TELL OUR FUTURE GENERATION THAT YOU SOLD WHAT OUR EARLY MIGRANTS FOUGHT FOR. Last but not least the current organization does NOT have a legitimate voting board and should NOT be operating this organization.