Fraga, Teresa

Teresa Fraga has been a community organizer in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood since the 1970s. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, Teresa Fraga began her American life as a migrant farm worker in Texas. In 1966, Fraga, with her husband and small children, arrived in Chicago and settled in the Pilsen neighborhood among other recent Mexican immigrants. By the early 1970s, Fraga became concerned that her six young children were being exposed to drugs, gangs, and poor schools in their chosen neighborhood. It was at this time that Fraga became involved with local school boards and the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council (PNCC), an organization where she would be elected President twice. She became an American citizen in 1979 and by 1983, Fraga had returned to school to earn her G.E.D. and a bachelor's degree from Northeastern Illinois University. Fraga has gone on to serve the community through her membership on numerous boards, involvement with neighborhood groups and initiatives, and as a teacher.