Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson to Meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro

Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson to Meet with Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday to Discuss Advancing Opportunities for Afro-Colombians in Chicago and Abroad

CHICAGO – U.S. Representative Jonathan L. Jackson (D- 1st Congressional District of Illinois) will meet in the city on Saturday with Colombian President Gustavo Petro to discuss improving opportunities for Afro-Columbians in the nation’s third-largest city and abroad.

Since the 1970s, the city’s Colombia population has grown from 3,500 to more than 40,000 residents, making Colombians the sixth largest Hispanic community in Chicago.

Since assuming office in 2022, Petro has visited Chicago seven times. In 2009, Chicago established a sister city relationship with Colombia’s capital city, Bogota. This visit is for the three-day Colombia Grows in Chicago festival, which concludes on Saturday. The festival celebrates Colombia’s rich culture and diversity and unites communities through art, performances, exhibitions, and a panel on migration. Congressman Jackson will meet with President Petro after Petro’s speech.

“President Petro is a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Congressman Jackson said. “He has the most diverse cabinet in the history of Colombia and the hemisphere. There are some lessons we can learn from Colombia, including how Colombia is addressing its migrant issue because most of the migrants fleeing Venezuela have crossed the border into Colombia. His

presence in Chicago demonstrates his commitment to addressing the needs of Colombians, and we are here to offer support to help them advance in our world-class city.”

In 2022, Congressman Jackson attended the inauguration of President Petro and vice president, Francia Marquez, the nation’s first Afro-Colombian woman vice president.

Last year, he invited VP Marquez to Chicago as the guest speaker in a forum on diversity and how it impacts the African Diaspora.