Mount Greenwood protests a microcosm of national division on police brutality
By Alex Ortiz During the afternoon of Nov. 20, a group of some 15 protesters walked down a closed off streets at Kedzie Avenue and 111th Street in Mount Greenwood on the city’s far southwestern edge. It was a cool but clear day — perfect for a large demonstration. Residents looked on while standing on […]
Women, and racial and sexual minorities don’t feel welcome, U of C climate survey says
By Alex Ortiz The University of Chicago made national headlines in August when it declared the campus a trigger-warning-free zone, igniting a national debate about the lack safe spaces for marginalized students. Now, a newly released campus climate survey validates the feeling of many that the campus’ racial climate is, indeed, rife with racism, sexism […]
Immigrant community finds way forward after election
By Alex Ortiz “I couldn’t tell them that things were going to be OK,” Jose Muñoz recalls as he and undocumented students watched election night returns Nov. 8 in Pilsen. “All I could tell them was that we are there to support them.” Students gathered at Resurrection Project that night hoping for an altogether different result than […]
Behind the surge: Young Latinos can’t vote but urge others to do so
By Alex Ortiz Inside a Target in suburban Bolingbrook, about seven volunteers call hundreds of eligible voters urging them to the polls Tuesday, even though, at 14 to 17, these young Latinas can’t vote themselves. “We’re not just sitting around and saying ‘Oh we don’t want this president,’” said Claudia Garcia, 14, a junior high […]
Chicago City Council Progressive Caucus holds town hall on 2017 budget
By Alex Ortiz If all politics are local, then a City Council Progressive Caucus town hall at Malcolm X College Thursday mirrored issues driving the national election conversation. Residents punctuated two main topics: child care access and jobs. “We’re just looking for more funding in that area,” said April Drayton, a childcare professional from Morgan […]
Chicago celebrates: ‘Someday’ finally arrives for Cubs World Series win
By Alex Ortiz In what’s being billed as the seventh largest gathering in human history, about 5 million people came out Friday to celebrate the Chicago Cubs’ first Major League Baseball World Series win since 1908.
Defender of the faith: Skokie man devotes life to educating about Islam
By Alex Ortiz It didn’t take long for Dr. Sabeel Ahmed to feel unwelcome when he immigrated to the United States from India at 17. During his first gym class, students spat on him because he is Muslim. He was called into the principal’s office to tell who did it, but when asked if they […]
Looming state budget cuts set up cultural clash at centers for students of color
By Alex Ortiz Brittney Hopgood graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014 with a degree in industrial design. The high point? Getting a part-time job as a African-American Cultural Center marketing assistant. She had struggled to find an internship within her major to gain experience, and there, she found opportunity — and […]
A vote of faith: Converting Latinos to registered voters
By Alex Ortiz Just before the end of 1:30 p.m. mass at St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village Sunday, the congregation participated in a blessing for the Society of St. Toribio Romo, named for the patron saint of immigrants. The group is on a mission — not to convert others to the faith — […]
Oswego football team finds unity in the age of Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter
By Alex Ortiz In a sea of Oswego East Wolves football fans wearing the school’s color blue, one red speck stood out at the Plainfield North High School game Friday. Glen Lane wore a San Francisco 49ers jersey as he watched his grandson, Oswego East defensive back Shakur Long, help his team remain undefeated.
