“Trauma on trauma”: A pandemic and back-to-back natural disasters leave Puerto Ricans devastated

By Shreya Bansal Medill Reports Starting in late December, a series of earthquakes devastated southern Puerto Rico, forcing thousands to take shelter on the streets, in their cars and in government tents as their homes were destroyed. The situation left people on the island traumatized. At the time, many Puerto Ricans were still trying to […]
In BUILD, Chicago youth find an alternative to gang violence

By Shreya Bansal Medill Reports CHICAGO — It’s the day before Thanksgiving and a group of young and old men have come out to play football as a part of their “turkey bowl.” When a police car passes by, the officers wave and smile at the players. One of the older men waves back and […]
Meet the Mexican-American artist challenging transphobia one performance at a time

By Shreya Bansal Medill Reports Three years ago, 30-year-old Vicente Ugartechea moved from Texas to Chicago, where he felt like he could express himself as a transsexual artist for the first time. Today, his paintings and performances are displayed in museums and centers in Chicago, New York, Vancouver, Finland, Berlin and Amsterdam. Some of his […]