Visitor finds surprise at Swedish American Museum on its 40th anniversary
By Hannah Gebresilassie Alan Hagstrom visited the Swedish American Museum on Tuesday and didn’t expect to find what he saw. “I walk into the room of the display and lo and behold,” says Hagstrom. “There are my grandparents highlighted on the immigrant wall.” Edward John and Hilda Marie Hagstrom are just two of his four […]
An inside look into one student’s protest of Donald Trump
By Bian Elkhatib In some ways, Ana Ruiz is the face of a Trump protester. She’s young, a college student, new to protesting, hurt deeply that she and other Mexican immigrants are being demonized, and will be personally affected by how Trump proposes to lead the country. TRUMP RALLY COVERAGE Outside Trump rally, protesters shout […]
Local college women answer the call for Hillary at Old Town phone bank
By Jasmine M. Ellis and Torene Harvin With the March 15 Illinois primary less than a week away, local college students hosted an evening of phone banking for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday at the Parkway Ballroom in Old Town. Sponsored by Hillary for America, several of the volunteers remember meeting Clinton at a young age […]
Resettled refugees face challenges in U.S. education system
By Marisa Endicott With the Syrian refugee crisis intensifying in Europe and debate stateside over the deportations of Central American asylum seekers, it is easy to get wrapped up in the ideological and political rhetoric instead of getting to know the day-to-day experiences and obstacles resettled refugees face. Access to education is a main hurdle. […]
The Albany Park Theater Project exposes the soul of separated families
Text by Jenny Lee Video by Xiao Lyu Clad in orange jumpsuits, a group of high school students carrying large suitcases trudged onto the center stage. Heads down with hands, feet and waists shackled, they took a seat on their suitcases while two girls dressed as nuns slithered through the “criminals” and settled in front […]
Experts weigh implications of immigration in Chicago and U.S.
By Hannah Rank Leaders in immigration research argued Friday that immigration has significant economic and demographic benefits for the city of Chicago. “What I’m seeing from my clients is that they are contributing to society regardless of what their immigration status is,” said Olga Rojas, chair of the Chicago chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers. […]
Harish Patel — immigrant, Muslim, state rep candidate
Text by Aishwarya Kumar Lakshminarayanapuram and Bian Elkhatib, video by Bian Elkhatib H e was 14 when he moved to the U.S. from India. He did not know any English. And he grew up on the northwest side of Chicago with his mother who cleaned homes for a living. That was Harish Patel 16 years […]
H-1B Lottery: Foreign Workers’ Strategic Path to Immigration
By Yunfei Zhao International college students fully expect to go back home when they graduate — that’s the deal — except when it’s not. That’s when things get interesting for federal immigration officials running the H-1B visa program that allows international workers to take jobs at U.S. companies. Then, the deal is those jobs can […]
An art piece is worth “34,000 Pillows”
By Vishakha Darbha Alejandro Figueredo Diaz-Perera watched over the makeshift sewing studio at Soul Asylum, an art exhibition focusing on immigrant stories of struggle. Perera is one half of an artist duo, with Cara Megan Lewis. Together, they call themselves Diaz Lewis. At Soul Asylum, their interactive artwork is titled “34,000 Pillows,” inspired by the […]
Going door-to-door: protecting Albany Park residents against immigration raids
By Marisa Endicott Almost 70 people chose to spend Saturday’s wet and dreary afternoon walking door-to-door in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. Volunteers turned out in response to the deportation campaign launched by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that targets recent Central American immigrants with deportation orders. Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD) held the door-knocking campaign […]
