The heirloom of Mariachi music passes down through the generations
By Alexa Mencia When the Chicago Symphony Orchestra welcomed Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, known internationally as the “World’s Best Mariachi,” last month, orchestra hall sold out. Throughout the performance, audience members would let out a joyful, high-pitched yell in excitement—a signature of mariachi music known as a grito. The ensemble itself traces its history back […]
Advocacy groups leverage growing Illinois Hispanic voting bloc
By Hannah Rank The consistently growing population of Hispanics in Illinois, paired with an unprecedented number of eligible voters, have local activists involved in Hispanic outreach looking for ways to engage this voting bloc. “This is something we’ve been anticipating for a very long time,” Celina Villanueva, who runs voter engagement programming at the Illinois […]