Mexican-American/Mexican Artists Meeting Story

As the slides on the overhead displayed the compelling and intricate artwork of  Mexican-American artists and one Mexican based in Pilsen, the audience in the Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago learned about community ties through artwork that is promoted through alternative spaces on Thursday, September 23rd.

La Tierra Prometida, “The Promised Land,” is the discussion that explained ways the artists used different tools to display their art and promote their work. Gabriel Villa, Eric Garcia, Nicole Marroquin and Salvador Jimenez are artists who have displayed their artwork in Pilsen, along with various neighborhoods.

Villa, of Pilsen, a visual artist originally from El Paso, Texas, self-promotes his work through alternative spaces such as non-profit galleries. In 2007, he self-published “The Art of Gabriel Villa.” His book not only contains a vast amount of drawings and paintings, but photos of his art displays in communities.

In March of 2009, Villa, along with others, painted a mural in Bridgeport, which was destroyed by the Chicago Street & Sanitation Department three weeks later. The order to destroy the mural was given by the 11th ward Alderman James Balcer, Villa said. Villa received an immense amount of support from local and national communities. The destroyed mural gained publicity throughout Chicago.

“The mural made more of an impact when it was destroyed than when it was there,” Villa said.

Eric Garcia, of Pilsen, who is originally from Albuquerque, N.M., is a political and cultural cartoonist/illustrator and teaching artist at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Garcia uses art tools to inform and educate America about the hardships of Mexicans in our country. He chooses different issues that aren’t prominent in the news.

Garcia uses many art venues to display his work, such as Art in Armitage, which is a mock storefront display with artwork that is located on the north side of Chicago. He has published political cartoons from New Jersey to L.A., and Garcia has been asked to lecture at different universities throughout the country. Much of Garcia’s art is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Community cultural producer, educator and strategist Nicole Marroquin, of Pilsen, believes that creative practice, such as art projects in unusual places, is artwork. Marroquin, who was born in San Antonio, Texas but grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., has helped bring art to communities.

“You have to participate in the community you want to be apart of,” said Marroquin. She often works with youth in schools, holding class in odd yet interesting alternative spaces such as cornfields and alleys. She works with art through mobile media, such as taking pictures on cell phones of art that is displayed on the streets, critical spatial practices with high school students, who often work in areas of danger, such as unsafe neighborhoods.

Marroquin organized a 12-hour marathon to benefit Pros Arts, a free art studio offered to youth. Creative bowls were made by pottery-making participants and filled with food, but in order to see the art painted on the inside of the bowl, one had to finish their food.

Also a sculptor, Marroquin shows work, such as portraits, for galleries. She often collages people’s faces and bodies.

Salvador Jimenez, of Pilsen, who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, began making art when he came to America. He believes it is better to work in alternative spaces rather than galleries.

“As an artist my goal is to show art work to people so the viewers can see the work and learn through it,” said Jimenez. He is interested in multimedia installations and fine art background displays. Jimenez believes that an artist’s job is to create an art form that will stay in the mind of the viewer forever--even if they don’t know the name of the artist.

Alternative spaces and unconventional methods mainly take place in his neighborhood of Pilsen. Jimenez often enjoys displaying in coffee shops, bars, gyms, local stores, art festivals and the streets. He stresses the importance of self-promotion and networking through other artists, school and communities.

Some of Jimenez’s artwork is displayed in the Robert Morris University gallery and St. Anthony Hospital in Chicago.

“I have no idea what the outcome of my work might be, but I just focus on the main idea,” said Jimenez.

One of the creators of “The Promised Land” event was UIC student Carlos Lopez, 21, of Pilsen, who is majoring in graphic design.

“I was hoping this event would be enlightening for other artists, such as myself and for people who are not Latino,” said Lopez. "I believed I achieved that goal with this discussion."

C.A.P.S Meeting in Chicago Story

The friendly and optimistic residents of the 1st District South Loop were eager to get down to business discussing the past month's concerns with safety precautions and a residents misplaced check, Wednesday night at the monthly C.A.P.S. meeting.

The meeting started with one of last month’s community concerns of Beat 134. Suspicious activity and loitering at 162 W. Cermak Rd, near a CTA bus stop, was cleared by officers. Officer Panick stated that police controlled the situation and more officers were assigned to that area.

Panick said crimes have decreased this month due to more officers being assigned to the streets. Thirty-eight incidents have been reported since the last meeting. Fifty-five crimes were reported last month.

Thefts of iPods and cell phones on the street and the CTA have been reported continuously this month, said Panick.

“People should always be aware of people around them and their surroundings,” Panick said. “If you ever see anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to call us.”

Many elderly residents from the Hilliard Apartments, located on Clark Street, attended the meeting. They filled the room with laughter, enthusiasm and giggles as they conversed together.

The passionate citizens praised the recent closing of a liquor store near their home. They said there had been loitering and drunk students who often disrupted and scared the apartment residents. Smiles and applause erupted when Panick mentioned the closing.

One of the residents, Luthetta Horton, said that she misplaced a $15 check to the Secretary of State in September. Her bank notified her that the misplaced check had been turned into a $1,000 check that was forged by a random, unknown man. Horton filed a police report after the meeting was over.

“I wrote the check to pay for my grandson’s state I.D.,” said Horton.

A man pointed out that he noticed the median between State Street and Clark Street that contains large flower pots is no longer a hang out spot for drunken loiterers at night. Panick said that officers have been patrolling the area to reduce the risk of accidents and disruptions.

To prevent crime and injuries, the Chicago Police Department is offering a citizen police academy session. There will be an overview of police department safety for vehicle pursuits and a trip to the 911 dispatch center. Other forms of safety training will be available. Anyone interested should contact their local police department.

“I am looking forward to attending the citizen police academy session,” said Christeen Strode, who is also a resident of the Hilliard Apartments. “I attend these C.A.P.S. meeting every month, and I am always interested to find out what events are going on.”

A clothing and diaper drive will be held to benefit domestic violence groups in October and November. Makeup, clothing, particularly business attire for job interviews, and diapers will be taken to women’s shelters.

“Please send the donated items to this police station and we will distribute the items to various shelters throughout the area,” said Panick. “People are in dire need of clothing. Children need fresh, reliable diapers and bottles.”

Climate Change Exhibit Story

The Earth’s temperature is increasing and weather patterns are changing in our lifetime. Humans and animals around the world are now dealing with the impact of climate change such as melting polar ice caps and ferocious rainstorms.

The “Climate Change” exhibit at The Field Museum explores the science that is behind the world’s major change that has people on their toes. The visitors are presented with a wide array of displays, bright colors and jaw-dropping information that the exhibit has to offer.

As the atmosphere is warming up, humans and animals are starting to deal with the effect everyday. One of the eye-catching displays shows a sad polar bear walking through a garbage dump filled with plastic bags, metal, glass bottles and a broken television. Snow is sprinkled all over the polar bears surroundings. Climate change has altered the lives of polar bears as they try to survive on shrinking ice packs and they are forced to move into areas heavily populated by people.

“The polar bear in the display is real and the garbage dump it is walking on is a real story happening right now,” said Janet Hong, the project manager at The Field Museum.

The “Climate Change” exhibit intends to educate people who do not have science degrees, explained Hong, and it is best suited for students in junior high and older.

Significant reasons, such as wild weather and heat waves, have become more frequent and much more intense. The exhibit walks visitors through a rainfall with lightening and thunder to show the effects of intense storms that have become more common throughout the world. For example, flooding has occurred in India, China and the United States during this last decade.

An ice core model is based off of a real ice core in Greenland that is 1.9 miles long. The ice core is drilled from an ice cap and it can show 108,000 years worth of climate change This exhibit is intended to show the different techniques and innovations used to predict why these changes are occurring.

Active research institutes such as the American Museum of Natural History in New York, who collaborated with The Field Museum on this exhibit, research stories that can be used in exhibits to display to the public.

The “Climate Change” exhibit was brought from the history museum in New York, but it was changed to draw in more people.

“The colors chosen have an emotional effect on how you look or how long you stay at that display,” said Hong. She explained that the colors were made lighter and brighter to attract people rather than scare them away. Bright, bold reds were used to emphasis the burning effects of intense fires. Deep blue fonts were displayed to explain and reveal the cold and harsh winters around the world.

Colors weren’t the only important pieces of information. At the end of the exhibit was a black wall tacked with white pieces of paper written by visitors answering the question “How do you think we should tackle climate change?” The ideas ranged from going green to driving different types of cars. This was a creative and interesting way to interact with the visitors and to get people thinking about what they should do to change.

“The biggest difference you can make is changing what you do at home with your kids. Then they can take these things with them as they get older,” said Cindy Vong, from Channahon, Ill.

In the exhibit, there are hands-on activities such as touch-screens that display facts about how much carbon dioxide people can save in their home and city. Little gadgets and displays with captions, such as 3-D images of cities and the sun, keep visitors interested and invite people to learn more about the rising sea level and greenhouse gases.

“I learned how the climate changes and the different forms of energy in the world,” said Anna Bejarano of Toronto, who was with her 12-year-old son, Fredricko. She went on to explain that she wished she saw more solutions to climate change.

“The end of the exhibit was very pessimistic. It kept saying that it is going to take thousands of years to fix this mess and that it keeps getting worse,” said Bejarano.

The vast amount of information in the exhibit can teach anyone important facts about the science behind climate change.

“For our generation, there is no other important topic to talk about,” said Hong. She explained that this exhibit portrays intricate details and information more than any other museum of its kind.

Profile Story of Iymen Chehade

Iymen Chehade isn’t an average guy you meet on the street. He is a professor and a playwright who uses his voice and knowledge to enlighten people about the world’s past and present, particularly about the history of the Middle East.

Chehade, 36, is a professor at Columbia College Chicago. He teaches the Israeli/Palestine Conflict and Middle East History classes. Chehade wrote a play called “Garden of The Three” and directed “The Gaza Monologues: A Dramatic Reading,” one of Columbia’s very own events.

Coming from a Muslim and Palestinian family, Chehade and his sister were raised in Logan Square and Park Ridge. His father, from the West Bank, came to America from Brazil in 1963 and worked as a merchant. His mother came to Chicago in 1971.

Chehade is a Muslim Palestinian-American who has committed himself to teaching the truth about his parents’ homeland.

“It’s a responsibility we have as individuals to enlighten people in America about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Chehade said.
The main goal is to be objective and not biased while educating people, he said.

“Iymen is very in-depth and knowledgeable about subjects, such as the Middle East,” said Chris SitzSimons, an actor and co-worker of Chehade.

As far as teaching, this is the first semester Chehade has taught the Israeli/Palestine Conflict class. Students tend to question the facts, but according to Chehade, he has never received any criticism towards his teaching. The class is based on debates and discussions.

“I’ve never had any student tell me I was biased or what I was teaching is biased,” Chehade said.

The class closed three days after registration this fall and next semester’s session closed two days after registration began.

“The students in the class believe something in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not right, and they want to learn more about it,” Chehade said.

Chehade has seen the conflict with his own eyes. The last time he went to Palestine was when he was 16 years old, during the first intifada (catastrophe.) He was in the West Bank while the intifada broke out between the Palestinians and Israelis. People were killed daily and riots would break out everywhere, Chehade said.

“You walk down the street here and you don’t feel the tension or the animosity like you do there,” Chehade said. “You can cut the tension there with a knife.”

As an American citizen, it was very difficult for Chehade to understand how the dynamic of being a civilian without civil rights worked. Palestinians were kicked out of their homes and forced to move elsewhere. Their land and property was stolen or destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), he said.

“They don’t care how they treat you there, whether you are an American citizen or not,” Chehade added, speaking of the IDF. “You need permission to go from one place to another. These people are prisoners in their own country.”

Chehade lays out the facts in class, but he also tells stories of struggle and conflict. One of his many accomplishments is the play “Garden of The Three.”

“Garden of The Three” was written in one month in 2002. It played in the Gorilla Tango Theatre on North Milwaukee Avenue for six weeks and it was sold out five out of six times. Chehade chose a productive way to bring the situation overseas to light. He wanted to do something positive; something many people don’t normally do, Chehade explained.

“It’s using the pen as a means to spread a message,” Chehade said. .

The play is about a Palestinian family that’s living in the West Bank during the rule of Ariel Sharon in 2000, the former AP:Prime Minister of Israel. The backdrop of the play is what can happen to a Palestinian family living during the second intifada. A very open-minded, progressive and religious father becomes very disenchanted and resorts to extremism, all due to the occupation.

“I chose the name ‘Garden of The Three’ because it is a metaphor for the three kids in the family. The father had a garden of three rose bushes, which are extremely hard to grow in the desert,” Chehade said. “He always tended to the rose bushes and it is a metaphor for tending to his children.”

The proceeds of the play were donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, a non-profit, non-political organization that addresses the medical and humanitarian crisis of Palestinian youths in the Middle East.

“Iymen is a really nice person and very generous. He is extremely easy to talk to and he knows exactly what he is talking about,” Jenna Manonkes, a student and actress, said. “He is good with what he does and he is a professional in every aspect.”

Chehade directed “The Gaza Monologues: A Dramatic Reading” that debuted in Columbia December 2nd. Actors performed the monologues that were written by teenagers in Gaza in 2008.

“In the monologues, the teenagers put the war into context for us, and they reveal how they live through the occupation,” Chehade said.

One of the monologues described a teenage girl, Hanan, angry about the war in Gaza. She described there being smoke everywhere she looked. Along with the smoke of blasted rockets, was the smoke from her father's cigarette.

“Our dream is to die a good death, not to lead a good life," Hanan said, one of the lines from a series of monologues.

“Iymen is very intelligent and passionate with subjects such as theater and Gaza,” James Kinney, an accountant and actor-friend of Chehade, said. “He doesn’t put on a show in front of people, and he has a purpose for what he does.”

“It feels good to be a Muslim in America,” Chehade said. “Luckily I’ve never experienced any hate.”

"An American Jihad" Event Story

Terrorism. Jihad. Violence. Islam.

After 9/11, these words have been connected to Muslims and misinterpreted all over the world.

College students attended “An American Jihad” Tuesday night at DePaul University to listen to speakers discuss these and other struggles of Muslims in America.

United Muslims Moving Ahead, DePaul’s Muslim Student Association, invited Laith Al-Saud, an Islamic world studies professor at DePaul, and Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of CAIR Chicago, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, to voice their opinions of Muslims in America.

“I think this event has a brilliant title. It’s very controversial but not all controversy is bad. It makes people want to talk and challenge what the term means,” Rehab said.

Al-Saud discussed different peoples' hyphenated identities such as Muslim-American, Italian-American and Jewish-American. He said we invoke the American identity to protect legal rights while our ethnicities and races define who we are as people. The American identity ensures freedom to practice Islam, just as it does the freedom to be Christian or Jewish.

“We have a very superficial sense of spirituality,” Al-Saud said. He said that there are responses and actions by Muslims to represent their religion such as the hijab, the headscarf. Women wear the hijab to be judged by society for their mind and spirituality, not their physical features.

“The hijab is a highly distinctive piece of garb which identifies a Muslim, but I don’t think it does much more then that,” Al-Saud said. He believes that the hijab in America has become a consumer item that goes with the flow of being American.

“We have become obsessed with products that identify American culture,” Al-Saud said addressing Muslim-American students. “But the American culture has yet to be defined. As Americans, you will have a very important role in defining it.”

After Al-Saud concluded his speech, Wasila Diab, a student and the historian of United Muslims Moving Ahead, presented a video that was created by students to find out whether or not non-Muslims knew anything about Islam.

There were giggles among the crowd as it heard answers from DePaul students to questions such as “Do you know the five pillars of Islam?” Many of the answers were similar and along the lines of them believing Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad and not God.

The second speaker, Rehab, emphasized two things: the meaning of jihad and the five pillars of Islam.

Rehab stressed the meaning of the word jihad, which means a struggle towards bettering oneself. People often assume that jihad is an act of terrorism or violence. Seeing evil and then empowering it with goodness is jihad, Rehab said.

“Each of us has a personal jihad … a cause,” Rehab said. “I see discrimination and a lack of dialogue about the meaning of Islam.”

He also added that his personal jihad is civil rights and that he wants to better Americans' perceptions of Muslims. Rehab strongly believes that every Muslim’s jihad is to struggle to make a difference.

“God has empowered us to make a difference,” he said. “We have the ability to change things.”

“This event really made me realize that we are struggling within our own religion, and we need to fix ourselves and our reputation in America,” said Marwa Abed, president of United Muslims Moving Ahead and student at DePaul.


Part 1 of "An American Jihad" video

Part 2 of "An American Jihad" video

Part 3 of "An American Jihad" video

Part 4 of "An American Jihad" video

Laith Al-Saud

                                                     Ahmed Rehab