Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Jackie Serrato

Did you buy Mother’s Day flowers? Here are the stories behind the bouquets

2023-05-10T05:00:00-05:00

Yulissa Martínez holds a bouquet of colorful flowers while standing on a sidewalk in front of a public mural.

Ambar Colón/Sun-Times

On our 3rd anniversary, we are reimagining La Voz Chicago

2023-05-02T13:30:00-05:00

La Voz Chicago Editor Jackie Serrato (left) sits with residents during a community listening session, “We Hear You: Meet the Sun-Times Newsroom,” at Taqueria Los Comales in Little Village in December.

Kamil Krzaczynski/For the Sun-Times

In late 2019, the Sun-Times debuted La Voz Chicago as an experimental section in the newspaper to better serve Spanish-speaking readers.

After that test run, we made it official: On May 10, 2020, we launched suntimes.com/lavoz — which provided Spanish-first coverage of COVID-19 and relevant issues disproportionately impacting the Chicago area’s growing Latino communities.

Latinos, who now make up the second-largest demographic in the city per the latest Census, span the majority of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods, with roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia and other Latin American countries.

La Voz Sidebar 2023

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In the past three years, editor Jackie Serrato has overseen La Voz Chicago’s expansion online and the production of seven print editions inserted into the Sun-Times newspaper. Some of those sections were also distributed for free in ZIP codes with large Spanish-speaking populations.

Our coverage has included reporting on South American migrants, a look at demographic changes in Latino neighborhoods, an interview with Chicana author Sandra Cisneros, a review of the Netflix series “Taco Chronicles” and updates on developments at the Little Village Discount Mall.

La Voz Chicago continues to gain readership through our popular daily newsletter, managed by audience engagement editor and reporter Ambar Colón. In 2022, encouraged by incoming Sun-Times executive editor Jennifer Kho, La Voz launched its first side-by-side bilingual print edition in order to make its stories more accessible and inclusive.

Now, on our third anniversary, we’re reimagining La Voz Chicago to better serve the local Latino communities. With a focus on culture and lifestyle stories, the improved La Voz aims to showcase and celebrate the breadth and intersectionality of the diverse Latino communities in the Chicago area.

The Sun-Times held reader listening sessions across the city in recent months, including in Little Village and Pilsen with the support of La Voz, to find out about the issues and stories Chicagoans want more of.

Our future coverage will include service journalism to help Latinos participate in — and get the most out of — our community, stories about triumphs and solutions, and articles that feature diverse voices and experiences.

Please join us by reading this section and signing up for our newsletter at suntimes.com/lavoz. Let us know what you think by emailing lavoz@suntimes.com.

You can also support the Sun-Times by donating or becoming a member at suntimes.com/become-a-member or subscribing to the paper at suntimes.deal.com. Thanks for reading!

En nuestro 3er aniversario, estamos mejorando La Voz Chicago

2023-05-02T13:30:00-05:00

Kamil Krzaczynski/For the Sun-Times

A finales del 2019, el Sun-Times debutó a La Voz Chicago como una sección experimental del periódico para mejor servir a lectores cuyo español es su primer idioma.

Después lo hicimos oficial: el 10 de mayo de 2020 lanzamos la página suntimes.com/lavoz, con cobertura en español sobre el COVID-19 en la comunidad latina y temas relevantes que afectan desproporcionadamente a las comunidades latinas del área de Chicago.

Ahora constituyendo el segundo grupo demográfico más grande de la ciudad, según el último censo, los latinos viven en la mayoría de los 77 vecindarios de Chicago, con raíces en México, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia y otros países latinoamericanos.

En tres años, la editora Jacqueline Serrato ha supervisado la expansión en internet de La Voz Chicago y la producción de siete ediciones impresas dentro del periódico Sun-Times. Algunas de esas secciones también se distribuyeron de forma gratuita en códigos postales con poblaciones grandes que hablan español.

Nuestra cobertura ha incluido reportajes sobre los migrantes sudamericanos, una mirada a los cambios demográficos en los vecindarios latinos, una entrevista con la autora chicana Sandra Cisneros, una reseña de la serie de Netflix “Taco Chronicles” y actualizaciones sobre los desarrollos en el Discount Mall de La Villita.

La Voz Chicago continúa atrayendo lectores a través de nuestro popular boletín diario, enviado por la editora de audiencia y reportera Ambar Colón. En 2022, Jennifer Kho, la editora ejecutiva entrante del Sun-Times, animó a La Voz a lanzar su primera edición impresa de forma bilingüe para hacer que sus historias fueran más accesibles e inclusivas.

Ahora, en nuestro tercer aniversario, estamos reinventando La Voz Chicago para servir mejor a las comunidades latinas locales. Con un enfoque en la cultura y su forma de vivir, La Voz tiene como objetivo mostrar y celebrar la diversidad y la intersección de las varias comunidades latinas en el área de Chicago.

En meses recientes, el Sun-Times realizó sesiones comunitarias en toda la ciudad, incluyendo en La Villita y Pilsen con el apoyo de La Voz, para saber qué temas e historias los residentes de Chicago quieren ver de nosotros.

Nuestra cobertura futura incluirá periodismo que asista a los latinos a participar en y aprovechar al máximo la ciudad; notas sobre sus triunfos y soluciones a sus desafíos; y artículos que presenten voces y experiencias diversas.

Únase a nosotros leyendo esta sección y suscribiéndose a nuestro boletín digital en suntimes.com/lavoz. Háganos saber lo que piensa enviando un correo electrónico a lavoz@suntimes.com.

También puede apoyar al Sun-Times haciendo una donación o haciéndose miembro en suntimes.com/become-a-member o suscribiéndose al periódico en suntimes.deal.com. ¡Gracias por leernos!

Meet the new face of the 26th Street business corridor, Mexican parade date announced

2023-05-01T10:45:59.133-05:00

Jennifer Aguilar is the new executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. This year’s parade will take place on Sept. 16 for the first time.

Provided

The monumental arch in Little Village was the backdrop to Jennifer Aguilar’s childhood — she grew up a block away.

As a little girl, she got her parents’ permission to run a makeshift candy store out of their second-floor apartment. After school, Mexican kids would show up to her living room, with coins in hand, to browse the latest additions of Mexican imported candy, trendy American sweets and homemade treats before they went off to play.

Almost three decades later, Aguilar is now tasked with promoting dozens of family-owned businesses on 26th Street — one of the city’s most prominent commercial districts — as the new executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce.

La Voz Sidebar 2023

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“That spirit of entrepreneurship that Little Village has, and that it thrives with, is something that is contagious,” she told La Voz.

On Tuesday, chamber staff, small businesses, elected officials and community members celebrated Aguilar’s appointment at an event at Osito’s Tap, 2553 S. Ridgeway.

“It’s the most prominent example that we have as residents of how our parents and other people from our community came to this country without anything and opened their small businesses, similar to me, out of their houses or on a street corner or out of a little cart,” she said. “And eventually, it led them to open brick-and-mortar shops.”

The chamber had gone without an executive director since last summer, when previous director Ivette Treviño stepped down. Before joining the chamber in that capacity, Aguilar had been a board member since 2017 and became board secretary in 2019. She left the board in order to be considered for the position.

Attending the celebration Tuesday night was a group of Discount Mall vendors who gave Aguilar a rebozo as a token of appreciation.

Despite being a new hire, Aguilar attempted to help displaced Little Village Discount Mall vendors find an alternative location in the neighborhood, which the city offered to help subsidize. She identified the empty CVS on Pulaski Road and visited the site with city officials and vendors.

Vendors were pleased with the space and parking availability, she said, but some had concerns that the building would not be big enough to fit everyone or that it was only a temporary fix. They were in talks with the site owner to iron out the details.

But the clock was ticking: Vendors were ordered by the new Discount Mall owner, John Novak, to vacate the commercial center by March 26. Under that strict timeline, Aguilar admitted, their plans to move the collective into the old CVS fell apart.

Jennifer Aguilar (right) sits at a table of Discount Mall vendors.

Cortesía

The vendors are currently considering a site in Gage Park with the help of their alderperson, though Aguilar said she plans to keep working with any vendors who relocate within the Little Village community or who decide to come back to the neighborhood.

Mexican Independence Day parade date announced

The chamber is also responsible for organizing what’s considered the largest annual Mexican Independence Day parade in the Midwest; facilitating workshops and opportunities for local business owners; and leveraging funds from the Special Service Area tax for use on designated commercial streets (for example, installing planters and trash cans).

Until recently, the chamber would provide occasional maintenance to the “Bienvenidos a Little Village” arch at 26th and Albany. Since gaining landmark status last year, the arch is now under the purview of the city and the Chicago Department of Transportation.

This year’s parade will take place on actual Mexican Independence Day — Sept. 16 — for the first time. Normally, it has been scheduled one or two weeks early, on a Sunday, but Aguilar’s team was proactive this year to lock in the date with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Among Aguilar’s bigger challenges is to help mitigate the rising commercial rents on 26th Street, as national chains seek to move into the area. One of her goals is to nurture second- and third-generation business owners to expand their online-first stores, and she hopes the chamber can provide support for street vendors who have been victims of armed robberies.

Chicago Christmas shopping: Is this holiday the last for the Little Village Discount Mall?

2022-12-15T21:22:52.516-06:00

Raul Lopez stands in his shop, Video Guzman, in the Discount Mall in Little Village. Vendors in the mall have an uncertain future with their lease ending next month.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

For decades, Marta Torres has worked at the immigrant-run Discount Mall in Little Village, helping manage it as it became one of the area’s busiest shopping centers, but now preparing for what appears to be its last Christmas in business.

The mall “gave life to the community,” said Torres, who co-managed the mall for 31 years. “... We wish to stay, but only they know what will happen,” she said, referring to the owners of the mall.

La Voz Sidebar 2023

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Since opening in 1991, the Discount Mall at the intersection of 26th and Albany streets, near the iconic “Bienvenidos a Little Village” arch, has become a destination for Mexican and Latino shoppers around Chicago.

But the 100 or so vendors are bracing for the worst with the mall’s lease set to expire next month. The property’s owner, John Novak, has revealed few concrete details about the future of the mall or the larger six-acre Little Village Plaza where it is located, which he bought in 2019.

Novak, who is president of Novak Construction, has promised to honor the tenants’ lease but in the past cast doubt on keeping the mall open and said he planned to eventually bring in national retail chains.

He did not respond to requests for comment.

Rows of traditional apparel and formal attire line the walkways at the Discount Mall, in the Little Village neighborhood, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Vendor Iraís Miranda said the mall is an ecosystem that attracts shoppers from out of town, usually from Midwestern states that lack Mexican businesses, and those shoppers then venture onto the 26th Street commercial corridor.

Closing the mall “would be like disrupting the nucleus of the community,” he said. “And some of us can’t go out and afford a commercial rent on 26th.”

Longtime mall vendor Kocoy Malagón said they were able to negotiate a lease extension — it had been slated to close Aug. 31 — after they formed a group, Juntos por La Villita, to pressure the landlord and with help from Ald. Byron Sigcho-López. But their hopes for another one are dwindling.

Luz Adame and daughter Odalis shop for nativity scene decorations at the Little Village Discount Mall Thursday.

Michael Loria/Sun-Times

Holiday shopping destination

The variety of offerings has made the mall a popular destination for holiday shoppers over the years. It’s open seven days a week, and many stands are offering Christmas discounts.

For Luz Adame and her family, shopping at the mall is a Christmas tradition. On a recent Thursday, she went to pick out Nativity scene decorations with her three sons and daughter.

“Most of it we have already, but that’s how it is, adding to it every year,” said the native of Mexico.

Daughter Odalis, 4, selected an item new to the shop this year — a model hen house. “I don’t know if they had chicken coops like that in those times, but oh well,” Adame said.

For the past eight years years, Adame has done her holiday shopping at the mall, but with the mall’s future uncertain, she isn’t sure where she’ll go next year.

A Nativity scene for sale at the Little Village Discount Mall.

Michael Loria/Sun-Times

Many of the vendors, who shop at the mall themselves, expressed similar sentiments.

María Hernández came to the mall to shop for a centerpiece for her daughter’s quinceñera, and ended up finding a job at a stall that makes items for special occasions by hand.

“I like making things for people’s homes that will go on their tables,” said the Little Village resident.

Among the items popular at her stall around the holidays are baby Jesus figurines and Nativity scenes complete with Mexican cacti.

Big changes coming to Little Village Plaza, new owner says

After 14 holiday seasons at the mall, she wants to keep making decorations for people’s homes and special occasions. But she’s unsure where that will be next Christmas if the mall closes. She said her neighbors will have a hard time finding the specialty dresses, suits and other products offered at the malll.

“Whatever I can’t find anywhere else, I come here to look for it,” she said.

Every December, many visitors drop off flowers and take photos by the altars of La Virgen de Guadalupe set up in different corners of the mall.

This year, the vendors have been visiting the altars as well.

“We pray to her to help us keep our business open,” said vendor Verónica Gutierrez. “And God-willing, we will make it to another Christmas season and we will have a big celebration in her honor.”

Thank you, Little Village readers, for speaking with La Voz Chicago about this issue at our community listening session on Dec. 8.

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South Side and West Side. Jackie Serrato is the editor of La Voz Chicago, the Sun-Times’ Spanish-language section.

Vendor Maria Hernandez sells a variety of religious, holiday and other products at the Discount Mall.

Michael Loria/Sun-Times

Chicago’s Latino population spreads out, Census Bureau finds

2021-12-30T13:01:53.022-06:00

The Trump administration attempted to politicize the census, including by threatening to ask a citizenship question, an effort that did not materialize. And outreach efforts were undermined by an unprecedented pandemic that disproportionately hit Latinos.

Tyler LaRiviere

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Chicago’s Latino population saw more growth, according to the 2020 Census, than the previous decade, while the racial ethnic group is also increasing in the collar counties.

Currently, Latinos are the second largest racial ethnic group in the city of Chicago, in Cook County, and in the State of Illinois.

In Chicago, Latinos grew by 40,656 people since 2010. Some predominantly-Latino neighborhoods that continued to grow are Chicago Lawn, which gained 7,808 Latinos or 31 percent; Back of the Yards, which grew by 4,062 Latinos or almost 16 percent; and West Lawn, which gained 2,709 Latinos or 10 percent, all in the Southwest Side.

But a handful of traditionally-Latino neighborhoods across the city, some of which are going through gentrification, also showed a declining Latino population. Among them, McKinley Park lost 6,704 Latinos (or 42 percent) since 2010, Logan Square lost 11,244 Latinos (30 percent), Avondale lost 6,3270 Latinos (25 percent), Pilsen lost 5,512 Latinos (about 19 percent), South Chicago lost 1,033 Latinos (15 percent), and Albany Park lost 2,799 Latinos (close to 11 percent).

Some of the largest gains of Latino residents in Chicago actually happened in traditionally Black neighborhoods that are experiencing a pattern of outmigration. On the West Side, Austin’s population grew by 9,868 Latinos (a 113 percent increase) since 2010, and North Lawndale gained 1,903 Latinos (a growth of about 89 percent).

On the South Side, West Englewood gained 5,058 Latinos (a 653 percent increase) since 2010, and Englewood gained 1,280 Latinos (about 394 percent). A Sun-Times analysis in September found Englewood’s overall population fell by more than 20 percent, from 30,654 to 24,369 residents, and West Englewood’s population fell 16 percent, from 35,505 to 29,647 residents.

Latinos’ growth also happened in neighborhoods that have lost white residents. In the Northwest Side, Dunning gained 5,043 Latinos (50 percent) since 2010, and in the Southwest Side, Garfield Ridge gained 5,573 Latinos (41 percent), while Clearing gained 3,987 Latinos (38 percent).

A few historically Latino communities remained relatively steady over the last decade, such as Belmont Cragin, Little Village, Humboldt Park, and East Side.

“In the nation and in Illinois, we know that there was probably a significant Latino undercount,” said Sylvia Puente, president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, which held its own get-out-the-count campaign in the region. “We don’t know how much it is, but we know that it’s probably higher than in past years.”

Latinos are 18% of the state population with 2,337,410 inhabitants. Illinois ranks fifth in Latino population nationwide, behind a few Southwestern states and Florida.

“In Illinois, while Latinos are 18.2% of the state population — a remarkable parallel to the national share of the Latino population — Latino youth are 25% of Illinois’ children and youth, also a parallel . . . Illinois’ population really mirrors the national demographics of the nation,” said Arturo Vargas, CEO of NALEO Educational Fund during a virtual panel by the Latino Policy Forum.

U.S.-born Latinos are causing the majority of the growth, as migration from Mexico and other countries has slowed down due to various factors, including a lack of jobs, the rising cost of living, and increased immigration enforcement.

Cook County has 138,106 more Latinos compared to the last decade. Growing trends are also seen in Lake and Will counties.

“This has implications for a myriad of issues, including redistricting. Not only do we have the issue of state legislatures and commissions drawing congressional and other lines to the detriment of Latinos . . .You add to that the fact that the data itself may be flawed because it does not fully account for all Latinos. That just makes it even more difficult to translate our numbers into true political representation,” Vargas said.

Puente highlighted the need for local and state legislatures to invest in small business development, mental health counseling, digital learning for youth and more cash assistance for families who are in crisis as a result of the pandemic.

Mexican restaurants in Chicago scramble, get creative to survive during tough pandemic times

2020-09-17T05:00:00-05:00

People dine at Mi Tierra’s outdoor patio. Like many restaurant s hurt by the pandemic, it converted its parking lot into a outdoor dining space to try to attract more patrons.

Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times

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In the decade that Kevin Suarez has worked at Mi Tierra Restaurant in Little Village, he has seen the popular business go through a change of ownership, a fluctuating local economy, several makeovers and a variety of clientele and performers.

But never has the survival of the Mexican restaurant been so precarious as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It affected us because this restaurant has a lot of capacity and many employees on staff,” Suarez said. “In the beginning, we laid off a lot of people, and we’re practically counting this year as a loss.”

Latino restaurants had no choice but to adapt to the public health crisis. For many immigrant owners, their businesses are their only lifelines. It was do or die.

Mi Tierra, known for extravagant dishes consisting primarily of grilled meats and traditional cuisine, introduced a special menu — more reasonable portions and more affordable — that would make carryout options attractive. It also ramped up online sales with delivery via Uber, GrubHub and DoorDash.

A family is served drinks while sitting at Mi Tierra’s outdoor patio.

Tyler LaRiviere / Sun-Times

“We then opened up our parking lot and took our live-music performances outdoors on weekends” after Mayor Lori Lightfoot relaxed pandemic restrictions on restaurants said Suarez, who is Mi Tierra’s general manager.

Alejandro Reyes, manager of La Costa Restaurant in Belmont-Cragin on the Northwest Side, said he didn’t understand the gravity of COVID-19 until his Chicago seafood providers halted operations.

“I was in awe because here we were, the crowds packing the place, with people lined up on the sidewalk to wait for a table, while the mariachi played,” Reyes said.

La Costa had 55 employees. Payroll was reduced to a rotation of 15 workers a day.

La Costa restaurant in Belmont-Cragin.

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

The restaurant kept its regular menu, and carryout and delivery were surprisingly successful, according to Reyes, who says customers kept coming for its Nayarit-style dishes including shrimp empanadas, ceviches and spicy crab legs.

Mi Tierra and La Costa applied for temporary permits from the city of Chicago to offer outdoor dining when the city expedited the permit process because of the economic impact of the pandemic.

“The regular patio permit was a super-complicated process,” Reyes said. “It required architectural drawings, strict specifications. You gotta get your local authorities to sign off on it, like the alderman and the fire marshal. It’s a drag.”

More than 250 bars and restaurants have been able to apply to operate outdoors temporarily.

Aside from its back patio, La Costa has vertical windows on the front facade that open up like an accordion to give customers a view of the street. It allows for ventilation, while people waiting on the sidewalk can listen to the live norteño music playing inside.

La Voz Covid

La Voz Chicago publishes Chicago news in Spanish every day, but we also recognize a need to serve the Hispanic community in a variety of ways. That’s why we’re publishing this special COVID-19 community service section, overseen by our La Voz Chicago editor, Jackie Serrato.

La Voz Chicago is underwritten by a grant from AARP Chicago. Additional funding for this section was provided by the Google News Initiative.

Per city guidelines, restaurant operators do not need any additional permits to run “an indoor space where 50% or more of a wall can be removed via the opening of windows, doors, or panels.”

Those restaurants that didn’t seek a permit found other ways to operate safely during COVID-19, like setting up improvised food stands in front of their buildings.

Andrés Reyes of Birrieria Ocotlán had to close one of his two locations in the beginning of the stay-at-home order, while at the South Chicago location, “We put employees in hazmat suits and gloves while taking orders outside,” he said.

Eventually he reopened and installed a sliding walk-up window on the front of both restaurants, which have had great reception.

“Birria has been in my family for a little over a century now, my father began here in Chicago back in 1973,” he said of his family restaurants, which are famous for their traditional Jalisco-style goat dishes.

That legacy is why keeping the business going was not a question. Lately, he’s been promoting his own version of the trendy quesabirria, the “quesataco”, a street food that consists of a birria quesadilla that’s dunked in the goat broth.

Reyes recently purchased a food truck that he’s calling El Chivo (The Goat) on Wheels, and should be more dynamic to operate during the remainder of the pandemic.

Because outdoor dining can’t always be practical in Chicago.

“Winter is coming,” Suarez said. “Mi Tierra staff is bracing for any situation. We’re already discussing innovating safe ways to serve our customers well into next year.”

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Director de Pilsen Wellness Center: Proveer salud mental a inmigrantes es ‘algo personal para mí’

2019-12-19T18:30:53-06:00

Nestor Flores en su oficina en el Pilsen Wellness Center.

James Foster/Para el Sun-Times

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En 2012, la ciudad de Chicago cerró la mitad de sus clínicas de salud mental que atendían a miles de personas.

Algunos años después, un equipo de psicoterapeutas en el centro Pilsen Wellness Center dirigido por Néstor Flores se movilizó para cubrir esa necesidad.

“Pasamos de tener algunas clínicas a ahora que tenemos 15”, dice Flores, de 47 años. “Definitivamente es necesario y siempre habrá una necesidad mientras tengamos problemas sociales como la pobreza”.

Cinco de las clínicas están en Pilsen y La Villita. Las otras están en el lado suroeste de Chicago y en los suburbios, ofreciendo terapia de salud mental y rehabilitación para el abuso de las drogas.

“Las comunidades a las que servimos son muy complejas”, dice Flores. “Estas son poblaciones vulnerables que luchan por sobrevivir, de bajos ingresos en muchos casos. ... Y eso causa mucho estrés en la mente”.

Providing mental health care for immigrants ‘personal for me,’ Pilsen Wellness Center director says

La decisión de Flores de trabajar en el ámbito de salud mental se produjo después de que quedó viudo repentinamente, y él y su familia no encontraban terapia que fuera culturalmente sensible. En 2010, se matriculó en la escuela de posgrado. Obtuvo una maestría en psicología clínica, con especialización en la salud mental en los latinos, en 2012 del Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Se unió a Pilsen Wellness en 2013 y ahora es el director de iniciativas de salud del comportamiento.

“Me identifico con los casos que nos llegan aquí porque yo fui inmigrante, mi familia tuvo muchas dificultades y, como joven, pude haber abandonado la escuela, pero de alguna manera encontré el camino”, dijo. “Esto es algo personal para mí”.

Flores dice que criarse en los vecindarios de La Villita, Las Empacadoras y Gage Park lo expusieron a entornos similares de los que provienen sus clientes, y eso informa la manera que interactúa con ellos.

El año pasado, Flores y el personal de la clínica se mudaron a la antigua estación de policía en el vecindario de Pilsen que antes pertenecía al distrito policial Marquette en el 2259 S. Damen Ave. Había sido la segunda estación de policía más antigua de la ciudad hasta que cerró en 2005. El Pilsen Wellness Center adquirió el edificio valorado en $815,000 por un dólar y lo rehabilitaron por $1.4 millones.

Flores está consciente de la historia del edificio y la difícil relación que la policía tuvo con los residentes negros y mexicoamericanos en los años setenta y ochenta.

“Independientemente de la razón por la que las personas se llegaron a encontrar aquí, cómo fueron tratadas y otras cosas que sucedieron, me gusta decirle a la gente que pudimos transformar el lugar en algo que ahora es un espacio de sanación y un lugar que es acogedor y de confianza”, dice.

Flores y su equipo de consejeros que hablan varios idiomas ofrecen terapia en situaciones que van desde problemas a corto plazo debido a una pérdida o un trauma reciente, a la dependencia de sustancias, a crisis suicidas u homicidas, hasta enfermedades mentales crónicas como la esquizofrenia, la depresión y trastornos bipolares. Los casos más críticos generalmente involucran abuso sexual, trauma y la adicción a la heroína y opioides.

Él trata a los clientes y también supervisa a 17 psicoterapeutas, cada uno de los cuales tiene 25 casos. El setenta y cinco por ciento de los clientes que ven son niños y adolescentes.

Flores ha establecido colaboraciones con escuelas primarias y secundarias cercanas, entre ellas Madero, Ruiz, Pérez y Cristo Rey, para proporcionar servicios de consejería en las escuelas como complemento a sus consejeros internos.

“El sistema en el que están integrados: sus padres, su cultura, sus amigos, la cultura popular estadounidense, la forma en que vivimos nuestras vidas en 2019, todas esas cosas conspiran para hacerle la vida abrumadora a muchos niños y adolescentes, y entonces no pueden lidiar con ello”, dice.

Flores, quien nació en la Ciudad de México y emigró a Chicago cuando era bebé, dice que ha visto el impacto que ha tenido el clima político actual en los inmigrantes.

“Tenemos casos de familias que han sido destrozadas por la deportación”, dice.

Para mantener la tranquilidad ante su trabajo estrenaste, Flores pinta y cuelga sus obras de arte en la oficina. Hace ejercicio, medita y le gusta viajar.

También mantiene una filosofía sólida de trabajo: “Cualquier persona que entra por nuestras puertas es parte de nuestra comunidad y es tratada como un ser humano con su propia historia”.

This story was originally published on Oct. 11, 2019. To read it and other La Voz Chicago stories in English, click here. For more Spanish-language stories, go to suntimes.com/la-voz.

Artist, janitor and athlete Amelia Hernandez, 62, still competing, training daily in Little Village

2019-10-15T05:35:00-05:00

Amelia Hernandez has competed in every single Special Olympics event since the first international summer games at Soldier Field in 1968.

Her mother, Connie Hernandez, recalls that when Amelia was a child, her speech was noticeably delayed and she didn’t feel her daughter was ready to go to school. But upon turning 5, Amelia surprised everyone when she started talking, and at the recommendation of a psychiatrist, Connie sent her to school.

But that didn’t last long. Amelia wouldn’t stay in her seat or concentrate in class, her teachers complained.

One day Connie got a call from the Board of Education to inform her about a Chicago Park District program at Dvorak Park, in Pilsen, for children with special needs. Amelia and her mom were living by Taylor Street on the Near West Side at the time and moved to 18th and Racine, closer to the park.

“When I got there and saw all those kids just like her, I thought, wow, I wasn’t alone,” Connie said holding back tears. “ ... I thought, ‘This is the beginning of a life,’ and it was because she became real independent and everything.”

Connie met other mothers who were active in getting schooling for their kids with disabilities, among them Guadalupe Reyes, the founder of El Valor organization in Pilsen, which would become instrumental in Amelia’s life path toward self-sufficiency.

“At the park I started running a lot, then I tried the softball throw, and jumping,” said Amelia, now 62. “I just kept moving up, moving up to different sports.”

The Special Olympics gave her a uniform and allowed her to compete with peers from out of state who shared the same ability. Though Connie recalls games being poorly attended at first, except for politicians and the media, the event has been a consistent pillar in Amelia’s development and today thousands of children and adults partake in the games year-round.

Amelia Hernandez shows off some drawings she’s done at the Piotrowski Fieldhouse including one of the Chicago Blackhawks playing the Boston Bruins.

Brian Ernst/ Sun-Times

Amelia trains every day and also does a lot of painting, and loves making pictures of athletes.

And she works part-time at El Valor’s Little Village location, doing maintenance work in the children’s center. “I like it,” she says. She hops on the 60 bus which takes her from El Valor’s offices in Pilsen to its location in Little Village.

“She’s always been enthusiastic about life, whether it’s sports or anything, she always puts her heart fully into whatever she’s doing,” said David Donahue, a former employee of El Valor, who has been her coach on and off for 21 years. “She’s never been known not to try anything at least once.”

At Piotrowski Park, in Little Village, where he now coaches, he prepares Amelia and other adults with intellectual or physical disabilities for the Special Olympics. The Chicago Park District has over 25 parks with programs for people with disabilities, for the vision and hearing impaired and for veterans.

Amelia has competed in track, power lifting (she can hoist 165 pounds), soccer, basketball, volleyball and bowling. Her favorite position to play during floor hockey is goalie.

Her dream? To meet goalie Corey Crawford of the Blackhawks.

Amelia keeps things in perspective.

“I have friends who cannot play sports because they are walking with a cane, with a walker, some are in a wheelchair, some friends cannot walk or run. I could run, I could do everything. I move pretty well,” she said.

She adds: “I never stop. I just keep going.”

Her mom said she’s barely ever home between her park activities, her job, and competing in games out of state. Many times she comes home with a trophy.

“I don’t know, without the opportunities she had, I think Amelia would probably be sitting in the corner like she used to be before she started going to the park. She used to sit in the corner on the floor and play with marbles. Or maybe she’d be gone, you never know,” she said.

Amelia Hernandez, 62, a longtime athlete stands in front of a photo of her younger self competing at her first Special Olympics event.

Brian Ernst/Sun-Times

Pilsen Wellness Center director: Providing mental health care for immigrants ‘personal for me’

2019-10-11T05:30:00-05:00

Leremos en Español

In 2012, the city of Chicago closed half of its mental health clinics, which served thousands of people.

In the years since, a team of psychotherapists at the Pilsen Wellness Center — led by Nestor Flores — has stepped up to meet the need.

“We grew from a few outpatient clinics to now we have 15,” says Flores, 47. “There’s definitely a need for it, and there’s always going to be a need as long as we have societal issues like poverty.”

Five of the clinics are in Pilsen and Little Village. Others are on the Southwest Side and in the suburbs, offering mental health therapy and substance-abuse treatment.

“The communities we serve are very complex,” Flores says. “These are vulnerable populations that are struggling to survive, low-income in many cases. ... And that causes a lot of stress on the mind.”

Flores’ decision to work in mental health came after he unexpectedly was widowed, and he and his family could not find culturally sensitive therapy. In 2010, he enrolled in graduate school. He got a master’s degree in clinical psychology in 2012, with a specialization in Latino mental health, from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He joined the clinic in 2013 and is now director of behavioral health initiatives.

“The cases that I get here resonate with me because I was an immigrant, my family had their share of struggles, and, as a young person, I could’ve dropped out of school, but somehow I found my way back,” he says. “This is personal for me.”

James Foster / Sun-Times

Flores says growing up in Little Village, Back of the Yards and Gage Park exposed him to many of the same environments his clients come from, and that informs how he interacts with them.

Flores and multilingual counselors treat conditions ranging from short-term issues due to a recent loss or trauma, to substance dependency, suicidal or homicidal breakdowns, to chronic mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorders. Their most critical cases typically involve sexual abuse trauma and heroin addiction.

Last year, Flores and the clinic’s staff moved to the old Marquette district police station at 2259 S. Damen Ave., which had been the city’s second-oldest police station until it was shut down in 2005. The Pilsen Wellness Center acquired the facility, valued at $815,000, for $1 and rehabbed it for $1.4 million.

He’s aware of the building’s history and the difficult relationship the police had with black and Mexican American residents in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Regardless of the reason people found themselves here, how they must have been treated and other things that went down, I like to tell people that we were able to transform the space into something that is now a place of healing and a place that is welcoming and a place that is trusting,” he says.

He treats clients and also manages 17 psychotherapists who each have a caseload of 25 people. Seventy-five percent of the clients they see are children and teenagers.

Flores has established partnerships with local elementary and middle schools, among them Madero, Ruiz, Perez and Cristo Rey, to provide counseling services at the schools as a supplement to their in-house counselors.

“The system that they’re embedded in: their parents, their culture, their friends, American pop culture, the way we live our lives in 2019, all of those things conspire to make life overwhelming for a lot of children and teens, and then they can’t cope,” he says.

Flores, who was born in Mexico City and moved to Chicago as a baby, says he’s seen the impact the current political climate towards immigrants has had.

“We get cases of families that have been ripped apart by deportation,” he says.

To cope with his often-stressful job, he paints and hangs his artwork in his office. He works out, meditates and likes to travel.

And he maintains a strong work philosophy: “Anyone that comes in through our doors is our community and is treated as a human being with their own story.”

Nestor Flores speaks with Elena Vertti, a psychotherapist, at the Pilsen Wellness Center.

James Foster / Sun-Times