Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Gisela Orozco | Special to the Sun-Times

Mono Blanco brings folk music from Veracruz to Chicago

2023-12-07T15:40:02.812-06:00

Mono Blanco brings the Mexico folk music tradition of son jarocho to Chicago this weekend for a concert at Instituto Cervantes.

Courtesy Latino Cultural Center of Chicago

Folk music from Veracruz, Mexico — known as son jarocho, which draws from indigenous and African rhythms with Spanish-inspired instruments — is making a splash across the globe, and especially here in Chicago.

One of the son jarocho groups that has managed to take their music across the world with all the warmth of Veracruz and its culture is Mono Blanco, whose international story began in Chicago.

Founded in 1977 by Gilberto Gutiérrez and his brother José Angel, along with Juan Pascoe, Mono Blanco had their first concert in Chicago in the mid-1980s, thanks to an invitation from the Old Town School of Folk Music, Gutiérrez recalls.

“Chicago represents a lot for us, we have already been there several times performing alone, with other groups or at festivals. [That] first concert — I remember that it was very cold; it was in February 1987 or 1988. With that concert in Chicago, Mono Blanco’s international life began. In April of that year we went to North Korea for the first time,” Gutiérrez told La Voz in a telephone interview.

Mono Blanco

Mono Blanco

When: 7 p.m. Dec. 9

Where: Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St.

Tickets: $25-$30

Info: latinoculturalcenter.org

Their concert on Saturday, part of the series of Latino music concerts produced by the International Latino Cultural Center, continues their Chicago journey.

For Gutiérrez, the music and poetry of the son jarocho tradition expresses a full range of emotions, capable of taking you from laughter to tears while celebrating the Veracruz culture.

Gutiérrez said the emergence of son jarocho within the U.S. dates back to the 1940s. He cited the late Philadelphia-born American, Joseph Raoul Hellmer Pinkham , an ethnomusicologist, anthropologist and sociologist and scholar of Mexican culture, who specialized in compiling and disseminating traditional Mexican music, especially son jarocho, in America.

“Son jarocho is a genre for improvisation,” Gutierrez said, of what to expect at the upcoming concert. “Even if we play a song like ‘La guacamaya’ [over and over] it will never be the same [twice]. We generally offer a repertoire that showcases the various rhythms that encompass son jarocho, which is a genre for singing poetry.”

Mono Blanco currently features Gisela Farías on the jarana, a Mexican stringed instrument similar to the guitar; Andrés Vega Delfín on requinto jarocho, a smaller four- or five-stringed instrument; Octavio Vega Hernández on requinto, jarana and harp; Iván Farías on jarana; and Juan Campechano on leona, a large guitar-like instrument.

Last year, Mono Blanco was featured on “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, the theme song from the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” It was nominated for an Oscar for best song.

The opportunity was due in part to Mexican musician and producer Camilo Lara who worked on the soundtrack and suggested to Swedish producer/composer Ludwig Göransson to include the Veracruzanos.

“This song moved us very much; it is very strong and with a lot of energy and feeling. Rihanna is a great singer and it was an honor to be nominated. That’s the real Oscar for us, to be part of a song that is going to endure,” he added.

Movie music is no stranger to Mono Blanco. Prior to “Black Panther,” their music was included on the sounddtracks of several Mexican films including “Roma” by Alfonso Cuarón and “Danzón” and “Sin dejar huella” by María Novaro.

Of their work to preserve the legacy and tradition of one of the most deeply rooted music genres in Mexico, Gutiérrez notes that as the band continues to tour internationally, they also continue to play at fandangos (dances) back at the “rancho.”

“This is how tradition is maintained and shows that both things can coexist. We help young people to strengthen their identity with the legacy, the music and the tradition; we show young people who used to be ashamed of their origins that it is something to be proud of. We have to continue opening spaces so that the musicians who come [after us] continue on the path, so that our presence remains and who we are is not forgotten.”

Siddhartha celebrates new beginnings with overdue Chicago show

2023-10-25T15:00:09.484-05:00

Singer Siddhartha (shown in 2014) headlines the Copernicus Center this week.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Already on the second leg of his U.S. tour, Mexican singer-songwriter Jorge Siddhartha González, known artistically as Siddhartha, will arrive in Chicago on Friday.

Siddhartha’s return to Chicago is full of new beginnings. The singer-songwriter has not performed in the city since 2016, when he was featured in a “caravan of Latino indie” concert. Those days he shared space in the genre with Mexican groups such as Porter and La Gusana Ciega.

“After all that time, a lot of things have accumulated. We had two failed attempts to go [perform at Chicago’s alternative Latin rock event Ruido Fest]; we were announced and everything, but we couldn’t go because of an immigration issue. But now we are going to get even,” Siddhartha told La Voz in an interview.

Siddhartha EN

Siddhartha North America

When: 8 p.m. Oct. 27

Where: Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave.

Tickets: $59+

Info: copernicuscenter.org

Since then, he has released two studio albums: “Memoria Futuro” (2019) and “00:00” (2022), and has been involved in other projects. In 2021, he became a dad following the birth of his son, Mar, alongside his partner, Mexican entrepreneur and YouTuber Mariand Castrejón, known simply as Yuya.

“The tour is living many experiences at high speed,” he told La Voz in Spanish. “Going to new places where you play for the first time and [facing] the challenge they represent, [as well as] playing in places where you already have an audience waiting for you, it’s all a half-infinite journey and that’s part of the charm.”

Without intending to, Siddhartha’s sixth album “00:00” set the stopwatch to zero for a new beginning. The album, like all his works, is a snapshot of the moment, a time capsule not only of personal times but of all humanity.

“I really enjoyed the way it was gestated, which was at different times. It started before the pandemic, developed during and ended right with the pandemic. I don’t know if the title was necessarily a response to the beginning of 2022 when everything started to open up a bit, but at least for me, the title came at the right time when everything that was coming was a new beginning in my work, in my personal life and in my career,” he said.

The album opened doors for him and features collaborations: with Argentinean Emmanuel Horvilleur (Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas) on the song “Acapulco,” Spanish Ana Torroja (former vocalist of Mecano) on the song “Mapa” and Leiva (also a member of The Guapos) on the song “Nada por hecho”, with the music video for the song directed by Yuya.

Touring the United States and performing in front of a mostly Mexican and Latino audience makes Siddhartha feel at home.

“It’s exciting to play for a group that we don’t see and that suddenly has that connection; it’s like bringing a piece of the country with the music,” he shared. “There is an intimate mood and complicity, like when you meet with a friend you don’t know personally but who is there. And that feeling prevails when we play in other countries, especially in the U.S. where there is a huge Latino community.”

The 2023 tour will culminate on Dec. 9 at the Foro Sol in Mexico City.

“Then we will take a short break to do other things, share new music, make new music and other projects that are not necessarily albums coming next year,” Siddhartha said.

Enrique Bunbury vive su resurgimiento

2023-06-16T15:44:39.982-05:00

Enrique Bunbury se reencuentra con la música con su disco “Greta Garbo” y prepara un regreso cauteloso a los escenarios.

Jose Girl

CHICAGO — Enrique Bunbury no se retiró de la música. El cantautor español estaba en receso para resurgir luego de los sucesos del 2022 que lo obligaron más que a un retiro, a una reclusión para replantearse y sanarse.

En mayo de 2022, estaba supuesto a reencontrarse con su público de Chicago como parte de su gira de celebración de sus 35 años de carrera y que en febrero de ese mismo año sería “la última” por motivos de salud.

Ese concierto a realizarse en Chicago — específicamente en el Rosemont Theatre — primero estaba pautado para el 3 de mayo y tuvo se reagendarse para el 15 de mayo, por lo que se dijo, eran cuestiones de visas, y realizarse luego de las presentaciones en Nueva York y Atlanta. Pero no sucedió.

Exclusivamente para La Voz

Exclusivamente para La Voz Chicago

“Chicago fue el lugar de los hechos finales, donde se derrumbó todo el castillo”, recordó en entrevista para La Voz. Bunbury venía arrastrando problemas de salud, de la garganta, de los que no sabía la causa. Esa gira del año pasado era la de la despedida forzada por la incertidumbre.

“Hubo diferentes episodios durante la gira mexicana”, contó. “Habíamos cancelado shows, me había arrastrado a lo largo y ancho de la República Mexicana salvando los conciertos, haciéndolos lo mejor posible dentro de unas circunstancias muy complicadas para mí”.

A Chicago, dijo, llegó unos días antes del que iba a ser su concierto en el Rosemont, el primero realmente fuera del área de Chicago, ciudad donde se ha escrito parte de su historia musical con muchas notas altas y algunas bajas.

En esta ciudad se ha dado cita desde la década de los 90 del siglo pasado como parte del legendario grupo Héroes del Silencio, del que fue vocalista y fundador y que estuvo activo de 1982 a 1996; en 2007 hubo una gira de reencuentro y despedida.

Ya en su carrera en solitario que comenzó en 1997 con el disco “Radical Sonora” se presentó ese año en el House of Blues; en el 2000 actuó en Joe’s Bar y regresó al House of Blues en 2002 y 2003. En 2004 se presentó en el Metro, concierto que terminó abruptamente y que marcó su separación de “El pequeño cabaret ambulante”.

Luego tuvo ese regreso en 2009 con el concierto del disco Hellville de Luxe en el Aragon; en 2010 dio dos conciertos en el V Live; en el 2011 se presentó en el Aragon con la banda mexicana Zoé; en el 2012 cantó en el Congress Theater con su “Licenciado Cantinas”, y en 2016 dio dos conciertos en el House of Blues.

El que hasta el momento queda como su último concierto es el del 20 de marzo de 2019 en ese mismo recinto.

En ese regreso a Chicago el año pasado, incluso estuvo paseando por la ciudad. Pero los problemas de salud, dijo, comenzaron la noche anterior de la que iba a ser la del concierto. “De repente volví a tener todos los síntomas. Estuve toda la noche tosiendo, con esa sensación de arena en los pulmones”, recordó.

Le llamó a su mánager. “Le dije: ‘Me está pasando otra vez. No puedo con esto. Me preocupa el concierto de Chicago’”, recordó.

Fue entonces cuando se tomó “la dolorosa y difícil” decisión de cancelar el resto de la gira, bajarse de los escenarios, y anunciar un retiro adelantado. Había que parar y buscar la causa de los males.

Enrique Bunbury sabe que tiene una cita pendiente en Chicago, donde tuvo que cancelar su concierto de 2022. “En algún momento, habrá que sacarse la espina”, dijo a La Voz.

Jose Girl

Durante los siguientes meses, se dedicó a atenderse, a cuidarse, a indagar qué era exactamente el mal que lo aquejaba y le cerraba la garganta.

Se enteró que su condición fue una reacción a una sustancia química contenida en el humo utilizado en los conciertos. Ya a sabiendas, se procuró a sanar físicamente. La parte de la sanación emocional vino de la mano de seguir haciendo música.

Y poco a poco, durante ese periodo de introspección comenzó a darle forma y vida a “Greta Garbo”, su nuevo disco.

Que su doceavo disco de estudio se llame como la actriz sueca nacionalizada estadounidense e icono del cine mudo, parece replicar y rendirle tributo a la evasividad con la que la diva vivió sus últimos días luego de un retiro abrupto de la pantalla.

En el caso de Greta, fue en parte ocasionada por la llegada del cine sonoro y porque quería vivir otra vida, donde no se escuchara su voz. En el caso de Bunbury, fue un retiro abrupto necesario para que su voz siguiera escuchándose.

Pero la vida de Bunbury es música, es creación. Por eso su “Garbo” marca su nuevo comienzo, uno en el que se permite explorar nuevos caminos y propuestas.

Es el primer disco que es producido por el músico, actor, productor y director de cine franco-mexicano Adán Jodorowsky a quien dijo conoció en 2008 en París, Francia, cuando Bunbury fue a hablar con el papá de Adán, el artista y cineasta chileno Alejandro Jodorowsky (“La montaña sagrada”, “El topo”, “Santa Sangre”, “Poesía sin fin”).

“Él (Alejandro) me presentó a Adán en París. No había sacado aún su primer álbum en español (”El ídolo”, 2008) sólo el de en francés. Habíamos estado en comunicación esporádicamente, había escuchado muchas de sus producciones. Lo vi en los Latin Grammy en Las Vegas y le dije que me encantaría trabajar con él, que normalmente no me produce nadie, pero que me encantaría hacer algo con él”, compartió.

El momento llegó el verano pasado. Enrique ya tenía algunos demos y temas desde antes de cancelar la gira, pero el disco aún no tomaba forma. Partes de “Greta” se gestaron antes de ese retiro abrupto y el resto ese verano en el Desierto de los Leones en México, donde se grabó luego de la llamada con Adán.

Como un acto de psicomagia muy a lo Jodorowsky, se dio en el momento preciso.

“Justo cuando terminaba unos demos, Adán me llamó en el momento exacto. Le dije, ‘este es el momento. Hagámoslo’”, compartió.

El resultado es un disco con tintes de soul setentero, un material esperanzador que revela otra capa de Bunbury, un artista que continúa sorprendiendo a sus seguidores, que no obedece a nadie, sólo a su propio genio y que ahora quizá siendo “más viejo y sincero” —una de las líneas de “La chispa adecuada”— respeta más sus procesos.

Porque como dice el título de uno de los temas de “Garbo”: “Nuestros mundos no obedecen a tus mapas”, ni a lo que otros establecen de lo que Bunbury es porque “no hace falta ser una celebridad para ser inolvidable”.

De lo que fue este proceso, destacó, ni el artista sabe qué esperar cuando quiere ponerse en un nuevo contexto musical, cuando trabaja con un nuevo equipo, con un nuevo productor, con otros músicos y en un estudio distinto.

“Todo esto buscando resultados diferentes con esos pequeños matices, cambiando incluso con tu visión actual de lo que fuiste en el pasado. Sospechas estos cambios, pero [en ese momento] no piensas en el exterior, en los oyentes”, recalcó.

Sin embargo, sí sabe que sus seguidores, esos que lo procuran desde hace años y los que se van sumando, le agradecen que siga con su arte, que se exprese de una forma determinada obedeciendo a un momento determinado de su existencia.

“Greta Garbo” es un disco-respuesta a su momento determinado, a uno de los más dolorosos de su carrera y del cual resurge cautelosamente. Bunbury sabe que es afortunado por contar con seguidores que entienden sus procesos, que los agradecen.

“Creo que hay una parte importante de mi público que entiende mi necesidad de búsqueda y están deseando acompañarme en ese viaje; incluso hay quienes se enfadan si hago un disco que no cambia tanto, que les gusta cuando los sorprendo”, contó.

Pero no quiere que eso se convierta en una trampa: que racionalicen demasiado la búsqueda y que no sea algo natural. “Sí que estoy agradecido con un oyente al que sé que no se la he puesto fácil; sé que hay discos que no iban a ser entendidos tan fácilmente”, agregó.

Un público oyente con el que ahora se reencontrará luego de la reclusión, del retiro que no fue retiro, sino el momento para recomenzar y que le permite realizar no una gira, sino diez citas puntuales, pautadas, que en 2023 y 2024 serán su regreso a los escenarios —el reencuentro con el público.

Este 2023 estará en Sudamérica. El 5 de diciembre en Buenos Aires, Argentina; el 9 de diciembre en Santiago de Chile; el 11 de diciembre en Lima, Perú; el 14 de diciembre en Quito, Ecuador, y el 16 de diciembre en Bogotá, Colombia.

Para el 2024 las presentaciones serán en México, Estados Unidos y España. En México estará el 8 de junio en la Ciudad de México y el 12 de junio en Guadalajara, Jalisco. En Estados Unidos actuará el 15 de junio en Los Ángeles, California y el 18 de junio en Nueva York. En España, se presentará el 29 de junio en Madrid.

“No son conciertos. Son una toma de contacto cautelosa con los escenarios intentando no comprometerme a algo a largo plazo. Elegimos esta opción”, aclaró.

Es una manera de continuar “aliviándose”, de curarse “la herida” del 2022, una que sigue abierta. “No está cerrada del todo”, confesó. “Lo que me ocurrió fue un tanto traumático y mi relación con los escenarios ahora es de mucha cautela y de cierto temor”.

En Chicago tiene una cita pendiente. “En Chicago en algún momento, habrá que sacarse la espina”. Y seguir su apuesta por el rock.

Tenoch Huerta beyond Kukulkán

2023-04-27T13:02:15.051-05:00

Tenoch Huerta attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California. The actor most recently starred as Namor of Kukulkán in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Getty Images

Already widely acclaimed for his role of Namor of Kukulkán in the Oscar-winning “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta is receiving growing recognition for his anti-racism media campaign.

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Despite public criticism for addressing the taboo subject, the actor remains focused on his projects and maintaining his activist stance.

In April, Huerta attended the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, an event that brings together comics and anime fans and is considered the largest pop culture convention in the Midwest.

Tenoch Huerta as Namor of Kukulkán in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

Marvel Studios

In an interview with La Voz Chicago, Huerta spoke of the representation of Brown men in film, an identity he embraces as a social activist and through his character in “Wakanda Forever.”

“[People] came and welcomed me in a wonderful way. We had people tell us that they drove two, eight or 10 hours to come. Imagine what an honor it is to me that people would do that!” he said of his experience at C2E2.

Huerta had not been to Chicago since 2012, when he was invited to the first and only edition of the Mexican Film Festival of the Americas, where he received an award for best actor.

Huerta is proud of his character, Namor, one that was tailored for a brown-skinned actor with Indigenous Mexican features.

“Regarding the representation of ourselves on screen, it’s not just about seeing ourselves, but how we see ourselves,” he said.

“To suddenly see a Latin American, Maya, dark-skinned compadre, who is a ‘tlatoani’ and a superhero, is a wonderful representation. It’s not just about being represented, but how they represent us. And that’s what’s important,” the actor emphasized.

The relevance and effect of his role has meaning for Mexicans and Latinos who migrate to the United States, but also for the majority of Mexicans in Mexico — a country where racism and classism are ongoing issues.

It’s a conversation that the actor has advanced via his social media platforms and other media projects, and he says he has learned a lot from the struggle of the African American community in the U.S.

“In Mexico there is still a lot of work to do. The conversation about representation is just beginning. Here in the U.S. it is a subject that is more advanced and digested,” Huerta said. “The opportunity came from here, but I hope that soon in Mexico we can do things that dignify and represent [Mexicans] from the side of who’s telling the story. In Mexico it is the same elite, the same group, that tells the stories.”

In the U.S., the economic power of the Latino community is seen at the box office, but not represented on screen, something that the actor says can be traced back to the privileged class who first arrived in the U.S. and replicated the same narrative and attitudes from Mexico.

“Most people [in Mexico] have other origins, phenotypes and histories, which are not those of the elite,” he said.

The topic of racial/ethnic categorization of “Hispanic” in the U.S., is another issue Huerta is willing to discuss. The cultural term continues to be debated, since many communities would rather identify with their nationalities or other terms such as “Latino.”

Some argue that “Hispanic” echoes the caste system that was imposed during the colonization of Mexico and Latin America, a notion with which the actor concurs.

“If anything, Hispanic only serves to hide the privileges [of the white elite], the oppression [of brown Mexicans], and it puts us all under the same umbrella,” he said.

“This is a conversation that the Latin American community in the U.S. has to have. The Black community is ahead of the Latino community in this, but that conversation is having a ripple effect,” he continued.

Huerta’s next project is a starring role in the Netflix series “El Elegido.”

Will there be a Namor/Kukulkán “Wakanda” spinoff down the road?

“I really have no idea, but when they call me, I’ll be there,” Huerta said.

Destinos Theater Festival showcases Latino stage artists, playwrights from across the city and the globe

2022-09-22T14:34:50.496-05:00

“Blanco Temblor” by the Teatro Public Puerto Rico plays Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at the Den Theatre.

Ricardo Alcaraz

Faithful to its mission, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, better known as “Destinos,” is hosting its fifth rendition through late November, providing the stage for stories to be told theatrically about the Latino community in Chicago and the greater Latin America.

With the passing last month of Myrna Salazar, co-founder and executive director of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), the entity that organizes the festival, directors, producers and actors felt that the show must go on in her honor, celebrating the legacy of the Puerto Rican trailblazer who was a pillar in the local artistic community.

“We are doing what Myrna would have wanted: for the festival to continue to grow,” said Víctor Salinas, Mexican playwright and actor, whose play “La Pájara de San Juan,” kicked off the festival earlier this month. The festival runs through Nov. 26.

“Destinos” has aimed, since its inception, to showcase the Latino diversity of the Chicago theater community, an effort that has solidified over the years.

Untitled

Lineup of Destinos plays and locations:

“Pequeños territorios en reconstrucción” (Teatro Línea de Sombra, México, at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn; through Sept. 25)
“Las Migas” (Colectivo El Pozo, at Chess Live Theater, 3622 S. Morgan; through Oct. 2)
“Tebas Land” (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave; through Oct. 9)
“Bruna la Bruja Bruta” (Teatro Tariákuri, 3117 W. 63rd St.; through Oct. 16)
“Alma” (American Blues Theater, at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge; Sept. 28 - Oct. 22)
“Enough to Let the Light In” (Teatro Vista, at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted; through Oct. 23)
“Evolution of a Sonero” (Urban Theater Company, 2620 W. Division; Sept. 29 - Oct. 23)
“Blanco Temblor” (Teatro Público Puerto Rico, at Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee; Sept. 29 to Oct. 2)
“Sancocho” (Vision Latino Theater Company, at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park; Oct. 8-30)
“Cintas de seda” (Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie; Oct. 13 - Nov. 11)
“The Wizards” (Concrete Content, at APO Cultural Center, 1438 W. 18th St.; Oct. 14 - Nov. 26)

Salazar’s life and legacy were celebrated at a gala opening for the festival at the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) in Pilsen. “Myrna was a warrior, super committed to the theater,” Salinas added.

Sara Carranza, CLATA’s director of communications, along with Christine A. Pérez, director of artistic and community associations, and Esteban Schemberg, production coordinator, are continuing that legacy.

Karla Galvan as Bruna in “Bruna la Bruja Bruta.”

Héctor Iván García

“We are doing everything possible to make Myrna proud. We believe what she believed: that our voices [as Latinos] matter and that the only way to make them heard is to tell our stories ourselves,” she said.

“The most beautiful thing about our festival this year is that we are not trying to tell people how to live. We are all on this journey together,” she added.

This year, Destinos is highlighting local workssuch as “Las Migas,” by Mexican playwright Raúl Dorantes, and “Tebas Land,” by Argentine Esteban Schemberg, as well as “The Wizards,” by Mexican-American Ricardo Gamboa.

“Local artists have a lot to say and they had to close [their ventures during the pandemic]. We wanted, with ‘Destinos’... for them to take center stage. This year their stories became more powerful,” Carranza said.

“Now that the world has been opening up, what is our place and what is our destiny?” Carranza wondered. One thing is certain: Myrna Salazar will forever remain the heart of the festival.

For more information about Destinos and to buy tickets, visit clata.org.

Undocumented immigrants experience the elections with anxiety

2020-10-29T12:28:07-05:00

Alma Silva poses for a portrait at the corner of W 19th St. and S Ashland Ave in Pilsen, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

As an immigrant and “Dreamer,” Esmeralda Montesinos admits to living with anxiety and worrying every waking hour.

But she has decided to confront her fears in the face of the 2020 elections and in the midst of the pandemic. She went out to get out the vote.

Montesinos works as a volunteer and fellow of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Democracy 2020 Project through the non-profit organization Brighton Park Community Council.

“I understand others’ frustration. I’m worried all the time, that’s why I do this job. I want to do something to contribute to change,” Montesinos said.

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Originally from Valle de Chalco in the State of Mexico, Montesinos immigrated to the United States when she was 2. She is now 23, and for the past seven years she has been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Established in 2012 by decree of then-US President Barack Obama, DACA protects thousands of immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as minors from deportation and allows them to work legally.

In 2017, current President Donald Trump announced it would shut down the program that backs more than 700,000 immigrant young adults. The Supreme Court earlier this year put that effort on hold, which legal battles to end the program would likely persist if he is reelected.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Joe Biden has promised if he wins, on the first day of his term he will make DACA a “permanent” program.

For this reason, Montesinos, during a pandemic and unable to knock on doors and have a face-to-face conversation with potential voters, is organizing phone banks to inform and raise awareness among new voters about the importance of their vote in this election, especially those who support immigrants and social justice.

“Please vote. For on behalf of their family, friends and people who they know are immigrants. Vote with us in mind, for our communities, because democracy cannot work if you don’t vote,” Montesinos urges people.

‘My family is divided’

In the 2016 elections, Alma Hernández began her work as a community organizer with the San Toribio Society, a group formed by volunteers from parishes in Pilsen and Little Village, to get out the vote.

It was as part of this group that she participated in the “Vote for Me” campaign, to encourage those who could vote to do so on behalf of those who could not. Four years ago, Hernández was also undocumented, along with two of her four daughters.

Last year, 24 years after she immigrated to Chicago from her native Torreón, Coahuila, in Mexico, during which she applied for permanent residency, her appointment finally came to start the process. Last May, she received her green card.

As a permanent resident, Hernández still cannot vote; her community work to promote the vote continues, though, currently with the Resurrection Project. She acknowledged that pushing the vote in these elections has been difficult.

Alma Silva poses for a portrait at the corner of W 19th St. and S Ashland Ave in Pilsen, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

“This time, there is much more concern. With the pandemic, we did not have the same opportunity to motivate people to vote, to campaign and that worries us. There is mistrust. People remember what happened in the last elections, and [those who can] don’t want to vote. We have to fight against the hopelessness,” she said.

Hernández also lives in distress. One of her daughters continues to be covered under DACA. “Every year they make us tremble. My family is divided,” she added, facing the possibility of the program being canceled and having to see her family separated.

“The concern is non-stop and even when you vote there is uncertainty, figuring out who is the good guy. The fact that we already know one of them [Trump] should be enough to make a decision, if we continue down the same path or take the risk of electing someone else,” she said.

‘Illegal or essential’

Voting, in addition to being an exercise of democracy, these elections will define the fate of 11 million undocumented immigrants.

“It is not only DACA, but all immigration policy,” said Jorge Mújica, an activist and community organizer with Arise Chicago.

“From border spending, to immigration restrictions, and policies that grant visas . . . there are like 23 aspects of immigration policy that are in trouble,” he added.

And in times of Covid-19, “We all know that most Latinos (and undocumented immigrants) are essential workers,” he said.

Contact tracers to expand outreach in Latino communities

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

Miguel Blancarte Jr., a Little Village resident and the site director at Community Organized Relief Effort’s (CORE) COVID-19 testing facility at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy in Little Village, poses for a portrait at the facility Friday afternoon, Sept. 4, 2020. The site offers free COVID-19 tests.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Yes, there’s no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 just yet. But medical experts still are offering a simple way to stop the spread of the virus that continues to disproportionately impact the Latino community:

If you get the virus, communicate with others.

“If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should be as open as possible about it; you may be ashamed to admit it, but at the same time, it will help save lives,” said Miguel Blancarte Jr., site manager of Saucedo Academy’s COVID-19 testing site and regional director of community engagement and health equity for the non-profit organization CORE.

The way lives can be saved now is through contact tracing, which consists of following up on people who test positive for the coronavirus, tracking the development of their cases and asking those people to remember with whom they had recent interactions. “This means people with whom the index patient was in close contact (within 6 feet) for more than 15 minutes, starting 48 hours before illness onset,” according to standard contact tracing guidelines.

Persons who test positive should inform everyone with whom they had close contact and also reach out to a medical professional or community organization that can connect them to a contact tracer. Even if they don’t have symptoms of COVID-19, they could still spread the virus to others.

A person conducts his own COVID-19 mouth swab test at Community Organized Relief Effort’s (CORE) COVID-19 testing facility at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy in Little Village Friday afternoon, Sept. 4, 2020. The site offers free COVID-19 tests.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The tracer then can arrange testing for people and can provide supportive services if they, too, test positive, including help with health care, housing and even financial issues that might arise from infected or sick people having to take time off work.

People will not be asked for their social security number or immigration status. “We do not share [your] information with the federal government or with anywhere outside of the public health system . . . but know that the people on the other end of the line will increasingly be from your communities, from your trusted healthcare [providers],” city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Monday.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Arwady announced a list of participating Latino community-based organizations who will assist with contact tracing. That list includes Instituto del Progreso Latino, Central States SER, The Resurrection Project, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council.

Contact tracing is vital when at the state and local level the Latino community that has, to date, the highest number of COVID-19 cases.

Chicago and state officials are overseeing the disbursement of taxpayer money to step up tracing efforts, but they have only made 100 job offers out of the 450 tracer positions they said the city would hire by mid-September.

The Illinois Department of Public Health provided nearly $300 million in grants to health departments to handle the recruitment and training of tracers with strong interpersonal and communication skills.

The Chicago Department of Public Health recently announced a $56 million grant to the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, which will lead the contact tracing effort citywide.

An outreach plan specifically for the Latino community involving multiple community groups is still being devised, Arwady said.

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.

This tracing plan, which will last for two years, will serve as a platform and model not “only for COVID-19,” she said. “There will be partnerships with City Colleges of Chicago to make sure there is a learning component and contact tracers in this program will have the ability to gain additional skills to become community health workers or provide support in clinics.”

The idea is to work with 31 community organizations that serve high-risk communities; those organizations will “generate much-needed jobs” by hiring and training tracers from the hardest-hit neighborhoods, Lightfoot said.

Arwady said she “acknowledges the need” to hire Spanish-speaking contact tracers and “CDPH has acquired Spanish-speakers. Five of our team leads, for example, are fully bilingual.”

The online application is available in Spanish, Polish, and Mandarin. Contact tracers and supervisors will earn $20 and $24 an hour, respectively.

CDPH is also allocating $14 million to external healthcare facilities to roll out their own contact tracing programs.

Esperanza Health Centers, one of the community clinics that serves Chicago’s Latino and mostly Mexican neighborhoods, such as Little Village, Brighton Park, Pilsen and Marquette Park, has taken steps to stay in contact with COVID-19 patients, educate them, and inform them about the virus.

Ted Hufstader, director of quality and transformation of practice for Esperanza, said that his organization is among those that has applied to be part of the city’s contract tracing and case investigation efforts.

“We know the Zip codes, we are in the communities; we have really invested in the response. When we start, we can make a big impact as community partners. And we want (the tracers) to be people from the community, offer them training, and see this as career development for people in the communities we serve,” he added.

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