Sitting down with Carlos Arango of Casa Aztlán

I recently sat down with Carlos Arango of Casa Aztlán at his office. From the moment I began speaking with Carlos, it became evident that he enjoyed the interactions with community members that his position allows. Several times during our meeting, you could hear young children—at Casa Aztlán for one of its many summer activities for kids—calling for ‘Carlos!’ It is a testament to the multiple generations impacted by the Alliance’s Core Members.

Casa Aztlán combines art programming and social services offerings for Mexican Americans in Chicago. Being situated in its current location on S. Racine for over thirty years, Casa Aztlán’s immediate vicinity has certainly had time to undergo great amounts demographic change. The area, however, is still predominantly inhabited by Mexican American immigrants. This community, then, geographically is situated well to take advantage of Casa Aztlán’s social service offerings—including ESOL and citizenship classes and pro bono legal consultations.

In addition to these programs, Casa Aztlán gives the Mexican American population to enjoy and experience the arts. Children in one of the organization’s many after-school and summer programs are exposed to tools of media communication and development. For example, one class of students developed their own radio program while learning technological, writing, and speaking skills.

It’s not just with the day-to-day programming that Casa Aztlán organizes artistic endeavors. Each year around Christmastime, Mexican Americans come together with the help of Casa Aztlán for a night of caroling and festive cheer throughout their neighborhood.

All of these events contribute to a lively and exciting atmosphere, one which Carlos Arango does his best to cultivate. We look forward to many more interesting developments at Casa Aztlán!