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!

A Chat with Estrella Alamar of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago

On July 28th I sat down with the Founding President of the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC), Estrella Alamar, at her lovely home in Hyde Park (which also happens to be the current home of all of the society's treasures!). After touring her house and seeing all of the amazing pictures and artifacts of the Society, we went upstairs to her office to talk about what the FAHSC does, its core mission, and its relationship with the Alliance.

The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago strives to record, preserve, and provide exhibits of the Filipino American history in Chicago. It hopes to promote public interest in this history through education, which will ultimately lead to an appreciation and understanding of the Filipino heritage. Estrella says that the most rewarding part of her job as president of the society is her contact with the community and the city at large. She originally decided to start the FAHSC because she wanted to find out more about her heritage and develop her own identity as a Filipino American, born and raised in the United States. It began as a study of Filipino art history and blossomed into something much greater.

Estrella believes that it is important for her organization to be a part of the Chicago Cultural Alliance because the Alliance is ultimately able to create partnerships among various ethnic groups throughout Chicago. Through events such as Cultural Connections, the FAHSC is able to collaborate with other ethnic communities in order to teach others about the Filipino culture while simultaneously giving them the opportunity to experience and learn about other cultures in Chicago. The Alliance has also increased the FAHSC's funding opportunities, which Estrella describes as a "big plus" since it has allowed them to expand to areas they wouldn't have been able to beforehand. Being a part of the Alliance has provided the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago with so many opportunities and has helped further the society's mission of educating others on the Filipino heritage.

A Chat with Ramah Kudaimi of the Arab American Action Network

During our Alliance Family Day at the Brookfield Zoo, I sat down with Ramah Kudaimi of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) to discuss what her organization does, its core mission, and its relationship with the Alliance.

The AAAN is a non-profit, grassroots, community-based organization working to improve the social, economic, and political conditions of Arab immigrants and Arab-Americans in the Chicago metropolitan area. Ramah explains that the AAAN works to serve the Arab American community in order to strengthen them so that the members will in turn serve others. Its strategies include community organizing, advocacy, education, providing social services, leadership development, cultural outreach, and forging productive relationships with other communities. Ramah includes that the most rewarding part of her job is that she is able to meet a lot of people both from her community and others and to talk about her own culture while learning about the cultures of others. She loves that she is able to meet her community face to face and therefore get know everyone on a very personal basis.

Ramah believes that belonging to the Chicago Cultural Alliance is important for the AAAN because it helps present a true face of the many diverse communities throughout Chicago. There are many misconceptions about the Arab-American community and the Alliance ultimately helps to overcome these stereotypes and prejudices. The Alliance also has helped the AAAN to build relationships with other communities, which makes it easier to plan cross-cultural events and to bounce ideas off of one another in order to create successful, new events.

As the world becomes more globalized, Ramah points out the importance of an organization like the Chicago Cultural Alliance whose mission is "effecting social change and public understanding of cultural diversity" and introduces people to the many different cultures of the world that are represented here in Chicago. Through events such as the Alliance Day at the Zoo, Ramah is able to expose people to her exciting culture in a very creative fashion. The AAAN's booth was a favorite at the Zoo--children and adults alike were able to get their names printed or tattooed to themselves in Arabic! The AAAN also provided a Dabke (foot-stepping) performance to celebrate the Zoo's 75th birthday a week before! The AAAN is such an exciting organization and one that has and will continue to improve the lives of Arab immigrants and Arab Americans in Chicago.

A chat with Bryant Kim of the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center

On July 14th I sat down with Bryant Kim, Cultural Programming Director of the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC), at their Youth and Culture Office. After my tour of the office, Bryant began to tell me all about what the KRCC does, its mission, and its relationship with the Alliance. Bryant explains that the KRCC's mission is to empower the Korean American community through education, social service, organizing/advocacy, and culture. Bryant believes that every single community member has the ability to contribute and the KRCC offers them the perfect outlet to do so.

The KRCC places a great deal of emphasis on youth development, which Bryant believes is necessary in order to nurture the future leaders of our world. The Center's Youth Empowerment Program strives to help youth develop public speaking, critical thinking and community organizing skills in order to foster sense of community and to promote youth leadership with the focus of cultivating the next generation community advocates. Members of the Center's Youth Council, Fighting Youth Shouting Out for Humanity (FYSH), choose a different issue each year and then plan and organize around it to educate the community and gain support for the cause while After School Matters and Community Development Block Grant provide a safe space for young people and allows any high school students residing in the city to take different classes free of cost all year round. This summer there is even a group of youth interns busy helping out at the KRCC!

In addition to its strong youth development programs, the KRCC offers programs for other members of the community including the New American Initiative, which assists community members in gaining citizenship, and the Workplace Justice Campaign, which provides education for small business owners and employees. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are also offered to the community.

Being a part of the Chicago Cultural Alliance has ultimately given the KRCC the opportunity to organize with other communities of Chicago as a collective body. Through programming such as Cultural Connections with the Field Museum, the KRCC has been able to come together with Chicago's other communities to create continued dialogue. It is this continued dialogue, according to Bryant, that ultimately leads to social change.

The Korean American Resource and Cultural Center is an exciting place to be--be it to take a poongmal (Korean drumming) class or just have a comfortable space to hang out--the KRCC has so much to offer!

Alliance Family Day at the Brookfield Zoo

On Saturday, July 11th the Chicago Cultural Alliance teamed up with the Brookfield Zoo for the second time this summer to celebrate Family Day at the Zoo. With the weather much nicer this time (no rain in sight!) core members were able to enjoy a beautiful day at the zoo while simultaneously being able to experience the fun cultural games, activities, and performances taking place at the Carousel Plaza.

The Highland Dancers of the Illinois St. Andrew Society started off the morning with exciting dances that all were able to enjoy. They even gave lessons to those who were interested!. Their beautiful and colorful costumes (along with their mascot--Bennie the Car) attracted people from all over the zoo for the show. Later in the day, the Plaza was packed yet again as the Swahili Institute of Chicago presented a N'goma drumming performance.

In addition to the performances, visitors were able to learn about the Chicago Cultural Alliance and some of its Core Member organizations by visiting booths set up throughout the Plaza. While the Alliance had its flag and language matching games to test visitors' knowledge of Chicago's ethnic communities, passersby were also able to get their names written in Arabic or tattooed at the Arab American Action Network's booth and to play the Brazilian traditional strategic game "Jaguar and Dogs" against a member of the Brazilian Cultural Center of Chicago at their booth.

Overall, it was a great, fun day for all! We hope you can join us next year!

'Talking About Im/migration' - Swedish Dialogue

This Saturday the Swedish American Museum hosted the second dialogue in the ‘Talking About Im/migration’ series. The session was held in the Museum’s first floor gallery, against the colorful backdrop of Swedish-American artist Peter Åström’s ‘Roundtrip: New York – Gotland’ exhibition, where coffee and Swedish cake were served before an interesting and engaging discussion. The participants included both Swedish citizens living in Chicago and Americans whose families migrated from Sweden many generations ago, who shared fascinating stories and discussed what Swedish culture and identity mean to them.

A chat with John Low of the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (MMAI) is one of the 25 core members of the Chicago Cultural Alliance. John Low, the Executive Director of the museum, has described what the MMAI does, its core mission, and its relationship to the Alliance.

1. How would you describe the purpose or goals of your organization (in a few sentences)?

The Mitchell Museum's mission is to promote and share a deeper understanding of Native American Indian peoples through the collection, preservation and interpretation of traditional and contemporary art and material culture. The Museum offers an opportunity to discover, experience and connect with Indigenous peoples and their histories, cultures and communities.

2. How does your organization contribute, or in what way is it an asset, to the city of Chicago?

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian is the only museum in the Chicago-area that focuses exclusively on the history, culture and arts of the Native people of North America. Our general purpose is to promote and share a deeper understanding of Native American peoples through the collection, preservation and interpretation of their traditional and contemporary art and material culture. Here we celebrate Indigenous lives and communities and dispel stereotypes and misinformation. We also promote the public's understanding of cultural diversity through first voice perspectives. The Museum serves as a resource for residents of the greater Chicago area, for Native peoples, and for researchers/scholars and students from other educational and cultural institutions. The Museum is dedicated to working collaboratively and respectfully with each of these constituencies in all of its activities including collections care, exhibitions, guided tours, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, loan programs and docent training.

3. What is the most exciting part of your position at your organization?

I have a great sense of humility and responsibility for the fact that I am the first American Indian to be the Executive Director of the MMAI. I am happy for the opportunity to lead an institution dedicated to the histories, cultures and lives of the Nation's First Peoples. We have three core themes here at the Museum - Discover, Experience & Connect. Our programming, exhibits, tours, activities and space are dedicated to these themes. As Executive Director, I feel like I am the “captain of a ship” – my role is to make our guests' experiences here exciting and meaningful. I love every day here because every day is different and every guest is special.

4. What drew you to your organization?

I am Pokagon Band Potawatomi Indian, grew up in Michigan, practiced law as a tribal attorney, received a second BA in American Indian studies from the University of Minnesota, an MA from the University of Chicago, and am finishing my Ph.D. in American Culture at the University of Michigan. While at the University of Michigan, I also earned a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. I previously served on the Advisory Committee for the Mitchell Museum and as a curatorial assistant here prior to pursuing my Ph.D. Being very familiar with the resources and good work of the museum - and feeling a responsibility to see to the best management of a museum representing American Indian peoples - it was an easy choice for me to come here.

5. How has your work at this institution broadened your understanding of issue x (taken from their mission statement, etc.)?

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian was founded in 1977 through a gift to Kendall College of approximately 3000 Native American objects by John M. and Betty Seabury Mitchell. Since that time the collection has grown through gifts and purchases to include more than 10,000 objects. In 1997 the Museum moved from the Kendall College campus to a free-standing building where it has been able to greatly expand its exhibitions and public programming. In 2007, after Kendall College moved to the Chicago near northside, the Mitchell Museum became an independent, non-profit institution. Since coming to the Museum, I have learned how important and exciting it is to expand our audiences, build our membership and donor base, and increase our visibility and relevancy as a community resource.

6. Why do you think it is important for your organization to be part of the Chicago Cultural Alliance?

The Chicago Cultural Alliance allows us here at the Mitchell Museum to effectively network and collaborate with other cultural and ethnic museums and cultural centers in the area and to collaborate in educational, resource allocation, fundraising and other programming.

7. How has the Alliance expanded your opportunities (i.e. funding, relationship-building, etc.)?

Staff here at the Mitchell Museum regularly participate in training, we share information and ideas about what is working - and not working - regarding many of the important issues facing the museums like ourselves, and we look to the CCA as a clearinghouse of information and a source of information and inspiration for the myriad of projects we promote and participate.

8. How do you understand the Alliance's mission of "effect[ing] social change and public understanding of cultural diversity?" What is the significance of this mission to your organization?

The Mitchell Museum's mission is to promote and share a deeper understanding of Native American Indian peoples through the collection, preservation and interpretation of traditional and contemporary art and material culture. The MMAI works every day to promote respect and understanding. We are a museum, not just about American Indians or the American Indian experience, but about all Americans and the American experience. When guests, young and old, learn something know about someone else, and when guests find new reasons to respect others, they find reasons to also have greater self-respect. The mission of the CCA nicely compliments and supports the mission of our museum.