Aquí en Chicago
¡Saludos!
The Chicago History Museum (CHM) is working on a project called Aquí en Chicago. Latine folks make up nearly a third of the population of Chicago. Even the term “Latino” became popular through Mexicans and Puerto Ricans collaborating in Chicago. No matter who you are or where in the metro area you live, odds are that the Chicago you know bears the stamp of Latine history or presence.
Background
Rudy Lozano Student Protest
In 2019, when high school students from Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy (Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy) protested CHM for our lack of Latine representation, they inspired us to learn more and do better to inclusively, respectfully, and consistently preserve and present the Latine histories of Chicago
Learn MoreResistance takes many forms, ranging from protest to linguistic and cultural maintenance. This broad concept of resistance includes building thriving communities.
Aquí includes:
- An exhibition opening in fall 2025
- Paid research internships
- An oral history project
- A series of workshops around the city about collecting and preserving cultural heritage
- Growing in-house educational initiatives to support the development of strong allies among the board, staff, volunteers, and members of CHM
The project and resulting exhibition celebrates the historically persistent cultural presence of Latine communities in Chicago–from creating thriving Latine communities to proud displays of cultural heritage, to public actions to abolish white supremacy. Throughout the exhibition development, the Chicago History Museum is actively collaborating with community organizations to understand and highlight the intersectionality, beyond country of heritage, of Latine Chicago.
On this site, you’ll find ways to connect to all our work and a guide to how you can be involved! Follow along here as the project evolves.
Sinceramente,
Charles E. Bethea, Andrew W. Mellon Director of Curatorial Affairs
Elena Gonzales, Curator of Civic Engagement & Social Justice (she/her/ella)
Rebekah Coffman, Curator of Religion and Community History
Jojo Galván, Curatorial Assistant
Ongoing Research
Aquí en Chicago has been years in the making. Read more about how the project has developed and the researchers involved in our blog posts.
Be Part of the Exhibition
A Digital Communities’ Scrapbook will appear in the exhibition where visitors can not only view images from CHM’s collection but also share their own! In this way, you can add your memories to a larger story of the people, places, and events that form Chicago’s Latine history.
Community Collections Workshops
CHM is cohosting several community collections workshops with local partners. These free bilingual workshops share best practices for preserving personal photographs, negatives, documents, textiles, oral histories, and digital materials. They are also a space to discuss how CHM can best help preserve Latine and local histories.
Does your organization want to host a collections workshop? Please contact Elena Gonzales at Gonzales@chicagohistory.org
Internships
CHM Internships
CHM interns have been contributing research for Aquí en Chicago, focusing on Latine histories. This research will serve several purposes, aiding in the production of accessible online blog posts in support of public history and learning, informing Aquí en Chicago exhibition content, and providing resource materials in support of CHM’s Chicago Learning Collaborative classroom engagement program.
CHM Interns at Work
Community Advisory Committee and Community Awareness Council
These groups are made up of Aquí en Chicago supporters, who will help us remain aware of communities within the Latine population of Chicago(land).
Our goals are to:
- Build relationships among and across Chicago’s many different Latine communities
- Bring as many voices to the table at CHM as possible
- Network through this group
- Learn of ways in which the Museum can serve diverse Latine communities
How to Get Involved
How to Get Involved
SUPPORT OUR WORK
We cannot do this work without you!
Consider making a donation to support Aquí en Chicago.
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Funders
