A recent New York Times article reported that when educators think about education in the 21st century they think about its global dimensions. For some this means a renewed interest in the internationalizing of curricular offerings and study abroad. Global cities around the world have become ideal 21st-century classrooms. For Illinois State University students, traveling to a 21st century classroom is not an expensive proposition. Two hours from Illinois State is a first-rate global city—Chicago—where students can observe firsthand, the way that diverse cultures continue to shape U.S. society.
On November 6, a small delegation of Women’s and Gender Studies 391 students spent the day looking at Chicago through the lens of community development and immigration struggles. Chicago is frequently depicted as a black-white city, but since the early decades of the 20th century, a significant number of immigrants from the Mexico and Puerto Rico have called Chicago home. Today, Chicago represents an important chapter of the current immigrant struggle to secure immigrant rights and immigration reform.
Our class started at Cafe Efebina’s where students met with University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Lorena Garcia. She is the author of Respect Yourself, Protect Yourself: Latina Girls and Sexual Identity (2012, New York University Press), one of the texts students read in class. Over a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, students asked Garcia about her current research.
“Chatting with Professor Garcia made me realize where I am in my academic career and it helped me realize what is gained from talking with colleagues in other disciplines,” said Mariaton White, a social work student. “Also, she was so down-to-earth and had great insight into teens and their sexuality.”
“I really enjoyed being able to meet and speak with the author of the book we read in person,” said Mary Kate Duffy, a women’s and gender studies graduate student. “I can picture Garcia doing the interviews, and the fact that she interviewed people who live in the areas we visited makes the material even more tangible.”
“I feel as though everything we have been studying was at once reinforced and more deeply understood. It was an experience I will never forget and am incredibly thankful for!”
The next stop was the National Museum of Mexican Art, where students saw three exhibits: The Day of the Dead exhibit; Rodrigio Lara Zendejas’ Deportable Aliens, a small installation focusing on the unjust deportation of Mexican immigrants under Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt; and, Errol Ortiz’s De vuelta. It was sociology major Alicia Ramos’ first visit: “It was great way to experience my culture in a new light. It was the best part of the trip. “
The next stop was Nellies restaurant in the heart of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. Students tried a local Puerto Rican culinary invention, “a jibarito,” while talking with local immigrant rights activist Elvira Arellano. They had read about her life story in an article that Illinois State Professor Maura Toro-Morn authored.
After lunch, the class went on a community tour led by activist and poet Eduardo Arocho, a member of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Arocho walked students along Paseo Boricua, the heart of the Puerto Rican community, stopping to view murals and highlighting important moments in the history of the community. “Walking through the Paseo Boricua community and exploring the murals gave me a sense of the community and its rich history,” White said.
“For me, the highlight of the trip was definitely getting a chance to interact with scholars and activists we have been studying,” said Chloe Kasper, a public relations major and Latino studies minor. “After communicating face to face with them, I feel as though everything we have been studying was at once reinforced and more deeply understood. It was an experience I will never forget and am incredibly thankful for!”
