This Thursday while I was at City Hall advocating for raising the minimum wage for all workers, I received two videos from my staff — literally minutes apart. The first was from our Senior Monday this past week, where elders spent time with their families enjoying a cup of coffee and a panecito while painting calaveritas, hosted by the Chicago Public Library. The second video was happening in real time — ICE agents jumped out and forcibly kidnapped a young man on his bicycle,... with no warrant, simply for “looking undocumented.”
I couldn’t help but think about the juxtaposition of these two events just feet from each other.
While our fascist President wants to paint Chicago and immigrants as dangerous in order to cover up his own administration’s criminal activity, it’s us — the community — who do the hard, long work of building peace. While we fight to create safe spaces, they send in federal police to terrorize us. While they defund education and programs that make our neighborhoods stronger, they go on TV to blame “the others.”
But even in the face of hate and fear, we keep showing up. We keep loving, organizing, creating, and fighting for each other. Because no matter how much they try to divide or destroy, our community is stronger, more resilient, and more united than their fear will ever be.
We got this fam. Stay strong. ✊🏽