Heidy Goercke’s grandfather was a merchant in Ecuador and her mother had a jewelry store in Germany. So it’s no surprise that she would follow in her family’s footsteps by opening up her own business in Chicago.

Her boutique, the “Zaraz Collection,” in Wicker Park has neatly decorated tables and displays of silver and fashion jewelry, tote bags, clutches, sun glasses, hats and scarves.The boutique’s décor is made up of frames creatively sustaining purses and necklaces on the walls.

Goercke describes her boutique as “simple and elegant” and what makes it different from other boutiques, she said, is that they tailor towards the customer’s needs.

“My mom is very skillful. A lot of merchandise she recreates. For example, some people don’t have their ears pierced so she adds a clip to the long earrings or if we buy an accessory she adds or takes stuff from it to make it look better,” Goercke said.

”Heidi is a great business woman and she always goes above and beyond to please her customers,” said Toni Pullen, a customer at Zaraz Collection of almost two years. Pullen said she has made comparisons at other boutiques and has determined that Goercke’s pieces are unique and affordable.

What also makes Zaraz unique, Goercke said, is her Hispanic and European culture. She said her culture has influenced, to a certain extent, the type of accessories they choose and how she interacts with customers.

Goercke was born in Cuenca, Ecuador to an Ecuadorian mother and half Ecuadorian and German father, but she was mostly raised in Munich, Germany. She said the boutique was named after her mother Sara and opened in December 2009.

“My brother Johannes really liked my mom’s name Sara therefore, we decided to call it Saras but he thought it sounded boring so we named it Zaraz,” Goercke said. Zaraz emerged years after a trip Goercke made to Chicago in 2002 to visit her brothers. Goercke said that trip brought her unexpected opportunities that made her decide to live here.

She said her brothers were business owners and offered her a position as manager of approximately seven accessory stores. Goercke said she also fell in love with the man who is now her husband, Roland.

But in 2009, Goercke said, her brothers decided to sell almost all their stores to move back to Ecuador and that’s when she decided to open her own boutique.

According to Goercke, her store exhibits two different styles of accessories: one that reflects her mother’s style and one that reflects hers.

“My mom likes accessories to be more colorful and things [accessories] that are made of wood, leather, or that look indigenous. I like more modern and slick looks,” Goercke said.

“But I’m warm with customers and I think that comes from the Hispanic side,” Goercke said. So Goercke and her mother have given Zaraz a Hispanic touch in their own way.

Goercke also said she is aware of the current economic situation and that people are currently more cautious about what they spend but she still wanted to open her boutique.

“I am really enjoying this [being the owner of the boutique] because it’s been challenging. The rent in this neighborhood is not cheap. If the economy was better we would be doing even better but we are doing well,” Goercke said.

“If you have a good product for a good price, not necessarily cheap, but good quality, people will buy it. With accessories you can do a lot of things and not always have to buy a new item of clothing” she said.

Griselda Lopez, Goercke’s friend of almost 10 years, said Zaraz has accessories for people of all ages and they have a variety of prices.

“They have high-end stuff and cheap stuff. And, if you’re running around and want something quick then you can find something inexpensive,” Lopez said.

Lopez also said Goercke has a good attitude and personality which is good for her business. She said Goercke has been a great friend and has pushed or steered her in the right direction when she has limited herself in her career as a make-up artist.

“If it wasn’t for Heidy introducing me to some people I would probably not be doing make-up now,” Lopez said.

Goercke said if you follow your heart and are willing to accept new opportunities and challenges you can accomplish your goals and be happy.

UPDATE:

“Zaraz Collection” will be closing at its current location on January 31st, but Goercke said she will continue to sell accessories at her kiosk store “Iguana” at Orland Square Mall. Goercke said she is expecting her second child and would likely experience a time constraint maintaining two businesses and a family. Since there has also been a raise in rent, Goercke said that if she finds an ideal location, she’ll open Zaraz again.

Goercke will continue to sell accessories at her kiosk store “Iguana” at 1000 Orland Square Drive in Orland Square Mall.

Maria, 42 and Esmeralda, 35 are both undocumented women facing mental health challenges.

Maria has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression. She has been hospitalized four times as a result of suicide attempts and post-partum depression. She is currently receiving treatment for herself and previously sought help for her family to deal with the upheavals of her illness.

Esmeralda was recently diagnosed with lupus and she is also facing a serious bout of depression.  Her inability to find work is affecting her sense of self worth and while she is medically addressing the physical effects of lupus, she feels resources to help her with her mental health issues are difficult to find.

“When I started to get sick, the depression came from not being able to dance because my feet hurt too much,” she said. “You learn to live with that, but it’s not fair that because you don’t have papers, you live with depression.”

Their last names have been withheld to protect them and their families from discrimination and legal complications they may face as a result of revealing their status and illness.

Mental health worsened by fear

Maria’s schizophrenia creates a debilitating fear of people that she contends with daily and which has been worsened by fears over her immigration status. Her fears initially kept her from seeking treatment earlier.

“When I got here, I didn’t look for help from anyone for anything, not even for my daughters. People would say that immigration was coming, that they were going to take me,” she said.

She reports having felt intense anxiety at the thought of leaving her children alone after an immigration raid at the bakery where she worked in the early 1990’s. Her shift had just ended and she was not arrested, but she said the terror she felt has never left her.

After the raid, Maria said she would regularly cry before going to work. Her worries over what would happen to her children if she were taken away kept her from sleeping and caused her to have nightmares about immigration.

Maria’s first depression symptoms started in Mexico, where she said the stigma against mental illness meant that her actions were seen as stemming from a character flaw rather than as symptoms of a disorder.  She came to the United States in 1989 thinking that it would help her escape depression, but instead, it got worse.

Isolated from the family she left in Mexico, including a 3-year-old son she saw as her reason for fighting her illness, she said she began to create “things that weren’t there.”

Although Maria was briefly hospitalized for post-partum depression, it wasn’t until her daughters started having problems of their own that she seriously began to get treatment.

While Maria presented with symptoms of schizophrenia before her arrival from Mexico, Esmeralda believes her symptoms only developed over the course of her 14 years in the United States.

This is not uncommon according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, (NAMI). The organization stated there “are higher rates of mental illness among U.S. born and long-term residents than in newly arrived Latino immigrants.”

Furthermore, NAMI concluded “that long-term residence in the United States significantly increased rates in mental disorders.”

“Mental illness, if it goes untreated, doesn’t get better by itself,” said Dr. Nayeli Chavez of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, home of the Center for Latino Mental Health.

It can lead to further impairment and have a negative impact on the family. “When Latina women are not well, the family is not well,” Dr. Chavez said.

The fear undocumented women live with also affects their children, Dr. Chavez said. She said that in her work with the children of undocumented parents, she sees many kids who live in constant fear that “even though they were born in this country and they are U.S. citizens…their parents may be deported.”

Social Stigma surrounding depression

Esmeralda left Mexico with her daughter after divorcing an abusive husband and came to the United States looking to make progress in her life. After getting her G.E.D. and successfully working in sales for a few years, she said she is at a point in her life where she has the skills and experience to get a good job, but is unable to because of her immigration status.

“It’s frustrating, that moment when you say to yourself, ‘Why do they treat me as less because of a paper? I’ve already overcome so many things. I’ve worked so hard. I’m a single mother, I take care of my own costs,” she said.

Esmeralda’s daughter is also undocumented and telling her about her immigration status has been another hardship. Esmeralda said she is determined to make sure that her daughter will have a better future. She said that although she may face injustice and be discriminated against, she doesn’t want to give up.

“I want to be in this country that has given me opportunity. I want to be in this country because this is what my daughter knows. She thinks of it as her country, even if she doesn’t have papers,” she said.

Esmeralda said that many immigrants who come to the United States already bear the burden of leaving behind their family and way of life. She said she feels that the challenges they face, like discrimination of status or race, serve to make that burden heavier.

Still, she reports having felt angry and saddened by the most recent incident of racism she dealt with in the waiting room at her doctor’s office. She said a woman was screaming, that “because of so many Mexicans there, she couldn’t get in earlier.” It upset Esmeralda that although there were many different people in the waiting room, the woman was targeting Mexicans.

The Road to Recovery

Maria and Esmeralda say that a greater availability of mental health resources would help them better their situation, in addition to immigration reform.

Maria is taking regular medication and attending programs at Mujeres Latinas en Acción, which has helped her build a support network. “I’ve never been a burden, I’ve paid for my own insurance…If people like me could get help and be treated like human beings, everything would be so much easier,” she said.

Esmeralda said she plans to seek help for her depression, although she realizes it may be challenging because of financial reasons. Her advice to undocumented women facing mental illness is to remember that if “we’ve already left half our lives wherever we’re from, so that we can make progress in this country, we have to keep going…Know that you can do it. I know I can.”

This story was reported by Latina-Voices.com in partnership with Mujeres Latinas en Accion mujereslatinasenaccion.org. They received a Local Reporting Award from Community News Matters, a program of The Chicago Community Trust.

Tatiana Mendez

Christmas Eve morning 2009, Giovanna Mendez received the phone call no parent should ever receive. Repeated unanswered calls made from her daughter Tatiana’s cell phone and one missed call from the police department caused Giovanna to panic. When the police arrived to Giovanna’s home, she learned her only daughter hanged herself in the middle of the night.

“You would never know she had depression. She’d keep things to herself,” Giovanna explained. “She had a lot of dreams; she was a good daughter.”

Tatiana, 20, was smart, determined and focused. She was in a romantic relationship her parents found troubling. After moving out with her boyfriend, she moved home for a time but then went back to him.

Tatiana left a suicide note apologizing to her family and asking that they take care of her niece, whom she adored.

Tatiana’s death is only part of a growing national crisis: 11 percent of young Latinas ages 13-21 across nationwide admitted a suicide attempt according to a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disparities between Latina teens attempting suicide and their peers is startling: the CDC reported in 2009 that nearly 15 percent of Latina teens surveyed had attempted suicide the year before compared to 10 percent of all high school girls.

The idea of Latina teen suicide is perplexing to many because Latino families are known for their close ties and cohesiveness, two known deterrents of teen suicide. But suicide attempts by Latina teens are increasing.

However, the number of Latinas who die by suicide is very small said Samantha Gray, epidemiologist with Cook County Department of Public Health. Gray notes there were fewer than five suicides among Latinas aged 13 to 19 since 2000 in suburban Cook County. But one in six Latina teens have considered attempting suicide, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for Suburban Cook County in 2010. The survey was completed by 1,718 students in 20 public high schools during the fall of 2010.

Bi-Cultural Effect

What is happening to these young women? Some experts point to the culture shock experienced from immigrant Latina teens trying to fit in. There is a disconnect between some immigrant mothers and their U.S. born daughters on how to adapt to American culture while still retaining root cultural values, experts said.

While it is often not just a singular issue that may be troubling teens, the struggle over ethnic identity can be particularly challenging for Latina teens, said Dr. Virginia Quiñonez, faculty chair of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

“There’s a conflict between ‘I want to be independent and I want to be interdependent; I want to feel comfortable in the safety by my family,’” Quiñonez said. “And that is not supported in their peer groups.”

Latinas face the pull to be close to family and strike out on their own, Quiñonez said.

“What it means to be a woman in this country may be different than what they bring as Latinas,” Quiñonez said. “If one parent or both are not available, it makes it that much more of a critical issue.”

Cultural Stigma

Other experts cite a taboo against counseling in immigrant Latino communities is preventing many troubled teens and stressed parents from getting the help they need.

For many teens, it is comfortable to talk about mental health issues but not with their parents, said Mayra Chacon, coordinator of Latino Mental Health Providers Network, which offers support to area mental health providers.

Chacon ran focus groups with teenagers and young adults 14-21 to discuss their thoughts about the mental health system.

“A girl who recently attempted suicide said, ‘Even when I was in the bed and the hospital and I was trying to explain to my mom and dad why, they would not listen,’ ” Chacon said.

The stigma in Latino culture against therapy runs deeps, Chacon said.

“[Teens have] heard it at home from their family, ‘You’re going to a counselor? Estás loco.’ Kids born and raised here in Chicago, but what they heard from their parents impacted them,” Chacon said.

Surviving a Suicide

There is no simple explanation for why her daughter committed suicide.

“They look like they don’t have problems at all,” Giovanna said wiping her tears. “It’s hard to see those signs especially when that person is smiling and not complaining.”

Giovanna’s faith in God has carried her through such a devastating loss.

“I gave myself to God. I was going to church every single day,” Giovanna said tearfully.

Giovanna also started attending support groups for survivors of suicide.

“It’s what keeps me strong; I have met beautiful, wonderful people who have given so much support,” Giovanna said. “But I’ve met a lot of women who don’t want to go through that [counseling]. They don’t go on with their lives.”

Photos of Tatiana, a beautiful young woman with long, brown hair and constant smile, are scattered all over their living room.

“I know that through talking [about her], I feel closer to her,” Giovanna said solemnly. “I just pray every day for her. I light a candle for her every day.”

This story was reported by Latina-Voices.com in partnership with Mujeres Latinas en Accion mujereslatinasenaccion.org. They received a Local Reporting Award from Community News Matters, a program of The Chicago Community Trust. This article also was published at Extra bilingual newspaper.

Christiane "Cyborg" Santos

Both tough in the ring and during interviews this 25-year-old Latina is currently ranked by the Unified Women’s MMA Rankings as the #1 female fighter of the world.  Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, born in Curibita, Brazil was discovered during one of her handball matches while still in high-school.  She was invited to a trial Muay Tai class and according to her translator, “is where fell in love.”

After falling in love, she began to train at Chute Boxe gym and was introduced to mixed martial arts.  Just four months after joining, Santos competed in her first MMA match and decided that “this was what she wanted to do.” Since then, Santos has won three World MMA Awards including the title of Strikeforce Women’s Middleweight Champion in 2009.

When Latina Voices was finally able conduct  a phone interview with Santos, the first words out of her translator’s mouth were, “Let’s get started…we have ten interviews lined up and we can only give you 10 minutes.” Ding! The pressure was on.  Using my speed against her excellent striking and aggressive nature, I threw as many questions as I could within my given time frame.

Q: Which fighter-man or woman- do you look up to?

A: Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko; he is a Russian Heavyweight mixed martial artist.

Q: At what age did you decide that fighting is what you wanted to do and why?

A: “She decided at the age of 19 that this is what he wanted to do,” her translator replied.  ”Cristiane was always competitive and aggressive,” her translator explained.  “Because fighting is an individual sport and she likes to rely on herself she felt that this was right for her.”

Q: You have chosen a non-traditional career especially within the Latin community, how did your family feel about this?

A: “Cristane did not tell her family that she started fighting until she started making money… her mother didn’t even believe that handball was something that her daughter could make any money in.  She started supporting her when she realized that her daughter was made for fighting.”

With a near perfect record, her only loss against Erica Paes in 2005; Santos has proven that fighting is for her. Although she could not confirm when her next fight was during the time of our interview she did tell us that she plans to continue to be heavily involved and get more women into fighting.

Talks about Cristiane becoming a part of the Word Wrestling Entertainment have been rumored but nothing has been confirmed. Santos is still under contract with Strikeforce and is currently residing in California with husband Evangelista Santos who also happens to be an MMA fighter.

Natalia Avilez is a writer based in Chicago.

If you’ve been working out to slim down and win the heart of some galán, then you’ve been doing it for the wrong reasons. If you are the kind of girl that needs a goal to hit the gym or the yoga mat, then working out to get yourself in shape for your own heart is the best of all reasons.

Don’t believe me? Let’s ask an expert.

On top of being an expert in cardiovascular health,

Dr. Cristina Rabadán-Diehl

Dr.-Cristina-Rabadán-DiehlT.jpg, Ph.D., M.P.H. is also the deputy director of the Office of Global Health for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health. As a spokesperson for The Heart Truth, a campaign to raise awareness for women about heart disease,  she has to wake us up with some scary statistics. The first of which is that while many women think breast cancer is the biggest risk to women’s health “almost eight times more women die of heart disease than breast cancer.”

As you’re reading this article, you may be thinking to yourself that you’re too young to worry about heart disease or that it’s something that affects more men than women. According to Dr. Rabadán-Diehl, the notion that heart disease is a bigger problem for men is a myth that most likely arose because studies on heart disease were done primarily in men earlier. But for women, she assures us, the risk factors are the same. As for being too young, Dr. Rabadán-Diehl reports that 35 percent of U.S. women on the whole ages 20 and over are obese.

The prevalence of risk factors increases if you are a young Latina.

Current statistics focus on Mexican-American women, but the NHLBI is currently conducting an in depth study of heart disease risks of Latinos in the U.S. which focuses on the role of cultural adaptation and encompasses various nationalities. Still, the statistics for Mexican-American women are shocking.

According to Dr. Rabadán-Diehl among Mexican-American women ages 20 and older, 75 percent are overweight, 25 percent have hypertension, 45 percent have high cholesterol, and 13 percent have diabetes. Furthermore, among Hispanic women, 52 percent are physically inactive. All of these are factors that signal an increased risk of heart disease, she said.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that heart disease can be avoided. The Heart Truth campaign is in essence an empowerment campaign for women.

“We often put ourselves at the bottom of our priority list. We have to realize our health is very important and heart disease can be prevented,” says Dr. Rabadán-Diehl.

Her major recommendations for decreasing your risk of heart disease are a balanced diet and an increase in the level of activity. At minimum, she suggests getting off the bus stop earlier or parking your car further so that you walk more.

With regards to nutrition, Dr. Rabadán-Diehl realizes that the recession may be limiting access to fresh fruits and vegetables. She suggests frozen alternatives that are healthier than canned and encourages us to look at saturated fats and salt contents. Furthermore, she assures us that the idea that fast food restaurants are cheaper than a grocery store is a misconception. For heart healthy meals, she urges a decrease in the consumption of pre-prepared meals because they have a lot of preservatives and are high in fats.

Maybe you’re thinking that all of the above is great advice, but you just don’t have the time to take these steps. That is not uncommon. Dr. Rabadán-Diehl says that one-third of women still underestimate the threat of heart disease and cite barriers like “family demands, caregiving, not enough money, and lack of insurance.”

All things considered, NOT taking care of yourself and ending up sick will be worse for you and your family in the long run, she said. To this effect, Dr. Rabadán-Diehl points out that taking care of our health is “the way we can ensure that we can be there” for our loved ones.

If you still find that it’s difficult to motivate yourself to improve your health, perhaps you can use the caretaking, family oriented nature that’s often built into our Latina psyches to your heart healthy advantage. Raising awareness of heart disease can become a family event, including motivating one another to prepare healthier meals and exercise regularly.

For the little ones, Dr. Rabadán-Diehl says that it is important to “start prevention from childhood.” And if your old school relatives are reluctant to give up their culturally rich and fatty foods like chicharrones, don’t despair. Dr. Rabadán-Diehl suggests that you “don’t dismiss their heritage. Enrich their knowledge instead.” You can download Spanish language pamphlets about heart disease from the NHLBI website.

But don’t go overboard stressing out about your health either—stress is one of the contributing factors that increase your risks of heart disease. It is important to attempt to reduce your overall stress level, but if you can’t eliminate all stress factors, you can try to work on how you perceive and internalize those stresses. Dr. Rabadán-Diehl recommends finding ways and time to unwind. Why not take a relaxing (and hearth healthy) walk to relax?

But what if you or a loved one have already developed heart disease? Dr. Rabadán-Diehl emphasizes the importance of keeping in close communication with your healthcare physicians and maintaining the same health patterns prescribed for preventing heart disease. She also points out the importance of continuing to take medication given to control risk factors even if you start to feel better.

If side effects resulting from medication are difficult to deal with, she reminds us that it is important for you and your provider to discuss problems to find alternative health solutions.

As a last piece of wisdom, Dr. Rabadán-Diehl reminds us that “every woman must take her risk for heart disease very personally and very seriously.”

Empowering yourself and your loved ones to recognize the importance of cardiac health starts with becoming aware of your risk factors and how to eliminate them. It’s your job to make sure that you take advice about cardiac health to heart.

Jennifer Patiño is a writer based in Chicago.

Patricia Neri, wife and mother of three children, said high property taxes forced her family to move from the east end of Pilsen in Chicago to a suburb, Berwyn, about five years ago. She said they could not afford to live in a small apartment and pay over $1,000 for rent with her income being approximately $11,000 a year and her husband made a little more as a truck driver. Her rent was $750 plus bills and it was going to be raised to $1200 or $1300 plus bills, Neri said.

Since 2000 the south expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago has caused property tax increases and along with that the displacement of long-term Pilsen residents who have been replaced by new more affluent residents, community residents and activists charged. Property tax increases go hand in hand with the rise of property value and ultimately higher rent amounts get passed on to renters, they said.

“Maybe you can find something economical but they are not pleasant places to live in. They are usually apartments located on the backside of buildings, third floors, or basements that are too cold and humid or that may get flooded,” Neri said.

Neri said she is happy living in Berwyn but misses Pilsen’s friendly environment. “Here in Berwyn you know your neighbor because you go outside to heat up your car and your neighbor does the same. Sometimes they say good morning sometimes they don’t. Whereas, Pilsen is a bit warmer, you know your neighbors more and often times you may see someone walking by or sweeping their sidewalk that says hi to you,” she said.

Pilsen is a predominately Hispanic neighborhood located approximately three miles southwest of the Loop, or downtown Chicago. It has a total population of 92,472 residents of which 57,999 are Hispanic, according to the 2000 Census. The neighborhood has architecture comprised mostly of three- to four-flat buildings with the majority of its structures built in the 1930’s.  There are 7,717 property owners and 17,164 renters in Pilsen, according to the 2000 Census.

Neri said she went to a non-profit organization in Pilsen, which she preferred not to name, to obtain information to see if she qualified for rental assistance or an affordable unit but she said she didn’t qualify because her income was too low. After that Neri was determined to move away from Pilsen and did not seek the help of other non-profit organizations.

Pilsen Alliance’s executive director Alejandra Ibanez said the “majority of non-profit developers, community development corporations, use Federal HUD guidelines of affordability, which are not based on the local [Pilsen neighborhood] median income but typically on citywide, countywide or even regional median incomes.” She said Pilsen has a median income much lower than Chicago’s median income. Therefore, many Pilsen residents don’t make enough to afford even those supposedly affordable units. The median income of Pilsen residents is $28,026, and Chicago’s is $38,625, according to the 2000 Census.

Pilsen Alliance, a non-profit organization, at 1831 S. Racine Ave. was established in 1998 after community leaders, residents, and organizations came together to establish a plan to preserve the Pilsen community after the university expanded southward and the city created the Pilsen Industrial Tax increment Financing District (TIF), according to the organization’s history.

But even though Neri and her family were affected by the property tax increases she says there are pros and cons to raising property taxes.

“I think on one hand it’s good that rents were raised because that way people look for better jobs to afford to pay for all those things [expenses that arise from increased property taxes]” while at the same time their socioeconomic status may change because they get better jobs and live in a better neighborhood, she said.

But on the other hand, she said, there are many people who work in factories who may not be able to get better jobs and they are not going to get paid more because they live in Pilsen.

Winifred Curran, a geography professor at DePaul University, said Pilsen Alliance asked for research consisting of a building inventory project that her geography students completed in Pilsen. The project consisted of information on building permits, property taxes, assessed values, property sales and ownership.

According to “The Pilsen Inventory Project” by Winifred Curran and Euan Hague with data collected from fall 2004 to spring 2006, in Pilsen 43 percent of properties experienced a 25 to 49 percent increase in assessed value, 23 percent experienced a 50 to 74 percent increase in assessed value, and 24 properties experienced an increase of more than 125 percent in assessed value.

In an effort to stop gentrification, in 2006 a down zoning referendum, lead by Pilsen Alliance, that limits the height or number of units in a development was passed in Pilsen with 75 percent of vote approval but Ald. Daniel Solis (25^th) didn’t enact the measure.

Down zoning could limit development because developers would be restricted to building condos or buildings of a certain height, consequently preventing rapid development and further gentrification.

Stephen Stults, legislative assistant to Ald. Daniel Solis (25^th), explained that the alderman didn’t enact the measure because by down zoning because “you may be in the position to affect someone’s market value. The one [a property] with higher density zoning would have a higher market value than the one with the down zoning.”

“Many residents felt it was a lost cause,” Ibanez said.

The battle against further development and gentrification has been fought with little or no support from the alderman, they said.

“It wasn’t Danny Solis. It wasn’t him. It was the community that stopped the expansion [UIC’s south expansion],” said Alfredo Hernandez a former Pilsen resident who lived there for about 20 years and moved a few years ago after getting married.

“We couldn’t compete with their [developers] money, resources and political connections,” Ibanez said, noting the fight was spiritually and physically exhausting.

But Pilsen Alliance didn’t give up on their mission to fight against gentrification. Ibanez said they realized they needed to take a different approach and explained that’s why her group is creating a curriculum to teach people why there is gentrification and globalization. “We can’t go after every single developer who is greedy [or] we are going to burn ourselves down, so we are focusing on educating people,” she said.

Kristine Menas from Ald. Daniel Solis’s office said in an email response the “variety of size and type of housing in neighborhoods provides for a healthy mix of residents. This allows for low-income, moderate-income to higher-income families to live in proximity to one another. Studies have shown that isolating low-income residents has proven to be a failed strategy for relieving poverty.”

Menas defended the alderman.

“Alderman Solis is a proponent of preservation- maintaining a neighborhood’s historic fabric as well as cultural history. He doesn’t want to see one economic level is displaced by another,” she added.

Professor Curran said there will be further gentrification in Pilsen but it’s “paused” now because of the depressed housing market. She said the current market enables real estate to “scoop” buy property for a lower price and hold on to it until the economy is in better shape and sell the property for more money later.

Neri said she doesn’t regret moving from Pilsen.

“Pilsen does look cleaner and more peaceful now but at the same time it’s a hard situation for some people because they need two or three jobs so they can afford to pay for things,” she said.

Popo and Ixta

In Mexican folklore, Aztec icons Popcapetl and Princess Ixtaccihuatl are remnants of a culture destroyed by Spanish conquistadors during the early 16th century.

According to legend, Popo wanted to marry the princess but first have to prove himself a warrior.  He returns triumphant but only to find that his love, believing he died in battle, has killed herself.  Popo takes her limp body to the highest mountain in hopes that the show would revive her, but she never awakens.  The two remain frozen silhouettes on two snow-covered mountains in Mexico.

Artist Jesus Helguera’s painting of this image was reproduced in a series of calendars in 1940.  Now this iconic scene is as ubiquitous in Mexican-American homes all over the United States as crucifixes and figures of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

But for Chicagoland photographer Robert C. Buitrón, they became an opportunity to speak to larger issues of identity and political disfranchisement.  Buitrón, 57, created his own series of calendars from 1990-1992 turning the image on its head.

Ixta Ponders Leverage Buyout

In his series, The Legend of Ixta and Popo, Buitrón places the Aztecs in modern-day scenes.  His art takes a satirical tone addressing cultural and political issues.

“I identify as Chicano; I grew up with these calendars,” explained Buitrón.  “I wanted to contemporize it and address issues Chicanos are experiencing.”

While he says the series was well-received overall, not everyone understood his message.

“The National Museum of Mexican Art (in Chicago) didn’t care for the calendar; the bookstore didn’t want to carry it,” said Buitrón, pausing to ponder.  “My interpretation was that it didn’t fit with constituents in Chicago; many of the people in the community might have just crossed the border and might find it offensive.”

Displacement, invisibility and assimilation are all parts of the Mexican migration story that remains buried for some.  Instead of  filing away this painful part of our history, Buitrón uses it to convey larger messages about who Mexican-Americans are and where we are going.

“One thing I encountered is that you have to be informed about U.S.-Mexican history, Chicano history,” stressed Buitrón.  “I wanted to treat it in a humorous way like [Stephen0 Colbert and [Jon] Stewart are doing—making a point in a different way.”

Malinche y Pocahontas

Deeply entrenched in the Chicano political movement in Arizona during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, he spent his childhood a world away in East Chicago, IN.  Buitrón moved to Arizona when he was 18 and called the western state his home for more than 20 years.  It was in Arizona where he developed as an artist.

“I loved it,” Buitrón  said.  “I never saw a cactus, except in movies.”

Photography wasn’t his first love, however.  He was a musician first and only unexpectedly gravitated toward visual art.

“The reason I got into photography is because I wanted to become a tourist.  That had a lot to do with my family traveling to Texas and Mexico,” explained Buitrón.  “We’d pull over to the designated scenic area, and I saw all of these people with these big, giant lenses.  They looked like they were doing important things.”

At age 12, he won his first Instamatic camera as a newspaper delivery boy.  Buitrón admits his skills needed work.

“I was really lousy at it,” Buitrón said.  “I had a camera that didn’t have a functioning light meter; I didn’t understand exposure concepts.”

Identity Surfing

His skills improved, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts photograph at Arizona State University in 1980 and a master’s in fine arts at the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1996.  Buitrón has been an exhibition curator and currently teaches photography at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and Chicago State University.

Admiring the work of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, Buitrón humbly describes himself as competent but determined to do his best work.  That work closely examines issues of Mexican-American cultural identity, gender identity and racial discrimination.

Pancho Asks Tonto If He's mas indio que espanol

In Pancho Asks Tonto If He’s Mas Indio Que Espanol, Buitrón tackles an issue of prejudice hidden deep with Mexican-American psyches.

“In terms of internal prejudices; my own personal experience encountering discrimination did influence what came out in these pictures.”

Buitrón draws parallels between the racial segregation of African-Americans and that of Mexican-Americans.

“We weren’t slaves, but we were discriminated against,” Buitrón said.  “We had separate water fountains, and that part of history is not acknowledged.

Los Angeles-based artist Henry Gamboa Jr. met Buitrón in 1983 in Phoenix during his time with the MARS Gallery, an alternative art space.

“Robert’s impressive photography,” Gamboa Jr. explained, “Utilizes social satire and commentary as it incorporates documentary works to create a vision that strengthens the Latino community’s view of its relationship to others.

Fellow photographer and curator Celia Alvarez Muñoz notes that Buitrón’s work can make people laugh, think and questions ideas that we, especially as Mexican-Americans, have been taught to accept.

“No words are necessary in his photographs,” said Alvarez Muñoz.  “I know Robert’s work paved the way to/for the bolder and more absurdly political artistic statements of succeeding Chicano/Mexicano performance artists and photographers.”

Buitrón’s work is not something to be merely glimpsed or quickly scanned, Alvarez Muñoz said, it needs to be absorbed to be fully understood.

Ixta Dates a Nazi Skinhead

“You have to look at his images, individually and collectively, very carefully for he packs a wallop!” Alvarez Muñoz enthusiastically explained.

Buitrón’s latest project came to him while caring for his in-laws who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  He had to take time away from other projects to focus on what he describes as a “challenging” and “enlightening” experience.

He decided to photograph his in-laws.  He doesn’t know what the photos will end up being nor whether his own emotions and struggles will become a part of the series.

“When you want to do something you’re passionate about and have less time to devote to it, it becomes very frustrating,” Buitrón explained.  “Will my frustration/personal experience become part of the project?  It could reflect my own challenges as well.”

Buitrón doesn’t want to take himself too seriously and sees satire as the most effective way to get the point across.

“Humor is the highest form of communicating,” Buitrón said.  “It’s a teachable moment, an enlightening moment without hitting someone over the head with a hammer.”

A special thanks goes to the West Chicago City Museum and Curator Sally DeFauw for helping to make this feature story possible.

Angelica Jimenez earned her Master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia College in December 2010.  She continues to be a freelance writer and is on the staff of a Chicago-based advocacy coalition.

Deborah Deras

“Inspiration, inspired to take action.” That is Deborah Deras’ definition of what her life is.

Deborah Deras, of Columbian descent, is the co-founder and CEO of Synergy Unlimited, a professional development training company that provides busy professionals the tools to be successful without compromising their health and well-being.

Her life experience is an example of how sometimes we spend too much time at work and do not value other important things in our lives. She uses the story of the death of her brother as a reflection to promote her message.  Her brother, living with disabilities, died suddenly at the young age of 16.

Synergy Unlimited provides seminars, time management trainings and stress release techniques to their costumers with the purpose of teaching them how to achieve a lot more with less effort.

On 2002, Deras and Adoley Odunton started Synergy Unlimited. According to Deras, they were both doing similar things before they met. Both women, working as life coaches, focused on the idea of helping people to live passionately, purposely and prosperously.

Passionate Living Now was Deras’ first company before she united forces with Odunton. However, Deras already had a versatile educational background.

She has a master’s of science in counseling from California State University. In addition, she earned a certification to be an action coach and a rehabilitation counselor.

“Education is the key to financial freedom,” Deras said.

Most of her principles and techniques are describe in her new book “Confessions of an Adrenaline Addict,” co-authored with Odunton.

Deras explained that ‘Time Expansions” was the initial book title, which was going to focus on how one can multitask and do many things at once.     However, during the process of writing the book Deras and Odunton decided to call it “Confessions of an Adrenaline Addict” because it describe better their idea. Many people feel that they have to over-schedule every moment of their time in order to be productive. In reality, Deras said this assumption is not true.

One strategy Deras promotes is to just break out everything into tiny pieces.

“To avoid feeling overwhelmed, break down all the duties to do into one task at the time,” Deras said.

This way the individual feels like he or she has accomplished more, she said.

Future plans for Synergy Unlimited are to expand their staff and have more life coach trainers who do the same thing as her.

Previously, Deras had worked for non-profit organizations, but since the death of her brother, she has mainly focused on her company.

The death of her brother affected her greatly. She felt an inner voice telling her to spend Valentine’s Day with her brother. She picked him up from her mom’s house, and they spent a great day together at the mall. The next day she received a call from her mother telling her that her brother was in the hospital. He died the next day.

Deras also went through a difficult divorce from a marriage that lasted 12 years. She expressed her wish of ending the relationship in a different way, but she said she learned from her mistakes.

“Anytime we are shameful of ourselves we are creating an energetic withdraw,” Deras said.

She explained that the next thing to do after you realized you made a mistake is to forgive yourselves. Therefore, she believes forgiveness and gratitude creates better opportunities in anyone’s life.

Deras said that her greatest accomplishment is “being a successful entrepreneur” because she has been successfully promoting her company and this message for eight years.

“I really believe that when you are on a mission, the universe conspires at your favor,” Deras said.

She stated that the success of her company is not just luck but her ability to always be receptive and use her skills to help others.

“It really feels like I’m making a difference,” she said.

Natalie Oliveri

Whether she is sitting at a piano composing chords, writing songs for her next album or working with one of the many musical groups in the Chicago area; Natalie Oliveri “is” a Latina with a voice.

From R&B, oldies, hip-hop, Latin and jazz, singer and songwriter, Natalie, is a medley of music. With her roots stemming from piano and her voice as her instrument, Natalie describes her music a “combination of who she is.”

During a recent interview Latina Voices was able to speak with this talented musician and find out who she was.

Latina Voices:

When did you decide that music was what you wanted to pursue?

Natalie:

Music has always been a part of my life ever since I was a little girl and because of that initially I was thrown into it.  When I came to the point in my life where I was able to decide for myself what I wanted to pursue, that question never really entered my mind. I just knew that creating music was a part of who I was/am and it is how I express myself.  It’s my strength.  I “officially” decided to pursue music when I made the decision to get a college degree in Music Business Management & Vocal Performance at Columbia College Chicago.

Latina Voices:

Are you signed under record label?  If not, do you want to remain independent?

Natalie:

Currently I am not signed to any label; my main focus is to write, record, perform and share my music. If a great opportunity comes my way, I will definitely take it!  The great thing is that now-a-days as an independent artist you can connect with people from all over the world and self promote yourself-successfully to a certain degree… For now, I am just going to do what I do and if something bigger and greater comes, I’ll follow wherever the wave takes me.

So far, that wave has taken Natalie on a ride that involves performing her own music at local venues, working with several bands, and working with the community.  ”In general, I love working with different musicians/bands… I feel that I learn a lot in the process which helps me grow within my own music,”   Natalie said.

Latina Voices:

I understand how difficult it can be to be financially stable and pursue your dreams. How do you manage?

Natalie:

My motto is “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  I think truly believing in yourself and having faith in what you do is key.  I would rather live my one and only life doing what I love to do, even if I have to struggle a bit, rather than giving up out of fear and getting a career in something that I don’t have a strong passion for… I just make sure to always put the majority of my time for music and never lose focus on what I am trying to do and where I am determined to go in my lifetime.

Natalie later informed me that she recently signed up with Kickstarter, a funding platform for artists. Through pledges Natalie will be able to get the financial assistance she needs in order to fund her next album.

As far as her personal goals are concerned Natalie fused her culture, artistry and passion in an EP- creating her own eclectic style; now being distributed in Japan. She is also in the middle of recording her new album which she describes as “a combination of who she is.” Natalie also plans to continue getting her original music and voice out there globally as much as possible.

“I want to travel all over the world, connect with different cultures and make a living songwriting and performing music,” Natalie said.

As far as any words of encouragement Natalie left us with these:

For Latinas…

“Latinas tend to have this energetic strength and fire inside of us; use that strength and turn it into something positive.”

Women…

“Surround yourself only with people who believe in your dreams just as much as you do.”

Artists…

“As a female aspiring musician, I have noticed more men in the field than women; because of that, we need to make sure that we always have confidence in what we do and receive the respect that we deserve.”

With passion in her heart, music running through her soul and determination in hand, Natalie has both flourished as an artist and as an individual.

“My goal is to give my talents and use them as much as possible,” she said during our interview.

To learn more about Natalie or become a pledge for her up and coming album. Please visit her website.

Natalia Avilez is a writer based in Chicago.

Maria Pesqueira

As an immigrant brought to this country at a young age myself, I can relate to the stories of young men and women who desire better opportunities for themselves and for this country.

I can remember being brought to this country from Guanajuato, Mexico, at the age of six, leaving behind the only home I had known and not knowing what my future would hold. My parents, like many immigrants, came to the United States for a better future.  Knowing that both of them would have to work, they left me in Mexico, in the care of my aunt.

After they settled in the United States, they brought me to live with them in Summit, Ill.

At age six now being in Illinois, I rapidly learned English.  While I still have fond memories of my aunt who helped raise me, I quickly adjusted to my new home and adopted country.  Looking back, I was no different than the courageous young men and women who have stepped forward for a better future.  I am living proof of the benefits that the DREAM Act would bring the next generation of “Dreamers.”

The DREAM Act is a bipartisan bill that would provide a path to citizenship for youth who graduate from U.S. high schools, stay out of trouble, arrived to the United States before the age of 16, and complete at least two years of college or serve in the armed forces.  Every year, 65,000 students graduate from a U.S. high school without the realistic possibility of following their dreams.  These students grew up here and want to contribute to this country.

After having passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 8, the bill now moves onto a vote in the Senate, scheduled for Saturday.

My organization supports the DREAM Act because Latinas have the lowest level of formal education among women of all racial groups.  As a result, they face the greatest disadvantage regarding high skilled employment opportunities. Immigrant Latinas have higher unemployment rates, lower education levels, lower average incomes, and are more occupationally concentrated than Latina U.S. citizens.

Being raised and educated in the United States has brought me many opportunities. I graduated from De Paul University.  I own my own home.  I have a career and job I love which has allowed me to giveback to the community.

This bill will come to a final decision soon and we need to think about the many possibilities these students may have to give back to this country, if given the genuine opportunity. If we cannot support this legislative bill we are doing a disservice to an entire generation. The generation that can perhaps find the cure to cancer, bring this country to economic stability and set the example for future generations.

It is my hope that the Senate see that it is more than just a bill but a pathway that will allow these students the opportunity to contribute, to strengthen and to empower this nation to move forward. As an immigrant myself, I identify with the students’ anguish and share their hope of the DREAM Act’s passage.

Maria S. Pesqueira is President and CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Accion, a 37-year old community organization whose mission is to empower Latinas and their families through providing services, which reflect their values and culture and advocating on the issues that make a difference in their lives.  An immigrant from Guanajuato, Mexico, she serves as the Vice-President of the Board of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.