Revisiting A Dickensian Tale of Hard Times - Then and Now

As the play Hard Times For These Times opens at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago, a character is asking his “betters” how he can acquire a divorce. He’s told that it’s not for “people like him” and basically, he has to suck it up and keep working for starvation wages. He is coerced into refraining from being active in a labor union organizing in the fictional Coketown.

From there, we view the life of the upper classes in mid-nineteenth century England and see how they interfaced with the poor and lower working classes to ruin and trample on any sense of dignity they may have had. I won’t provide any spoilers by telling you how the tale ended. You may decide to read Hard Times by Dickens or to go see the play at the Lookingglass Theatre. It was very artfully done using the circus as both a metaphor and a reality of what happens to peoples’ dreams.

After that, read the book Being and Homelessness – Notes From An Underground Artist by John H. Sibley. While Hard Times takes place in England in the 1850’s, John Sibley’s book is a memoir and treatise on homelessness that he published in 2011 about life in contemporary America. John Sibley is an artist and writer who found himself homeless in Chicago for a brief period of time. He was able to extricate himself from that state when someone offered him a good paying job. In his book, Sibley expounds on his ideas as an artist and human being reminding us that if someone is homeless, that is not the totality of who he is.

I was reminded of both books last night when my husband and I volunteered at the all-night homeless shelter run by Interfaith Action of Evanston. It opens on nights that the temperature goes below fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. Its location moves among six faith-based organizations. Sad to say, it is difficult to find enough volunteers to keep it open every day of the year or even every day of the winter – which in the Chicago area usually lasts from December 1^st to April 1^st. Winters in Chicago can be brutally long and horrendously cold. I can’t think of anything worse than being homeless here in the winter.

I’ll never forget Illinois’ wonderful Senator Paul Simon addressing the Illinois NASW (National Association of Social Workers) about how in Dickens’ time, people asked, “How can England, the most powerful, wealthiest country on Earth allow this to happen [to its poor people]?”

Senator Simon went on to ask how we as Americans in modern times in the wealthiest country in history could allow the same thing to happen. How could we allow our fellow citizens to be homeless and/or food-insecure? Then he left us Illinois social workers to figure out how we could help to get America on a better track.

That question is just as pertinent now as it was years ago when Senator Simon addressed us. And so, I ask everyone of you Readers to ask yourselves the same question: How can we Americans allow this to happen? In 2018, I challenge us all to do something about it.

Warmth on a Chicago Winter Day

I’ve lived in the Chicago area since 1974. It’s a great place to live, but I’ve always felt it would be even better here if they put a retractable dome over the whole area so that we wouldn’t have to freeze through our long, frigid winters. Unfortunately, that’s not feasible, but the city of Chicago has found a partial solution. Since the 1960’s, they’ve been building, improving, and adding to a Pedway under about five miles of downtown Chicago. It’s a maze that they’ve made easier to navigate in the past few years by putting good signs along it's many paths. Prior to them putting up that signage, it was really easy to get lost there.

Helping us to navigate this maze, the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) www.architecture.org has been giving a walking tour of the Pedway. We took this tour led by Ellen Shubart, CAF docent, who did a great job of shepherding us through this network of underground walkways.

The Pedway was constructed to help people get out of the cold and to connect all the transportation.

The tour begins in The State of Illinois Building, the James R. Thompson Center at 160 North LaSalle. This post-modern building was designed to depict the transparency of government. This was a concept of then governor James Thompson, for whom the building was named, - a fact I was unaware of prior to taking the tour. Four Illinois Governors have gone to prison since I moved here so I found that very humorous. It set a tone of levity for me for the rest of the tour.

Looking up toward the ceiling of the Thompson Center

Next, we went down to the Pedway and saw an entrance to the CTA [Subway]. One can walk on the Pedway from the Ogilvie commuter train Station to the blue and red lines of the subway to the South Shore Line commuter station without going outside. If someone is lucky and works in an office building with an entrance in the Pedway, he (she) can avoid going outside an entire day. How great is that!

The Pedway isn’t merely a walkway, however. Underground are various stores and restaurants and even a stained-glass exhibition. We were able to go to several buildings of interest either historically, architecturally, or currently. Thus, I learned how the County, City, and Court buildings are connected.

Then it was onward to the Cultural Center, the former central Chicago Public Library Building. This beautiful beaux arts building is a landmark and worth a visit by itself. Tours of the building are given Wednesday through Saturday at 1:15PM. In addition, the Cultural Center houses temporary art exhibits and lunchtime concerts each Wednesday at 12:15PM. All of these are free to the public.

Dome in the G.A.R. Hall

From there, we went east and entered through the Pedway to the Prudential Building, the Aon Building, and the Aqua Building designed by the famous architect Jeanne Gang. As we walked, we could see the progression of architecture in Chicago and the world through the decades. And best of all, on December 19^th, we didn’t have to go outside at all to see any of them.

Remembering Latkes and Another Fight for Freedom

Tonight, we Jews will celebrate the third night of Hanukah and remember that long ago victory for religious freedom. I’ll also remember our recent visit to the National Underground Railroad Center www.freedomcenter.org. in Cincinnati. It will be a great melding of two traditions.

view of Ohio River seen from the museum

Since Cincinnati was the first place on the northern side of the Mason-Dixon Line, across the Ohio River from Kentucky, it was the first place that runaway slaves came to in their pursuit of freedom. As such, it’s a perfect place for this museum to be housed. The museum’s permanent exhibit has a great mix of videos, still exhibits, and interactive exhibits allowing the visitor to experience this excruciating time in American history. It also includes exhibits of struggles for freedom going on today.

Right now, there are two temporary exhibits well worth the visit. One was an exhibit about slavery still being practiced now in 2017. The struggle for freedom never ends and it was good to be reminded of it. The exhibit includes discussion on human trafficking, children forced into grueling labor and unable to escape, as well as slavery being practiced today in the 21^st century in Libya and other parts of North Africa. It is a shocking reminder that we can never become complacent and think that the fight for human dignity is won and done.

The other temporary exhibit – The Kinsey Collection of American Art & History - is very powerful. The exhibit will be there through April 2018.

Bernard and Shirley Kinsey were able to amass an amazingly extensive collection of art, artifacts, and historical documents spanning 400 years of history. If you go to the exhibit, expect to spend two to three hours there. Bernard Kinsey primarily collected artifacts and documents while Shirley Kinsey found heretofore undiscovered African-American artists. Together, their collection is very comprehensive. There are copies of the Dred Scott decision, the Missouri Compromise, and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution outlawing slavery and displays of objects common in the daily lives of the slaves.

The exhibit of various African-American artists’ work is a great complement to the historic. I was taken by the expressions of anger and despair seen on the faces of the people in the pictures. That sense of emotional rawness is rarely seen and felt so realistic. At the same time, on view is the power people felt as well as they fought to be free.

The Kinseys were active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. They spent four decades gathering this amazing collection. It is an impressive life’s work. Together they have provided the public with an insight into the lives of slaves – those who fought for their own freedom and those who were able to reach safety and then helped others make it to safety as well. If you can’t get to Cincinnati to see this exhibit, look for it to arrive at a museum in your city and make a point to go see it. 

Teatro Vista's Play "Fade" Resonates To Everyone

Teatro Vista www.teatrovista.org, housed at the Victory Gardens Theater www.victorygardens.org in Chicago, produced the masterful play Fade that explores class barriers and gender discrimination as they affect the Latino Community. While it’s about two Mexican-American characters, this play is universal. It was written by Tanya Saracho and directed by Sandra Marquez. The actors -Eddie Martinez and Sari Sanchez – do a great job of bringing the story to life.

Fade begins with Lucia starting her job as a script writer for a television show. Abel, the janitor, comes into her office to clean it. As they talk to each other, they discover that they are the only Latinos working at this television studio. This gives them a comfort level that launches a very unusual friendship. Although they are both Mexican-Americans, the difference in their socio-economic statuses soon becomes apparent. What ensues is drama at its finest. I urge anyone who has the opportunity to see this remarkable play which is playing through December 23^rd.

Eddie Martinez and Sari Sanchez in scene

After every performance, some ensemble member stays for a talk back. The audience was ethnically diverse the night we were there making the discussion especially interesting. Does Lucia speak differently to Abel than she does on the phone to her college-educated colleagues? Do we all speak differently depending on who we’re talking to? Do we consciously change our speech patterns when addressing people from backgrounds other than our own?

The subject had piqued my interest since reading the very articulately written book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book is about an African-American teenager living in an inner-city neighborhood who has witnessed two of her best friends murdered by police. Afraid for her safety, her parents enroll her in a private school that is predominantly white and upper middle class. As Starr switches between her home neighborhood and her school, she consciously changes her speech patterns and the subjects she allows herself to discuss. This phenomenon has been referred to as “code switching”, an apt name for a frequent phenomenon in our multi-cultural, class-based society.

I have found myself code switching much more often since the 2016 election especially since the events in Charlottesville this past summer. While before I always felt safe as an American Jew able to say anything, that is no longer the case. I feel secure in Chicago and a few other parts of America and with the people I know. In other places, I find myself on guard wondering if the feelings expressed in Charlottesville have always been there. Staying at a hotel in Cincinnati where we visited our children, the hotel manager asked if we would return for Christmas. Hearing the slight southern inflection in his speech, I was put on guard. Instead of explaining that we were Jewish, didn’t celebrate Christmas, and besides our grandchildren had different winter break times, I just said, “I don’t think so.”

I wonder how often I will be code switching in the years ahead and how many others are doing it more frequently than they did before November 8, 2016. It makes Fade especially timely. If you have the chance, go see Fade. You won’t be disappointed. 

Bonnie Liltz Found Dead in Apparent Suicide - A Predictable Tragedy

Bonnie Liltz

On Saturday November 25^th, Bonnie Liltz was found dead in her apartment, the cause an apparent suicide. Her death is a blot on the consciences of all of us living in Illinois. In 2015, Bonnie Liltz administered a fatal overdose to her 28- year old daughter Courtney, who was severely mentally retarded, mute, unable to walk, and wearing diapers. Bonnie Liltz suffered from cancer and was terminally ill. She feared what would happen to her daughter after her death. For her crime, she was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. After being sent home for medical treatment, she was ordered back to prison. Rather than return there, she killed herself. Why was she sent to prison in the first place?  

Bonnie Liltz was a poster child for everything wrong with Illinois' inadequate services for the developmentally disabled. Her fears were grounded in a tragic reality. Having worked as a social worker with the developmentally disabled for many years, I heard this fear expressed by many parents. Those parents' fears were realistic, also. “Let her die the day after I do,” they would say. It often sounded like a litany. I encouraged them to put their adult children on waiting lists for housing so they could choose a good place while they were still on this Earth. The variation in quality of places was huge. Without someone to advocate for their children, they could end up in a very inadequate facility where they might even be mistreated or abused. “Their sister (or brother) will take care of her (him).” But what if they wouldn’t. What if there was no other family member to take over.

While I’m not advocating mercy killing, I understand why Bonnie Liltz felt she had no other alternative. She was a single mom and Courtney was her only child. She had no one on whom she could depend to advocate for her child’s well-being. She couldn’t count on the state of Illinois and she was desperate.

Illinois, while somewhere in the middle on per capita income, is 50^th on per capita spending for developmentally disabled adults. Disabled Illinois children are protected by federal law guaranteeing them an education through age 21. After that, they can be on waiting lists to obtain adult services such as group homes, intermediate care facilities, and community based care for years. At present, about 20,000 adults are on waiting lists for residential facilities and community day services some of them having waited for years. As bad as this always was, in the past two years, it has gotten worse.

Without a budget for two years, Illinois had stopped paying allotted promised funding to many agencies serving the developmentally challenged. Without money to pay their staff, many of these agencies had to close. The list of resources has grown shorter. The waiting lists have grown longer. The wait for services has become interminable. How many parents in Bonnie Liltz’ predicament will resort to her solution?

We in Illinois could spend more on resources for the disabled or we can continue as we’ve been doing. There would be more Bonnies and Courtneys, but we could go on avoiding paying taxes to help the most vulnerable in Illinois. It’s up to us to decide what kind of society we want to have.   

     

And Then They Came For Me

“AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME” is a powerful exhibit about the internment of Japanese-American citizens living on the west coast of the United States during World War II.

We were fortunate to get to see it. On the second floor of the gallery, a documentary about the internment is shown each hour. There are also photographs and artifacts from the internment.

While I knew that the internment took place, I didn’t know until seeing this film about some of the worst abuses. I didn’t know that the people being herded into these subhuman conditions were given a loyalty oath test. Those who didn’t pass it were put in maximum security prisons along with their young children, some of them babies. I didn’t know that the government forbid photography of the barbed wire fences censoring the news coverage that came out of the camps. Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams were hired to take pictures. While they were given many restrictions, they managed to take some pictures that showed the humanity and the tragedy of this blot on American’s conscience. A Japanese man who was interned smuggled a banned camera into the internment camp. Many of these heretofore unseen photos are shown in the gallery.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a half-hearted apology to the Japanese-Americans who were interned and each family was given $20,000. This hardly compensates for the five years of these peoples’ lives that they’ll never get back. It didn’t compensate for the businesses and farms that were taken from them. When the Japanese returned to their homes after the War, their businesses were gone or unclaimable in most cases. They continued to be taunted and discriminated against. What is $20,000 in the face of such loss?

Most Americans don’t learn about the Japanese internment in history classes. Many of us, have never heard of it. Fortunately, we have this exhibit to tell us or remind us.

In this time of talk of Muslim registries and deporting Mexican-Americans, we would do well to remember what can happen when hysteria and bigotry carry the day. We need to look back and vow that we won’t allow this to happen again. While FDR is in large part responsible for this, it couldn’t have happened without the passive consent of the American people.

“And Then They Came for Me” is also the title of a poem written just after World War II by the pastor Martin Niemoller.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

“And Then They Came for Me” is free and open to the public and has been shown at the Alphawood Gallery at 2401 North Halsted Street in Chicago since June 29^th of this year and will close on November 19^th. This is short notice but if you have time to see this exhibit in its closing days, it’s a must see.

The exhibit is traveling to the New York International Center of Photography and will open there on January 26, 2018.

Back in the Land of Deja Vu

Ever since John Adams ignored his wife Abigail’s entreaty to “remember the ladies” when writing the United States Constitution, we women have been trying to correct his and his colleagues’ omission. It would seem that now is a good time – better late than never – to finally get it right.

With that in mind, I participated in a phone bank to belatedly get the state of Illinois to ratify the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment). “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

Getting My ERA Campaign Buttons Out of Mothballs and Putting Them to Work

As I got to the phone bank, I couldn’t help wondering why this one sentence is so difficult for the Illinois Legislature to pass. In 1974, we were living in Ohio and I participated in a group that went to Columbus to demand its passage. It was ratified there.

When we moved to Illinois a year later, I got the bad news that Illinois was the only state north of the Mason-Dixon line that had failed to ratify the ERA. Several years followed during which I joined marches and picket lines and wrote letters and attended debates. One of the most memorable times was going with several women to attend a debate at Illinois State University  between Phyllis Schafly and Karen DeCrow, then president of NOW. We had brought fliers advertising a rally in Chicago and I borrowed a knife from the student center to open the box they were in. By the time the debate was over, the student center was closed. I still have that knife in my kitchen drawer serving as a reminder that women in Illinois and throughout the United States are still denied equal citizenship. It's long since worn out its welcome.

When the deadline to pass the ERA came and went without Illinois doing the right thing, we who had advocated for its ratification hugged each other good-bye and said that we’d have to leave this unfinished business to our granddaughters. Now there’s a movement in Illinois to try again to get the ERA ratified here with the hope that if we have 38 states ratifying it, Congress will find a way to make it the next amendment. The state of Nevada ratified the ERA at the beginning of 2017. We now have 36 states and only need two more.

When we failed to pass the ERA in 1978, I didn’t have any children yet and couldn’t even imagine having grandchildren. Forty years later, I have three beautiful granddaughters. I don’t want to leave this fight to them. I want to leave them a better world than that - one in which they have complete equality. 

So I make phone calls and rally and do whatever else needs to be done. Forty years ago, I did this for me. Now I do it for them. If this is not the fight you want to leave to your children and grandchildren, there are phone banks needing people. There are pro-equality candidates that need our support. Emily's List always needs donations. Let’s get to work and get it done this time.

    

A Perilous Journey to America

This week we got to travel without getting on a plane or even going to the airport by attending a play of the first Chicago Latino Theater Festival. From September 29 until October 28^th, eleven plays are being presented in Chicago at various venues. While those of you in Chicago may have missed many, you still have time to see a couple that are running through this weekend.

We saw Amarillo performed at the new Shakespeare Theater, the Yard. The Mexican theater company Teatro Linea De Sombra performed this play directed by Jorge A. Vargas. Using actors, videos, and poems, the plight of those trying to cross the border from Mexico and Central America into the United States as well as the plight of those left behind was depicted. The play was done in Spanish while a screen above the actors provided subtitles in English. While this play feels more like a long and beautiful poem than a play with characters interacting, it was a very creative use of the stage.

Not only did we hear from those who tried unsuccessfully to complete the journey to the United States, we also heard from those left behind. They told us how they felt to be left alone and how they were coping moving forward. It is the unknown part of many of our stories. Many of us have grandparents or great-grandparents who came to America, some who never spoke again of the countries they left or of the family members that they never saw again once they made the perilous voyage. Thus, the story line of Amarillo is universal and easy for many of us to relate to.

I read a similar one by Luis Alberto Urrea, a Tex/Mex American writer who has written several novels and memoirs, among them Into the Beautiful North. In this book, the town of Tres Camarones, Mexico (a fictional town) is left with only women, children, and old men. All the men of working age have left to find work in the United States. Nineteen year old Nayeli and her friends decide to sneak into the United States with the purpose of bringing their men home. While this story was written satirically and allegorically, it depicted the plight of those left behind very well. The book was adapted to the stage and performed at The Sixteenth Street Theater in Berwyn last summer. We were lucky to see it performed there.

Amarillo is a creative piece of theater and an unusual opportunity to get a glimpse into another culture. It’s playing at the Yard, the new Shakespeare Theater venue at Navy Pier, through this coming weekend, until October 29^th. If you live in the Chicago area, go see it. We’re lucky to have a chance to have the world come to us. 

Women's History See in Evanston During Open House Chicago

Every year the Chicago Architecture Foundation www.architecture.org has been hosting Open House Chicago www.openhousechicago.org the second weekend in October. During the weekend, hundreds of volunteers guide the public through over 200 sites throughout the city. It’s an exciting event that we always look forward to.

This year we stayed in Evanston and had the opportunity to view three wonderful women’s history sites. Our first stop was The Woman’s Club of Evanston. I had probably walked past this building hundreds of times, but I had no idea what was inside. Open House Chicago was my opportunity to find out. The Woman’s Club of Evanston was founded by a group of philanthropic, civic minded women in the 1880’s. The group organized around helping in the typhoid epidemic. They were active in founding the Visiting Nurses’ Association. Before meals on wheels existed, the Woman’s Club brought healthy meals to shut-ins. They’ve helped promote many civic causes and charities throughout the years including women’s suffrage, child labor laws, and public health.

While the building looks like a house, it is not. The group utilizes it for their events, activities, and meetings. I had always thought of this group as frivolous but their volunteers guiding us through the building proved me very wrong.

The Woman's Club of Evanston

 Just up the block from The Woman’s Club of Evanston is the home of Frances Willard. How appropriate. Frances Willard worked closely with Elizabeth Boynton Harbert on the issue of women’s suffrage. While Frances Willard has been mostly known – and in many cases reviled – for being a founder of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, she was also a leader of many causes for women including promoting women’s opportunity in higher education and in getting the vote. Her home was built in 1865 and had been closed because of restoration activities for about one and a half years. It was reopened to the public a few months ago. The restoration efforts have been remarkable, painstakingly adhering to the style in which it was built and decorated. For fans of that early architecture as well as of the ERA, visiting this house is worth a stop.

Last but not least we visited The Margarita European Inn – another building that I had passed hundreds of times wondering what it was. It’s almost impossible to imagine a time when young women were not able to rent apartments on their own or live independently. Nevertheless, that used to be the case. The Margarita Club opened in 1927 to house young ladies who had jobs in the area. The building has been beautifully maintained and restored. During Open House Chicago, the grand parlor, the library, room 209, the roof deck, and the manually-controlled elevator were open to the public. The building is now a boutique hotel and is gorgeously appointed. If you have any out of town guests, it would be perfect.

In the parlor of the Margarita European Inn

Next year at Open House Chicago we’ll visit a different neighborhood. I’m looking forward to it already.

Reliving the Immigration Experience in Stoughton, Wisconsin

When we arrived in Stoughton, Wisconsin, we knew we were back. We had been to Norway in 2016 and loved the beauty of that country and so we were happy to see it again - a lot closer to home.

Stoughton, a town of 12,611 people, is about 15 miles South of Madison, Wisconsin. Because of its large Norwegian population, they have built a museum to remember the immigrant story of this group. The structure of the museum Livsreise www.livsreise.org is impressive in its replication of the architecture of Bergen, Norway.

Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge, Stoughton

 

Norwegian Museum, Stoughton, Wisconsin

Buildings near harbor, Bergen, Norway

in Norway

The interior of Livsreise, however, is even more impressive. They have utilized technology to provide displays and exhibits showing the lives of people in Norway who had journeyed to America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A genealogical library housed in the museum provides resources to assist Norwegian-Americans to trace their roots. A 68-seat auditorium shows videos that focus on the Norwegian heritage. Photography is not allowed in this museum so you'll have to visualize this museum. I was unable to take any pictures of it.

The thought of getting on a rough sailing ship with all one’s possessions to make the journey to the other end of the world must have been daunting. Nevertheless, the poverty in Norway at that time and the promise of a better life in America spurred many to make the risky voyage. Many who survived the trip found their way to Stoughton and other towns in Wisconsin as well as to Minnesota and the Dakotas. Many of them availed themselves of the Homestead Act and became farmers in these areas. Others gravitated to the towns and cities where they rebuilt their lives.

Besides the Livsreise Museum, we had a good time walking through the commercial part of Stoughton enjoying their shops and restaurants. In addition, the town boasts the Stoughton Historical Museum as well as the Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge. Stoughton's major claim to fame is that the Coffee Break originated there. Started by workers in the tobacco factories, it has become a standard in most places of work.  

Newspaper article announcing the first coffee break

In a sense, the Norwegian immigrant experience is the American immigrant experience. The Swedish-American Museum in Chicago has a similar motif. It was enjoyable to see and be able to compare these two museums. We can think about their perilous journeys to America as we witness the journeys made by modern day immigrants leaving their homes and families in pursuit of what all immigrants seek – a better life than the ones they are leaving.

It is only a two and a half hour ride from Chicago to Stoughton. This quiet, charming town is worth the trip.

To Mexico With Love in Chicago

The National Museum of Mexican Art www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org is one of our favorite Chicago Museums. It’s a treasure of art and history of Mexico and the Chicago-Mexican experience and is the only accredited museum of Mexican art in the United States. While many people think of the Mexican-American Community as being in California and Texas, Chicago is also home to a large Mexican community some of whom have been here for over 100 years. Thus, it is not surprising that Chicago would be home to such a wonderful museum. Located at 1852 W. 19^th Street, it is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10AM to 5PM and the admission is always free.

Currently, the museum is celebrating being open for thirty years. We enjoyed seeing pieces from many of their previous and permanent collections. Their Day of the Dead exhibit as well the one Nuestra Historia (Our History) are especially notable. It is worth seeing how the artists have progressed and how political much of it is. The anguish felt about their precariousness in the world is palpable and creatively expressed.

The Resistance of the Hybrid Cacti

Pilsen, the neighborhood where the Museum is located, is home to many outdoor murals. We were there on a nice day and walked around to see them.

Walking worked up an appetite and we were in luck. The area is home to many good Mexican restaurants. At this time, when the entire Mexican-American community seems to feel threatened by our current President’s threats to deport everyone, they can use the support. Many in the community including those with Greencards and those who are citizens have been afraid to be out and about and this is hurting their businesses. What better and more delicious way to help than by patronizing a local restaurant. That day we decided to stop at 5 Rabanitos. The food was great and the prices were very reasonable. They’re located at 1758 W 18^th Street right near the 18^th Street Stop on the Pink Line. How easy is that!

Unfortunately, since we’ve been to Pilsen, the Mexican and Puerto Rican communities have both been ravaged by natural disasters – three major earthquakes in Mexico and a hurricane in Puerto Rico that has devastated the entire island. The two communities are jointly raising funds to aid victims in both communities through the Chicago for Mexico and Puerto Rico Relief Fund. Money raised will be distributed through the Mexican and Puerto Rico Red Cross Chapters. You can donate online or send donations to this group through the National Museum of Mexican Art earmarked for the Chicago for Mexico and Puerto Rico Relief Fund.

We Just Came Back From Canada - Sorry, Eh

“What brings you to Vancouver?” we were asked at Customs.

“We’re visiting. We heard how beautiful Vancouver was and we’ve been wanting to visit for a long time,” said my husband.

 “If we really like it, we may defect,” I joked.

With that Canadian sense of humor, the customs officer told us that we were always welcome in Canada.

We enjoyed that humor when we attended a sketch improv group’s show called “Oh Canada.” The audience, mostly Canadians, laughed at their own foibles in that dry, self-deprecating way. During intermission, the audience was asked to fill out slips saying what they loved most about Canada. I wrote that I loved the way everyone said “Sorry” all the time. To my surprise, the first skit after the intermission was “Sorry, Eh.” All the actors in the ensemble got the chance to correct each other prefacing it with – you guessed it – Sorry Eh. By the time the skit was finished, all the ensemble members had their chance to say “Sorry” about just about every aspect of Canadian life.

Poster at Oh Canada Skit

We witnessed this tendency to apologize in more important ways as we traveled through Vancouver, Victoria, and the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. Vancouver has an outstanding Anthropology Museum on the campus of BCU (British Columbia University) where we spent many hours. Their collection of native American – or as Canadians call it First Nations – artifacts, totem poles, and artwork was fascinating. Free tours of exhibits are given throughout the day and the history of injustices done to First Nations by Canada is fully acknowledged by the tour guides.

At entrance of the Museum

Sculpture by Bill Reid, First Nation Artist

In Victoria, we took a tour of the Provincial Capitol Building. Again, the guide talked about Canada’s past injustices to their First Nations and to Japanese-Canadians.

British Columbia Provincial Capitol Building

The town of Duncan population 4,944 in the Cowichan Valley has 30 totem poles and a museum featuring the history of First Nations in that part of Canada. We took this very interesting tour and learned a lot.

Totem Pole

Totem Pole in Duncan

Canada and the United States share a history of injustice toward their native American and other nonwhite populations – the spread of European diseases, usurping of native lands, relegation of First Nations people to reservations, boarding schools that erased native culture. They also interned Japanese-Canadians during World War II and then didn’t allow them to return to British Columbia when the War was over. The main difference between the two countries is that the Canadians have acknowledged their wrongdoing and said “Sorry” as they go forward as a multi-racial society. They apologized and arranged reparations for the Japanese in 1988. They apologized to the First Nations in 2008. In the meantime, we Americans still argue among ourselves about whether or not to keep our Indian sports mascots despite many Native Americans who have protested them saying how insulted they feel by those mascots.

We can’t undo the past but we can acknowledge our wrongdoing as a society, say “Sorry,” and change our collective behavior going forward. We in the United States need some lessons from Canada in saying “Sorry.”