Commentary by Lia S. Lopez

Chicago, IL – Chicago has so many unique and distinctive neighborhoods, but Little Village is special. Little village is one of the most prominent neighborhoods with Black and brown people. The community of Little Village has always cherished our heritage and upheld it through each passing generation.

However, with President Trump pushing for mass deportation around the country, we as a community have lost our passion. Due to the Operation Midway Blitz, many community members don’t feel safe to go to work, school, or to even step out their doors.

On Wednesday, October 22, federal agents came into Little Village and attacked our community. I remember feeling so much anger. Seeing my community repeatedly be hurt and beaten into fear and submission was what made me realize something had to be done. I had asked my friend, co-organizer of the walkout Lilian Dominguez, if she would be willing to walk out with me, and she said she would. And from there we worked with a Latina run group, where we started spreading the word of the walkout to news sources, community members and organizations, and Aldermen Michael D. Rodriguez.

We wanted to be organized and safe so the community, the media and the city would take us seriously. 500 students, 89 community members and 25 businesses attended and supported the October 28 walkout. I never thought in a million years my voice would ever matter or make an impact. Thanks to the support of the community, we were able to spread our message of peace and unity not just in Little [Village] but in all of Chicago and Illinois. This is just the beginning of stopping this mass deportation in the country.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Opinion #Commentary #ImmigrantRights #HighSchool

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