The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí

When students from a South Side high school confronted the Chicago History Museum over its lack of Latino/a/e representation, they set off a chain of events that led to a historic new exhibition—and a reckoning with the past.

This episode also traces the life and legacy of Rudy Lozano, the activist whose name the students carried, and legendary folk artist Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete, whose corridos have preserved history and honored the lives of countless Latine Chicagoans. But a lyric in one of Chuy's corridos hinted at a chasm-sized divergence between a communities experience and the "official narrative."

Episode Resources:
Sounds of Resistance: Corridos in Chicago — Algea Guzman, Chicago History Museum 
https://www.chicagohistory.org/corridos-in-chicago/
"Who Killed Rudy Lozano?" — Gary Rivlin, Chicago Reader
https://garyrivlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Who-Killed-Rudy-Lozano.pdf 
Remembering Treasured Chicago Folk Singer Jesus 'Chuy' Negrete — Linda Lutton, WBEZ
https://www.wbez.org/culture-the-arts/2021/09/08/remembering-chicagos-chuy-negrete-mexican-folk-singer

Reserve your free tickets to the opening of Aquí en Chicago (10/25 ) here!
Haga sus reservaciones gratis para la inauguración de Aquí en Chicago (10/25)!
https://shorturl.at/lCeZe

What is The Missing Exhibition: Building Aquí?

When students at a predominantly Latino/a/e alternative high school in Chicago (Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy) realized that Chicago’s major history museum had no information about the Latino/a/e third of the city in its permanent exhibition, they took a stand—and made history. Building Aquí is a 4-part podcast that follows the students’ protest, the exhibition it inspired, and the long, rich legacy of Latine resistance, migration, and culture in the city. Told through music, oral history, and the sounds of Chicago, the series features the work of legendary Chicano folklorist "Chuy" Negrete and the voices of curators, activists, and community members working to expand the archive.

From religious institutions that offered shelter to undocumented people in defiance of federal law, to Mexican American students pushing for bilingual education, and beyond—this podcast explores the profound ways Latino/a/e Chicagoans have shaped the city and why this important history is still missing from many institutions that should be preserving it.

Produced by Rivet360’s Jesse Betend in partnership with the Chicago History Museum.