Opinion: Cicero And Berwyn Continue To Have People Who Are Willing To Stand Up To Hate
St. Michael And All Angels Episcopal Church in Berwyn, who are preparing to provide free housing for asylum-seeking mothers with children. The church has been planning since November of last year and has already organized a group of individuals who will accompany these families.
Illustration by Paintbristle on Instagram
By Irene Romulo
Many of our parents first moved to Cicero in the 90s when the majority of the people who lived here were white Italians and Czech immigrants.
Our parents bought homes, opened up businesses and dared to build a future for us, despite facing xenophobia from local leaders who feared the change in demographics.
Our parents’ dreams made us possible. Yet, history tends to repeat itself.
During a town board meeting on February 27, President Larry Dominick went on one of the most hateful rants he’s gone on in awhile.
Dominick said, “Now all the illegal immigrants, it's bad enough honestly. You can't go anywhere without having people selling candy, soda or water...and what do we do, nothing? It's disgusting...My opinion ship them all back in a rocket ship.”
Cicero and Berwyn will always continue to have people who are willing to stand up to hate
Our history is full of courageous people, like our elders, who dared to dream of and create a different future. That’s why I know that Dominick’s latest hate-filled rants are nothing more than a reflection of his fears and growing disconnection from a community that no longer looks like him.
As people from Central and South America move to Cicero and Berwyn, fleeing state violence and economic conditions that the United States has historically played a role in creating, we're witnessing a resurgence of the discrimination and hostility that our parents may have encountered.
We’re also seeing a large mobilization of people and organizations organizing to help newly arrived neighbors build a home here.
Local Church Efforts To Help Immigrants
One group is St. Michael And All Angels Episcopal Church in Berwyn. They are preparing to provide free housing for asylum-seeking mothers with children. The church has been planning since November of last year and has already organized a group of individuals who will accompany these families.
“We don't have the luxury of seeing a problem and ignoring it. We have a clear mandate from Christ to do something, to serve,” said Reverend Jaime Briceño, who is coordinating the efforts at the church.
In addition to providing housing, the church will also assist with mental health services and free childcare. They hope mothers will also volunteer at the church’s day care center and eventually be employed there once they get their work permits. However, the process to receive a work permit can take months or years in certain cases.
“As an immigrant, I wish somebody had given me free housing,” said Briceño. “That didn't happen [but] I'm not mad. It doesn't prevent me from doing it now for someone else.”
Briceño said it’s important that we don’t fall into a “scarcity mentality.”
It also doesn’t serve us to pit groups against each other. We live in a country with enough resources to fund social services that all people need to live. Yet, our elected leaders prioritize other things such as warfare instead.
Take Cicero for example. On March 26, the town board approved the budget for 2024. Residents forced the town to have an hour-long hearing even though they had only scheduled 15 minutes to decide how to spend over $130 million.
The budget has over $59 million set aside for the police and fire departments. Only $20,000 will be spent on emergency shelter, $127,000 for youth services and $712,000 for much needed mental health services.
What would happen if we invested in the services that people need, including preparing for future flooding, just as much, or if not more, than what we spend on just two departments?
Knowing that people at St. Michaels are practicing their values and that others in Cicero are also strengthening their efforts gives me hope.
Social media amplifies the fear of crime in stories. Yet, the stories of people who are here living their lives, trying to survive for the sake of themselves and their families aren’t as click-worthy.
I hope we’ll learn to practice the empathy many of our parents didn’t get. As Briceño said, see our new neighbors as “enriching our community. [They] bring their life experiences, their hopes and dreams. It's just enriching…knowing that we are bringing a tiny, tiny bit of equity into our world.”
If you’d like to support the efforts in Berwyn, you can make a monetary donation to the church here.
Irene Romulo is Cicero Independiente’s Development and Community Engagement Director.
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